THESIS ORGANIZATION
3. SEMIOTIC THEORY
Semiotic is the study of sign. It was founded by Ferdinand D. Saussure in 1916. It is a study which deals with how meaning is being made. Roland Barthes, especially Mythologies, is the main reference that is used by the researcher since Barthes is the first person “who introduces the idea of different orders of signification” (taken from www.semiotic.pdf , browsed on Tuesday, April 07, 2009, at 10:32:15 am).
Myth is the term that is used by Barthes to call ‘sign’. Myth is a system of communication, that it is the message (Barthes in Mythologies, translated by Annette Lavers, 1972: 109). Everything can be a myth, in case that the thing can communicate something or has a message in it. But, “myth is not defined by its message, but by the way it utters its message” (ibid., 109).
Myth is part of semiological system, due to its root that is derived from the idea of Ferdinand D. Saussure. In semiology, there are three aspects: the signifier, the signified, and the sign. The associative of the signifier and the signified is the sign. Though, it seems that signifier and signified is separated each other, those two aspects cannot be separated because “the signifier express the signified” (ibid., 113), which, then, create a sign.
In mythology system, there are also three aspects in its theory: the signifier, the signified, and the sign. “But, myth is a peculiar system, in that it is constructed In mythology system, there are also three aspects in its theory: the signifier, the signified, and the sign. “But, myth is a peculiar system, in that it is constructed
I2 signified Language
II. SIGNIFIER
I. SIGNIFIER
III. SIGN
II. SIGNIFIER
From the diagram above, it can be seen that there are two semiological systems, language and myth. The first system is called language, “because it is the language which myth gets hold in order to build its own system” (ibid., 115). While the second system is myth, “because it is a second language, in which one speaks about the first” (ibid., 115). Myth is part of language. It is the place where myth comes from, it is root of the myth. While myth itself, is a second language. It can stand independently. It also talks about signifier, signified, and sign. Therefore, when we talk about myth, directly we also talk about language, the semiological system. Since, the ancestor of myth is semiology.
In semiology, Saussure use signifier-signified-sign to explain his theory, while Barthes use term form-concept-signification. Barthes argued that by using those term, there will be better justified since myth has in fact a double function: it points out, it makes us understand something and it imposes it on us (ibid: 117). For Barthes, “form does not suppress the meaning, it only impoverishes it, it puts it at a distance, it holds it at one’s disposal” (ibid: 118). Form is similar to signifier in In semiology, Saussure use signifier-signified-sign to explain his theory, while Barthes use term form-concept-signification. Barthes argued that by using those term, there will be better justified since myth has in fact a double function: it points out, it makes us understand something and it imposes it on us (ibid: 117). For Barthes, “form does not suppress the meaning, it only impoverishes it, it puts it at a distance, it holds it at one’s disposal” (ibid: 118). Form is similar to signifier in
The meaning of the myth has its own value, it belongs to history (ibid., 117). In other words, the meaning of myth very much relates to the background of each individual. The principle of arbitrariness that has been explained by Saussure is also applied in myth. Myth can have every meaning, it is arbiter. But, though it is arbiter, Barthes argued that “the elements of form therefore are related as to place and proximity: the mode of presence” (ibid., 122), while concept-“it is supported not by an extension but by a depth (although this metaphor is perhaps still too spatial): its mode of presence is memorial” (ibid., 122).
In relation to the data of this research (song lyrics and words in Miley’s TWITTER and Miley’s blog), denotation and connotation are two basic concepts in semiotics that are very useful in order to analyze it. Denotation refers to the literal, actual meaning of the sign, while connotation is the choice of words or media ( www.semiotic.pdf , taken from browsed on Tuesday, April 07, 2009, at 10:32:15 am). In other words denotation is ‘what’, while connotation is ‘how’. Later on, Barthes argued that Denotation and Connotation are often described as different levels of meaning. The first order of signification is that of denotation, this is the sign In relation to the data of this research (song lyrics and words in Miley’s TWITTER and Miley’s blog), denotation and connotation are two basic concepts in semiotics that are very useful in order to analyze it. Denotation refers to the literal, actual meaning of the sign, while connotation is the choice of words or media ( www.semiotic.pdf , taken from browsed on Tuesday, April 07, 2009, at 10:32:15 am). In other words denotation is ‘what’, while connotation is ‘how’. Later on, Barthes argued that Denotation and Connotation are often described as different levels of meaning. The first order of signification is that of denotation, this is the sign
4. CELEBRITY CULTURE
The hero was distinguished by his achievement; the celebrity by his image or trademark. The hero created himself; the celebrity is created by the media. The hero was a big man; the celebrity is a big name (Boorstin, 1960: 62).
That is the explanation which was described by Daniel Boorstin about the term ‘celebrities’. Obviously, it can be assumed that celebrities are group of people who are famous through their name with the constructed of media industries. That is That is the explanation which was described by Daniel Boorstin about the term ‘celebrities’. Obviously, it can be assumed that celebrities are group of people who are famous through their name with the constructed of media industries. That is
Celebrities with all of their glamorous life, their public image, and their fantasy of material success have influenced our life and our culture. They appear in almost every aspect of our daily life. Television programs, advertisements, fashion styles, products’ brand, newspaper magazines, internet, even political aspects, become the areas where celebrities live in. In other words, media is the field where celebrities maintain their popularity.
The relationship between celebrities and media, very often, are mutual symbiosis. Celebrities need media to keep their popularity in society, while media needs celebrity’s story to fill their news in order to gain profit. In modern-day celebrities are products of mass communication (Rindova, Pollock, and Hayward, in Academy of Management Review, Volume 38: 1, 51-71, 2006). This view draws on considerable evidence that mass media play a powerful role in setting the agenda of public discourse and directing the public’s attention toward particular actors and issues (ibid).
