Evolution of Britney Spears

This is the analysis of three Rolling Stones magazines front covers, showing the evolution of Britney Spears.

In this image, Britney is surrounded by text which puts her in the centre and because her image is the only one used it gains all the focus of the reader. The anchorage text is slightly bigger than the cover lines featured on the cover, to ensure that it gets more attention.

It is tightly framed so that Britney’s body fills the page, this is done so that her body is emphasized. Therefore, there is focus on the underlying sexual message of the photo. A mid-shot has being used so that the focus of the photo is most of her body and not just her face.

The clothing she’s wearing appear to be imitating teenage pyjamas, this can make her look innocent as it reminds the audience how naive her age can bring her out to be but also relates to the idea of dressing up. Her shorts and shirt are pale colours, which stand out against her skin colour to improve her complexion and because her bra is the only item of full black that she is wearing makes it stand out, so her breasts are emphasized.

The scene is made to look as if she is laid on her bed, and the high angled camera shot increases the sex appeal of the image. It gives the readers a view of being above her on her bed, which will gain the magazine male interest. The lighting is angled above her too, in order to produce a glow on her skin and put shadows under her body. This is also something used to accentuate her body, and puts focus on her skin. The brightest reflection of light is around her chest area, this along with the black bra makes that region of her body the most focussed. The bed sheet she is laid on appears to be silk, which is a material commonly used in adult lingerie so it improves the sexual vibe of the image. The bright pink colour increases the intense lust seen in the picture. Also, the colour of the bed sheet is a much contrasting shade of pink to that of her shorts and shirt so again it is an aspect used to make her stand out. The simplicity of the set means that there will be no distractions from the background and Britney will get all the attention. The creases in the bed sheet made the lighting cast shadows on the sheet around her, where as her body is made brighter, this could be done to make her look perfect.

The props used are a telephone and a teletubby teddy. The expression she holds on her face promotes the sexual connotations of the photo, because along with the phone, the scene is made to look private. This would be appealing to readers because it portrays the idea that the readers will get to see into the private side of Britney’s life. This can be appealing to both sex’s because girls will admire Britney as a role model or possibly even envy her, whereas boys will be interested in her looks. Another perception of the telephone could be to show that she is still a stereotypical teenager, despite her fame.  The teletubby on the other hand could be interpreted in different ways, as it is a toy that could be used to emphasise her youth and promote her innocence as it makes her appear to be child-like. The reason for this could be to show that she is trying to hold on to some of her youth, whilst the sexual appearance of the whole shot is suggesting she is maturing. However, it could also be seen as a phallic symbol because she is pictures on a bed and is wearing little clothing. There are intersexual references produced through the way she is holding the teletubby and keeping it so close to her body.

The shot used is a low angled mid-shot. This is effective because the low angle shot, makes it look like the readers are looking up at her, and portrays her to be superior. We get a close but full shot of her body because it is a mid-shot, this puts a focus on her most desired assets. Like the previous cover, it is tightly framed so her body fills the picture which helps her body gain full concentration. This also puts a huge emphasis on her curves.

Her direct mode of her address conveys the idea of confidence and intimacy. This could mean she wants the reader to admire her, and even possibly be mesmerized by her. Her facial expression is teasing, and the smirk she holds could be done to lure in readers. Her pose is very seductive as she is pressing her chest against the wall and arching her back, so that her curves dramatized. On this cover she is wearing a lot less clothing than the last picture, which shows her maturing more as she is promoting a more promiscuous image.

 In this photo it seems she is advertising the housewife image, as it appears she is standing in a very narrow corridor, holding an apron to her chest. This connotes her maturity and represents her as more of a woman than a teenager, which is what we saw in the last magazine cover.

 The whole scene is kept quite brightly lit, to make the readers believe she is revealing everything and has nothing to hide. It conveys the idea that she wants a positive and trusting relationship with her fans. Little shadows are being cast to reinforce the message that she has no secrets.

 White is the main colour used. The surrounding walls are white, which accomplishes the effect of making her stand out. The clothing she wears, which is only a pair of hot pants is too white, as well as the apron she is holding to her chest. The significance of all this white denotes the attempt to make her and the text stand out, however white also reflects purity and innocence, which is quite an ironic contrast due to the fact the initial view of the magazine is quite prerogative. However, it is a colour provides the ability for any dirt to be seen. So image is aiming to reflect Britney’s innocence and imply that she has no hidden secrets. This could be another reason for the little clothing, to represent that she isn’t hiding anything. The blue and black text is clearly visible and very eye-catching against the white background. Blue is a youthful colour, so even though her maturity is being displayed, this is a reminder that she is in fact still a young woman. Black on the other hand is a very misunderstood colour, sometimes it is referred to as not even a colour. Instead, it is the absence of all colour, so the use of black could be portraying that there is something missing in Britney’s life.

This image is an ultra close-up. This has being used to focus the reader’s attention on her face so they take notice of her emotion, instead of putting focus on her body. She appears a lot more mature in this photo, without showing any body and this could reflect the realisation that she doesn’t need to show her body to hold the image that she wants. The fact that her face fills the image makes it easier for readers to recognise her beauty, but more importantly her inner beauty. As they are able to see her feelings spread across her face, additionally, the easy view of her eyes shows her real emotion as the eyes are the only feature on the face that reflect the truth. The direct address mode makes it appear to the reader that Britney is looking into their eyes, this connotes her truthfulness and the sympathy she is seeking from the readers.

Being in black and white, the image is a lot sharper, and the dull look to her face reinforces the feeling of sadness that the image is trying to portray. Due to black and white being contrasting colours, they provide high visibility which sends the message that Britney is about to reveal something to her readers. It strengthens her look of vulnerability and weakness.

 Therefore, we can expect that the relationship Britney wants with the readers has changed dramatically from that of the first cover. This time I believe she wants the readers to feel sorrow towards her and support her. The anchorage text reinforces this, “Inside an American tragedy” which makes a suggestion that she will be telling the truthful story of a tough time in her life and career.