Celebrities become a new culture of today. The term that society and other researchers give to this phenomenon is ‘celebrity culture’. The term culture which is labeled along side with the term ‘celebrity’ is because celebrity becomes epidemic which influences society’ culture and behavior. According to Joseph Epstein, celebrities in America are epidemic. Celebrity at this moment in America is epidemic, and it is spreading fast, sometimes seeming as if nearly everyone has got it (Epstein Celebrities become a new culture of today. The term that society and other researchers give to this phenomenon is ‘celebrity culture’. The term culture which is labeled along side with the term ‘celebrity’ is because celebrity becomes epidemic which influences society’ culture and behavior. According to Joseph Epstein, celebrities in America are epidemic. Celebrity at this moment in America is epidemic, and it is spreading fast, sometimes seeming as if nearly everyone has got it (Epstein
Since, celebrities are popular through their name; therefore not only singer or movie actor can be called as celebrities. Supermodels, famous politicians, television reporters, athletes, also can be called as celebrities. In other words, profession which deals a lot with mass communication or big audience or society as a whole, gives those person a chance to become celebrity.
5. THE WEB OF CELEBRITY
To be popular, to exist, to be known as long as possible in the society are probably the main things that connect with the term celebrity. Celebrities do anything in order still to be recognized. They make rumors, they make scandals, they release movie or album, and all of those things are made by them and their creative team in order to maintain their name and their popularity in the society. It is because to be recognized by the society means that their name can be useful in gathering profit.
In maintaining the popularity of celebrity, media is the most important thing that work in relation to that case since media’s role is in delivering the up to date news of celebrity. Magazine, newspaper, tabloid, television, radio, and website are some of the media that are very familiar in our life now. But, the problem is that magazine, newspaper, tabloid, television, and radio are one way communications. All of those media can only deliver the news without giving the fans of celebrity space to communicate easily with their idol. Then, there is internet connection in the form of website. Website is the recent media that can connect all the people around the world like they are face to face. Website is similar to telephone or mobile phone, it can be two way communication.
Even though celebrity is a popular name, but it is possible that their web is not popular among the users of the internet. There are millions website addresses in cyber space. The web of celebrity must compete in getting the attention of the users since attention is the most important thing rather than the name of celebrity itself. The web’s scarce resource is attention, because there is so much information out there, and every one has so little time to look at it (Gauntlet in www.newmediastudies.com ).
Attention is the most important thing in the internet. In order to gain attention from the users of internet, web as general and the web of celebrity especially need special design to attract the interest of the user. The design of the web comes from the use of typography, site design (including the use of java script or flash), page design (including the use of visual impact of shape, color, and contrast, page dimension, page length, page layout, etc), multimedia (audio, animation, video, etc). Besides from the design of the web itself, to make the web becomes popular and gains lot of attention from the user of the internet, web also needs special ways. The ways according to Chris Reynolds in www.webpagedesign.com , are using of strong hosting, optimizing the web, taking the advantage of social media optimization, getting the visitor or the users of the internet to take involve, and the last way is emphasizing the usability of the design (taken from http://www.webpagedesign.com , browsed on Thursday, April 23, 2009, at 3:20:28 am).
American celebrity website was the main object of this research. It was Miley Cyrus official website on www.mileycyrus.com . As a celebrity, she needs vehicle to keep her popularity in the society. Besides newspapers, magazines, or television American celebrity website was the main object of this research. It was Miley Cyrus official website on www.mileycyrus.com . As a celebrity, she needs vehicle to keep her popularity in the society. Besides newspapers, magazines, or television
Since the web connection is a direct connection, therefore the fans of celebrities can easily know the up date information of the celebrities itself without getting restrictions. It is because the World Wide Web is an open forum where there are no quality controls, no art establishment guidelines to adhere to, and no institutional acceptance is required (Pariser in www.newmediastudies.com ).
The web of celebrity is different from personal homepage. Though they are in the same purpose to deliver information about the individual or the self to the users of the internet, but they actually have crucial distinction. This distinction comes from the person who lies behind the web of celebrity and personal home page. Personal home page is a website produced by an individual (or couple, or family) which is centered on the personality and identity of its author (s) (Cheung in www.newmediastudies.com ). While the web of celebrity, in dealing with image which is constructed through media, mostly is made by a creative team who has aim to give certain images in order to keep and maintain the popularity of the celebrities. Just like Miley Cyrus, as a teen celebrity, her official website is not made by her self. As Disney’ artist, since she is popular through Hannah Montana Series, her official website is made by the creative team of Disney.
6. MILEY CYRUS OFFICIAL WEBSITE
In dealing with celebrity, we will find a lot of sources to get information about them, such as from books, music, movies, magazines, newspapers, etc. In an era of cyber like today, it is possible to get easy connect with celebrity. Personal website is one of the means to connect with them.
Miley Cyrus Official Website is the source of main data of this thesis. Like any other celebrity websites, Miley’s website contains things about Miley as a teen celebrity. In this site, which can be accessed on www.mileycyrus.com , the visitors can find nine sub contents, they are HOME, MIBLOG, NEWS, GALLERY, VIDEO, BIO, EXCLUSIVE, EVENTS, and NEWS LETTER.
Sub content HOME is the first sub content that can be found when the visitors accessed the address of Miley Cyrus Official Website. It contains information about Miley in a glance. There is an opening song of Miley Cyrus (usually the song that is just released), twitter, slide of news, slide of video, slide of events or awards where Miley joined in, the information about nine sub contents of the website, and about Miley’s new album.
Sub content MIBLOG (Miley Blog) is the second sub content. It contains Miley’s Blog and Tish’s Blog. In this sub content, there are Miley’s words which tell about her experience as a celebrity and as a teenager and Tish’s words which tell about Miley and her experience as a mother of Miley.
Sub content NEWS is the third sub content of Miley Cyrus Official Website. It contains about the latest news of Miley Cyrus. Unlike any other sub contents, this sub content is the sub content which is often up dated.
Sub content GALLERY is the fourth sub content of Miley Cyrus Official Website. It contains Miley’s pictures. During the data collection, this sub content was not up dated, the Miley picture was the same for two weeks.
Sub content VIDEO is the fifth sub content of Miley Cyrus Official Website. There are seven Miley’s videos, The Climb video music, CMT music awards, Start All Over video music, Just Having Fun video music, Breakout video music, and 7 Things video music.
Sub content BIO is the sixth sub content of Miley Cyrus Official Website. It contains the story of Miley Cyrus’s life: the date of birth, her parent’s name, the beginning of her carrier as a celebrity, and her album.
Sub content EXCLUSIVE is the seventh sub content of Miley Cyrus Official Website. It contains information about joining Miley Cyrus Official Fans Club. In this sub content, there is a link that can connect directly to www.mileyworld.com . Miley Official Fans Club is similar to personal blog of Miley. But, unlike MIBLOG, Miley Official Fans Club contains several things that are similar to friend site network. There are Miley’s pictures, Miley’s video, Miley’s blog, chatting between her fans, quiz in order to get Miley’s gift, etc. To join this site, the visitors must pay about $ 20 for a year member.
Sub content EVENTS are the eighth sub content of Miley Cyrus Official Website. It contains Miley’s concert schedule. But, during the data collection there was not any concert schedule of Miley.
Sub content NEWSLETTER is the ninth sub content of Miley Cyrus Official Website. It contains about how to register in order to regularly get news letter from Miley.
7. AMERICAN TEENAGERS AND DISNEY
To understand aspects that construct the image of Miley, her teenager side also needs to be analyzed. In relation to teenagers, there are several terms that refer to an age when a human change from child age to adult age. Adolescent, youth, and teenagers, are commonly terms that are used in order to framing young age. But, according to Axel Auburn, Ph.D and Joseph Grady, Ph.D, the term ‘adolescent and To understand aspects that construct the image of Miley, her teenager side also needs to be analyzed. In relation to teenagers, there are several terms that refer to an age when a human change from child age to adult age. Adolescent, youth, and teenagers, are commonly terms that are used in order to framing young age. But, according to Axel Auburn, Ph.D and Joseph Grady, Ph.D, the term ‘adolescent and
A teenager is a person who is between 13 and 19 years old (Hornby. 1987: 443). It is a time when kids have several changes toward their body, their sexuality, and their emotional, since, in that age a kid will have puberty. Puberty is the term generally
endocrine activity ( http://www.lifeway.com/Understanding/Youth/index.asp , browsed on Tuesday, August 18, 2009, at 12:09:31 pm).
used to
According to Axel Auburn, Ph.D and Joseph Grady, Ph.D, there are two types of teenager, ‘normal or good’ teens and ‘strange or bad’ teens ( www.youth_understand_cog_interview.pdf , browsed on Monday, August 10, 2009, at 6:32:16 pm). ‘Normal or good’ and “Strange or bad’ teens can be differentiated based on their behavior in the society. Again, according to Axel Auburn, Ph. D and Joseph Grady, Ph. D, ‘normal or good’ teens tend to do activities that have good advantages, such as going to church every Sunday, becoming volunteers in South Africa, etc. in case that their activity can help people and not disturb others. While, ‘strange or bad’ teens tend to do bad activities, commonly are criminal activities.
As a family entertainment, Disney has values that are approved by American society since the productions of Disney always gain succeed. “The virtues which were especially approved by Disney presentations are kindness, honesty, truth, As a family entertainment, Disney has values that are approved by American society since the productions of Disney always gain succeed. “The virtues which were especially approved by Disney presentations are kindness, honesty, truth,
Disney’ story is related to fairytale story, “a utopian- idealized form” (ibid). The story always ends with happily ever after, there is not any suffering anymore. While, Disney’s celebrity icon is much related to an idealized girl who is like a fairytale princess. Slim body, long hair, fair skin, feminine, and beautiful face are some of the characterizations which are owned by the icon.
Directly or indirectly, Disney gives influence to the development of American teenagers since its first appearance. Disney values system somehow is affected by the beliefs and values of American society. Lots of values which are held by Disney, nowadays, become the way of American society views the world and the people. Therefore, the relation between American teenagers and Disney is very close since by understanding the value system of Disney, we can understand the idealized image and the idealized behavior of teenagers.
CHAPTER III ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the researcher strives to give brief explanation in answering the research questions. To make the analysis clearer, this chapter is divided into two subchapters, the first is the constructed images of Miley Cyrus as American Teen Celebrity in Miley Cyrus Official Website and the second is the explanation of how Miley Cyrus’ constructed images on Miley Cyrus Official Website can help maintain her popularity.
A. The Constructed Images of Miley Cyrus as American Teen Celebrity in Miley Cyrus Official Website
(The icon of Miley official website and official fan site)
The picture above is the icon of Miley Official Website. It always appears near the address of Miley’s official website and Miley’s official fan club. From the picture, it can be said that the creative team of Miley wants to give certain impression about Miley, Miley’s world. It can be seen from the picture of the world reconsider The picture above is the icon of Miley Official Website. It always appears near the address of Miley’s official website and Miley’s official fan club. From the picture, it can be said that the creative team of Miley wants to give certain impression about Miley, Miley’s world. It can be seen from the picture of the world reconsider
The popularity that sticks to her status as a celebrity does not come only from her series or her songs. She is popular and approved by a large number of American people because in her constructed images Miley reflects the beliefs and values of American people. Since, the image of celebrity is constructed, as what had been explained in the previous chapter, the images of Miley are constructed also. The aim of her images is to gain profit and popularity. To answer question number one of this thesis, “what are the constructed images of Miley Cyrus as American Teen Celebrity in Miley Cyrus Official Website”, here are the images that had been found by the researcher in her official website www.mileycyrus.com , which also includes www.mileyworld.com , her official fan site.
1. A Happy Teen Girl
Miley is a teen girl who grows up in a fun and happy life. It can be seen from her name, Miley. Miley is actually not her birth name, because her birth name is Destiny Hope Cyrus. The name ‘Miley’ comes from the word ‘smile’, then change to Miley is a teen girl who grows up in a fun and happy life. It can be seen from her name, Miley. Miley is actually not her birth name, because her birth name is Destiny Hope Cyrus. The name ‘Miley’ comes from the word ‘smile’, then change to
A happy teen girl is the first image that is raised by the researcher. It is the dominant constructed image that the creative team of Miley Cyrus wants to share with the visitors. The image as a happy teen girl can be found in the picture below:
The picture above is included in sub content HOME. In that picture, Miley as the represented participant is pictured in big size, almost half of the page. The image as a happy teen girl comes from the picture of Miley who is singing in smiling pose. That picture is taken with straight on angle and close up personal distance. Close up personal distance is included in social distance. The aim of close up personal distance is to make personal relation between Miley and her fans, to have friendship, while the angle that is used is to make equal impression between Miley and the visitors. The
“offer” becomes the mood of Miley picture since the picture does not gaze to the viewer, Miley looks at her microphone. As what has been explained in the previous chapter, “offer” is created if the represented participant is looking outside the picture or at someone or something within the image. From this mood, the creative team of Miley wants to make an impression that Miley is a happy teen girl who loves singing and enjoys her carrier as a singer.
Miley who holds her microphone is included as an actional transactional structure. Miley and her microphone are connected by a vector, the hand of Miley. From that connection (between Miley and her microphone) it can be assumed that in this website, the creative team of Miley aims to emphasize Miley as a singer instead of as a movie actress. It is also supported by the color of the microphone which is red. Red, as what has been explained in previous chapter, symbolizes passion. The impression that is gotten through red color of the microphone is the passion of Miley in getting happiness. She becomes happy by singing.
Yellow color that is used in the picture of butterfly, leaves, and little bit background of the website support the constructed image of Miley as a happy teen girl. Yellow is the color of sunshine, it is associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy. By using yellow color, the creative team of Miley tries to make the happy impression of Miley. Moreover, the constructed image of happy teen girl is also supported by the using of the represented participants yellow butterflies, the represented participants yellow leaves, and the represented participants yellow love shape.
The represented participants butterflies are not only a kind of insect since it is used for long time to symbolize certain meaning toward human life. There are lots of meanings in relation to this animal; they are resurrection, transition, celebration, lightness, time, and soul ( http://www.whats-your-sign.com/butterfly-animal- symbolism.html , browsed on Thursday, October 29, 2009, at 6:24:32 pm). Butterfly, as we all know, has to do metamorphose in order to reach the butterfly shape. It has to
be egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (cocoon), and finally butterfly. It is similar to Miley who grows from a kid to be a teen. The represented participants yellow butterflies create the happy impression toward Miley, in relation to her soul, in doing everything in her life and her carrier.
The represented participants yellow leaves that are shown in that picture create the happy impression toward Miley’s constructed image also. Yellow leaves and black leaves represent the new season. The changing of represented participants black leaves to become yellow leaves represent the changing of autumn to spring. Autumn or fall is the season which is between summer and winter (Hornby, 1987: 52), while spring is season of the year in which vegetation begins (ibid., 835). The emphasizing is put more on spring. It comes from the fact that black leaves are put under the yellow leaves. Yellow leaves are considered as the “ideal” (yellow leaves are put in upper section, while black leaves are put in the lower section). “Ideal”, as what has been explained in the previous chapter, is created if the element of image is placed in the upper section. It can be said that the creative team of Miley emphasizes more on the yellow leaves rather than black leaves. The changing of represented participant The represented participants yellow leaves that are shown in that picture create the happy impression toward Miley’s constructed image also. Yellow leaves and black leaves represent the new season. The changing of represented participants black leaves to become yellow leaves represent the changing of autumn to spring. Autumn or fall is the season which is between summer and winter (Hornby, 1987: 52), while spring is season of the year in which vegetation begins (ibid., 835). The emphasizing is put more on spring. It comes from the fact that black leaves are put under the yellow leaves. Yellow leaves are considered as the “ideal” (yellow leaves are put in upper section, while black leaves are put in the lower section). “Ideal”, as what has been explained in the previous chapter, is created if the element of image is placed in the upper section. It can be said that the creative team of Miley emphasizes more on the yellow leaves rather than black leaves. The changing of represented participant
The represented participants love shapes in yellow which becomes part of the background of the picture above create the happy impression also. Love is warm, kind feeling: fondness, affectionate and tender devotion (ibid., 506). Love is always associated with happiness and peace. Through yellow love shape, the creative team of Miley aims to make happy impression of Miley to all the visitors that visit Miley’s official website.
The bright light in that picture has an important role also. It is taken in back light position (it comes from the behind picture of Miley) in order to differentiate between the background and the foreground. Bright is shining, cheerful and happy (ibid., 105). The bright light which is used in Miley’s official website makes the impression of a happy teen girl of Miley be seen clearly.
Miley’s official website sub content HOME above is organized in vertical axis, besides horizontal axis. The ‘given’ is Miley’s picture, while the ‘new’ is the information about Miley. “Given” is created if the element of the image is placed in the left, while “new” is created if the element of the image is placed in the right side. Miley picture is organized in the left side of the sub content HOME since Miley is popular and understood by the visitor. The big size and other detailed design which are put on her picture aim to make good salience to grab the attention of the user. On Miley’s official website sub content HOME above is organized in vertical axis, besides horizontal axis. The ‘given’ is Miley’s picture, while the ‘new’ is the information about Miley. “Given” is created if the element of the image is placed in the left, while “new” is created if the element of the image is placed in the right side. Miley picture is organized in the left side of the sub content HOME since Miley is popular and understood by the visitor. The big size and other detailed design which are put on her picture aim to make good salience to grab the attention of the user. On
The constructed image as a happy teen girl also comes from MIBLO. In this sub content, there are lots of Miley’s words which tell about her experience and her life as a teenager and as a celebrity. Here are some Miley’s words in MIBLO that create the impression as a happy teen girl:
1. (…) So me, my parents, Br! We never do things like that, so it was something special for us to do something normal together. Daddy beat me, and so did Brandi! But it was still fun.... at least I beat Noah =)….”andi, Justin and Noah all went to our friends' house in Malibu, it was great (…)
Miley Cyrus, posted on Mar 1 st , 2009
2. (…) Last week was so fun. (…)It was my first time to go! I was loving seeing some of my friends and meeting new people (…).
Miley Cyrus, posted on January 12 th , 2009
3. (…). Its the American Idol for the UK. Simon was here and everything! It was really fun! Yesterday I did a show called Star Academy that was the French version of American Idol. Both shows were really fun…”
Miley Cyrus, posted on November 1 st , 2008
From all of her words above, it can be seen the impression of Miley Cyrus as a girl who does everything with fun and happily. Hanging out with her family, doing concert tour, making HM movie, or attending in awards, she does those kind of schedule happily, without any burden or pressure. The word ‘fun’, ‘great’, and ‘love’ are some of words that are always repeated by Miley in telling about her experience. Fun, great, and love are words that directly refer to happy and joyful moment. Those words also support the happy impression toward Miley constructed image.
Besides writing in MIBLOG, Miley Cyrus joined TWITTER since the late of April (on April 21 st , 2009 TWITTER icon appeared in the foreground of Miley
official website). It is one of the popular friend site networks nowadays, besides facebook or friendster. Miley’s words in twitter also support the constructed image as happy teen girl.
1. (…) has a new nusic video out for its all right its okay and it is WONDERFUL!!!!!6:56 PM Apr 23rd from web
April 23 rd , 2009
2. “…I cant sleep cause im sooo excited about atlantis! dont forget may 16th!!! it is gonna be soooo much fun!!! i wanna see yall there! :)about 14 hours ago from mobile web.
May 2 nd , 2009
The same as in MIBLOG, the word fun, excited, wonderful, are the words that are often said by Miley in telling about her experience in TWITTER. Directly, those words create the happy impression toward Miley’s constructed image.
The constructed image of a happy teen girl of Miley also can be seen through several videos that are found in sub content VIDEO. Here, there are two videos which support the happy impression of Miley:
The picture above is the video for Miley Cyrus song entitled “Girl Just Wanna Have Fun”. Unlike other songs, the video of this song is only shown through that picture since there is not official video for the song. In that picture, the represented participant Miley is on an actional transactional structure. It comes from the action of Miley who holds her microphone. Miley and her microphone are connected through a vector, the hand of Miley. “Offer” still becomes the main mood that is put on Miley picture since Miley does not gaze to the audience, she gazes to her microphone.
Miley picture is taken with straight on angle and far social distance with medium shot. It aims to make social impression of Miley since she becomes an idol of many teenagers. The constructed image as a happy teen girl is shown through Miley’s picture which is in smiling action. Moreover, the dominant color of light red creates the happy impression also. Light red, as what has been explained in the previous chapter, represents joy, passion, love, etc. The light red color on that picture is put on the concert equipment, such as microphone, drum, and other sounds concert equipment. Through all of that, the impression of Miley Cyrus as a happy teen girl celebrity who loves singing and entertaining people is created.
Still related to the video above, Miley’s song entitled “Girl Just Wanna Have Fun” also supports the constructed image as a happy teen girl:
… … … That’s all they really want Some fun When the working day is gone Girls They want to have fun Oh girls Just want to have fun They wanna have fun They wanna have fun
The word ‘fun’ becomes the main idea of that song. It comes from the fact that ‘fun’ is repeated in almost the entire of the song. ‘Some fun’, ‘they want to have fun’, ‘just want to have fun’, ‘they wanna have fun’ are the lyrics which create the happy impression of Miley.
The constructed image as a happy teen girl also can be seen though the video below:
Party becomes the main theme of the video above. The video tells a story about Miley who has her own world, Miley World, in her dream. Having a concert, dating with her boy friend, and doing other happy activities create the impression as a happy teen girl. It is also supported by the using of yellow, light red, green, and blue decoration. Yellow and light red as what has been explained is the symbol of joy and happiness, while green symbolizes freshness (the color of nature) and blue symbolizes confidence. Through those colors, the creative team of Miley wants to create a happy teen girl who is confident and fresh.
2. A Pure and Innocent Teen Girl
A pure and innocent teen girl is the second constructed image that was raised by the researcher. The purity and innocence images are put in Miley, with the consideration that she is a teenager. Since, as what mentioned in the previous chapter, purity and innocence are ideal behaviors of teenagers which are accepted by American parents generally and American people as a whole.
The constructed image as a pure and innocent teen girl can be assumed from the icon of Miley world above. The using of white color in the star picture, in the picture of world continent, and in the word Miley create that impression. As stated before white is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, virginity and is considered to be the color of perfection. By using white color, the creative team of Miley aims to give impression of Miley as a girl who has pure heart, pure mind, and innocent.
The dominant white color that is used as background in the picture above make the constructed image of Miley Cyrus as a pure and innocent teen girl clearer. White which is always associated with purity and innocence creates the purity and innocence impression toward Miley.
The constructed image as a pure and innocent teen girl also appears in the album cover of Miley which entitled ‘Breakout’.
White color still becomes the dominant color in that picture. It comes from the use of white color as the background and the represented particopant of Miley which White color still becomes the dominant color in that picture. It comes from the use of white color as the background and the represented particopant of Miley which
The constructed image as a pure and innocent teen girl can be seen in the sub content MIBLO. Here are Miley’s words that create the impression as a pure and innocent teen girl:
1. (…)! I really wanted to stress how sorry I am if the photo of me with my friends offended anyone. I have learned a valuable lesson from this and know that sometime my actions can be unintentionally hurtful. I know everything is a part of GODs ultimate plan, and mistakes happen so that eventually I will become the woman He aspires me to be. Peace and love, Miles”
Miley Cyrus, posted on February 8 th , 2009
Miley has the constructed image as a pure and innocent teen girl. Pure, according to Hornby, is clean: without evil or sin (Hornby, 1987: 679), while Miley has the constructed image as a pure and innocent teen girl. Pure, according to Hornby, is clean: without evil or sin (Hornby, 1987: 679), while
Still in the relation to Miley’s words, in TWITTER there are some of Miley’s words that create pure and innocence impression:
1. “Looking forward to Paris, France. =] soooo close to home. I miss you mommy!4:41 PM Apr 25th from web
April 25 th , 2009
2. I miss home ... I love u mommy7:05 AM Apr 23rd from mobile web
April 23 rd , 2009
3. “…I love my FRIENDS.6:52 PM May 1st from mobile web….. Love is the lord’s greatest commandment. I understand the bible just fine!!! :)12:18 PM May 1st from mobile web….BUT the lord is the only one- the ONLY ONE allowed to job we are not entitled to do that! Gods greatest commandment <312:57 PM May 1st from mobile web .
May 1 st , 2009
In the TWITTER, Miley is also constructed as a pure and innocent teen girl. Miley is very close to her family and her friends. That fact can be seen from Miley’s words above. The way how she expresses her love to her mother and her friends and her religiosity in which she understands the Bible and goes to the church every Sunday create the impression of Miley as a girl who has pure heart and is innocent.
Besides from MIBLO and TWITTER, the constructed image as a pure and innocent teen girl also can be found in Miley’ song lyrics titled ‘7 Things’:
… (chorus) The 7 things I hate about you (oh you) You’re vain, your games, you’re insecure You love me, you like her You make me laugh, you make me cry
I don’t know which side to buy … And the 7 th things I hate the most that you do You make me love you … The 7 things I like about you Your hair, your eyes, your old Levi’s
And when we kiss, I’m hypnotized You make me laugh, you make me cry But I guess that’s both I have to buy … From the lyrics above, it tells that no matter how hard Miley tries to hate
someone in fact she cannot deny that she still loves the person. The decision to take that song as a song that is sung by Miley is not without purpose. It is to strengthen the constructed image as a pure and innocent teen girl. It can be seen from the choice of words that is put in that lyric which creates the impression as a pure and innocent teen girl. From the lyric above, Miley is constructed as a girl who has pure heart and is innocent since she cannot hate a person who has hurt her.
Joining GYSD (Global Youth Service Day) strengthens the constructed image of Miley Cyrus as a pure and innocent teen girl. Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) is organized by Youth Service America with the Global Youth Action Network as its key partner and a consortium of international organizations and over 125
local organizations ( GlobalYouthServiceDay.org , browsed on Monday, May 11, 2009, at 12:59:06 pm). GYSD is an annual global event that highlights and celebrates the ongoing contributions of youth to their communities through volunteer service and service- learning (ibid). GYSD is Disney’s annual event that asks the American youth from the age 5-25 to volunteer. In this year GYSD was held on April 24-26, 2009. As
national partners
with
thousands
of
Disney’ icon, Miley became the key leader who campaign to all American youth to join this event. She stated that, "the best part of the party is we're going to recognize some really cool kids from Youth Service America who are giving back to their community. That's so awesome because I think it's really important for kids like us to volunteer" (Miley Cyrus at GlobalYouthServiceDay.org, browsed on Monday, May
11, 2009, at 12:57:05 pm). Joining and becoming the icon of GYSD help Miley in showing her humanity side. Becoming a volunteer, which becomes the core of this event, is an activity which needs a big heart of the doer since this activity is not money oriented, it is for humanity only. Becoming part of this event directly or indirectly creates the impression of Miley as one of the teenagers who care for others. It supports Miley’ constructed image as a pure teen girl.
3. A Feminine Teen Girl
A feminine teen girl is the third constructed image of Miley Cyrus that is raised by the researcher. It is with consideration that Disney, as the team creative of Miley, is much related to fairy, in this case beautiful princesses. From its first appearance to the public, Disney’ story always use beautiful princesses as one of its main characters. Cinderella, Snow White, and Little Mermaid are some of popular princesses that reach success. They are constructed as girls who have a perfect shape as a girl. Besides in animation, celebrity is the other icon who has image as a beauty A feminine teen girl is the third constructed image of Miley Cyrus that is raised by the researcher. It is with consideration that Disney, as the team creative of Miley, is much related to fairy, in this case beautiful princesses. From its first appearance to the public, Disney’ story always use beautiful princesses as one of its main characters. Cinderella, Snow White, and Little Mermaid are some of popular princesses that reach success. They are constructed as girls who have a perfect shape as a girl. Besides in animation, celebrity is the other icon who has image as a beauty
The constructed image as a feminine teen girl is seen through the pink color that is put in the background of star and the word Miley. Pink, as what has been explained in the previous chapter, signifies romance, love, friendship and denotes femininity. By using pink color the creative team of Miley wants to make an impression that Miley Cyrus as a girl who is feminine and can have friendship with all of the visitors generally, and her fans especially. Moreover, the pink color above is supported by the use of dark blue color which becomes the color of the globe. Dark blue, as stated in the previous chapter, represents knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness. Through the combination of pink and dark blue color, the creative team of Miley aims to make an impression of Miley as a smart feminine teen girl.
The constructed image as a feminine teen girl can be found in the sub content HOME. The represented participant of Miley who appears in long curly hair indicates femininity. Long curly hair of a girl signifies romantic, feminine, elegant & sexy (taken from http://ezinearticles.com/?Long-Curly- Hair-Styles---Romantic,-Feminine,-Elegant-and-Sexy&id=2961316 , browsed on Wednesday, November 18, 2009, at 11:55:28 am). Moreover, the represented participant of Miley which is in full make up also creates impression as a feminine teen girl. In that picture, the feminine side of Miley is in glamour style. Glamour is explained as “A magical or fictitious beauty attached to a person or object (Anne Jerslev taken from www.41-ANNEJER.pdf , browsed on Sunday, December 06, 2009, at 3:18:10 pm). The use of glamour image as a part of femininity of Miley is not without purpose. The creative team of Miley aims to explain that though Miley is Disney’s icon but at the same time she is part of Hollywood community, since according to Anne, the glamour is used in order to explain the difference between American and English femininity, and likewise, it is used to separate exotic
Hollywood stars from English actresses (ibid). Glamour image relates to money, since according to Anne, the glamorous world of Hollywood is the desirable fantasy picture, which connects glamour to images of wealth and property (ibid). Money is the indicator of wealth. Those who have lots of money can be considered as people who have wealth, people who have material success. Material success is one of American beliefs and values, it is also considered as one of Disney’s beliefs and values. As stated before, wealth and glamour are connected each other, therefore, it can be concluded that glamour is one of Disney’s beliefs and values. It can be said also that glamour is the indicator of material success. Material success comes from hard work since without hard work there will not be material success. Indirectly, through Miley’s glamorous image, the creative team of Miley aims to show that Miley is a hard worker teen girl. She is an ambitious teen girl who struggles very hard to reach success. It is true since before reaching her success Miley had to do lots of hard works. Though, she comes from a celebrity family since her father is a country music singer, she had to do lots of auditions in order to get a role in a certain drama. Then, finally after long auditions, Disney chose her as Hannah Montana/ Miley Steward, the main character in Hannah Montana which gains huge success. Miley Steward is an ordinary girl who has a secret life as a rock star, named Hannah Montana. At noon she is Miley Steward, but at night she is Hannah Montana, the famous rock star. Through Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus is constructed as a movie/ drama series actress. But, in her official website, Miley Cyrus is constructed as a singer. Hannah comes earlier than Miley’s official website. It can be concluded that Hollywood stars from English actresses (ibid). Glamour image relates to money, since according to Anne, the glamorous world of Hollywood is the desirable fantasy picture, which connects glamour to images of wealth and property (ibid). Money is the indicator of wealth. Those who have lots of money can be considered as people who have wealth, people who have material success. Material success is one of American beliefs and values, it is also considered as one of Disney’s beliefs and values. As stated before, wealth and glamour are connected each other, therefore, it can be concluded that glamour is one of Disney’s beliefs and values. It can be said also that glamour is the indicator of material success. Material success comes from hard work since without hard work there will not be material success. Indirectly, through Miley’s glamorous image, the creative team of Miley aims to show that Miley is a hard worker teen girl. She is an ambitious teen girl who struggles very hard to reach success. It is true since before reaching her success Miley had to do lots of hard works. Though, she comes from a celebrity family since her father is a country music singer, she had to do lots of auditions in order to get a role in a certain drama. Then, finally after long auditions, Disney chose her as Hannah Montana/ Miley Steward, the main character in Hannah Montana which gains huge success. Miley Steward is an ordinary girl who has a secret life as a rock star, named Hannah Montana. At noon she is Miley Steward, but at night she is Hannah Montana, the famous rock star. Through Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus is constructed as a movie/ drama series actress. But, in her official website, Miley Cyrus is constructed as a singer. Hannah comes earlier than Miley’s official website. It can be concluded that
In that picture, the glamour of the represented participant of Miley is seen through her appearance in who is young, slim, has white skin, and wearing the gold bracelet, and the use of gold star. The appearance of slim Miley in white skin can be said as part of glamour since stars are remembered through a discourse of feminine glamour in which dealing with feminine appearance (“slim, white, young, and even- featured”) (ibid). While, gold indicates the wealth and luxury, it is considered as a sign of material success. Through all the features; slim, white skin, gold bracelet, and gold star, the impression as a glamorous feminine teen girl of Miley is created.
Miley’s album cover above also supports the constructed image as a glamorous feminine teen girl. The indicator of femininity is seen through the appearance of Miley who is in curly hair. While, the indicator of glamour is seen through the appearance of the represented participant Miley who is young, slim and has white skin.The slim Miley is seen through the use of white pants and backless clothe which shows the shape of Miley’s body. The constructed image as a glamorous feminine teen girl is also supported by the use of gold microphone and the use of gold star. The represented particpant Miley who holds her microphone is in actional transactional structure. From that action, the creative team of Miley aims to show that Miley Cyrus as a girl who loves singing and has a glamourrous image.
The constructed image as a feminine teen girl is seen through pink color that is used in the wods of Miley and Tish’s Blog above. That pink color is combined with the use of light blue, yellow, and red color. Light blue, as stated in the previous chapter, is associated with health, healing, tranquility, understanding, and softness. While, yellow indicates happiness, and red indicates passion and love. By using the combination of pink, light blue, yellow, and red, the creative team of Miley aims to construct Miley as a feminine teen girl who is happy, has softness, and has love to all of her fans. This feminine constructed image is much related to Disney’s fairytale princess.
The picture above is Miley’s video entitled “Girl Just Wanna Have Fun”. It is included in sub content VIDEO. The constructed image as a glamorous feminine girl is also seen from the picture. The image of feminine is seen through the curly hair of Miley. While, the image of glamour is seen through the appearance of Miley who wears the tight white pants, tight white jacket and high heels boots. It is with consideration that tight white pants, tight white jacket, and high heels boots makes
Miley’s body looks very slim. It directly supports the constructed image as a glamorous feminine girl.
The constructed image as a glamorous feminine teen girl also appears in the picture above. It is included in sub content GALLERY. The indicator of feminine is seen through the appearance of Miley who is in curly hair and full make up. While, the indicator of glamour is seen through the appearance of Miley who wears tight pants with line motif, red shoes with high heels, tight yellow and black dress, and gold bracelet. Wearing tight pants with line motif, red shoes with high heels, tight yellow and black dress, make Miley’s body looks very slim. Moreover, the gold bracelet that is wore by Miley makes the impression as a feminine glamorous teen girl be seen clearly.
Glamour, indirectly, relates to Disney, since Glamour is fairy tale, everything and everywhere you are not, difference enveloped in a mysterious and splendid light (Anne Jerslev taken from www.41-ANNEJER.pdf , browsed on Sunday, December
06, 2009, at 3:18:10 pm). But glamour is also more than just appearances; it is a sign of inner grace and qualifications such as self confidence, self-respect and sophistication, that is, psychological qualities attached to the star persona (ibid). Glamour, thus, forms and expresses feminine strength (ibid). The represented participant Miley who sits in silver chair signifies certain meaning. Besides to show glamorous image of Miley, the silver chair which is in a special ornament aims to show the star persona of Miley. Silver, according to Hornby is shining white precious metal (Hornby, 1987: 800). By using a silver chair, the creative team of Miley aims to show the star persona of Miley which is shining and precious. Also, the feminine but glamorous image is put by the creative team of Miley on Miley’s constructed image with the consideration that the femininity that sticks to Miley is not only a matter of femininity. It aims to show that besides having femininity, Miley has self confidence (supported that Miley sits alone on the chair, while singing without gazing to the audience), has self respect, and has self sophistication. By putting glamorous image side by side with feminine image, the creative team of Miley also aims to show the feminine strength that lies in Miley Cyrus.
The picture above is included in the sub content EXCLUSIVE. The represented participant of Miley is in actional transactional structure since Miley and the balloon are connected through a vector, the hand of Miley who hold the balloon. The mood that is used in the picture above is “demand”. As what has been explained in the previous chapter, “demand” mood is created if the represented participant looks directly to the viewer. The creative of Miley aims to ask all the visitors to join Miley’s official fans club since this link is directly connected to Miley Cyrus Official Fans Club. The picture is taken in straight on or eye level angle and personal distance with medium shot with the purpose to give equality effect and closeness between Miley and her fans. The constructed image as a feminine teen girl comes from the light purple gown that is worn by Miley. Light purple indicates romantic and The picture above is included in the sub content EXCLUSIVE. The represented participant of Miley is in actional transactional structure since Miley and the balloon are connected through a vector, the hand of Miley who hold the balloon. The mood that is used in the picture above is “demand”. As what has been explained in the previous chapter, “demand” mood is created if the represented participant looks directly to the viewer. The creative of Miley aims to ask all the visitors to join Miley’s official fans club since this link is directly connected to Miley Cyrus Official Fans Club. The picture is taken in straight on or eye level angle and personal distance with medium shot with the purpose to give equality effect and closeness between Miley and her fans. The constructed image as a feminine teen girl comes from the light purple gown that is worn by Miley. Light purple indicates romantic and
The constructed image as a feminine teen girl also can be seen in the picture above. It is included in Miley Cyrus Official Fans Club which can be accessed on www.mileyworld.com . The pink color that is put on the word above signifies the femininity. It creates the impression of Miley as a feminine teen girl. Besides, the blue color that is put in the border of the word “the ultimate miley party” makes the softness of Miley’s femininity is seen clearly. From this part of Miley’s official fan site, the dominant image of Miley’s femininity is included in Disney’s fairytale princess.
The picture above is the main pages that were found in Miley Cyrus Official Fans Club. The dominant pink color makes the constructed image as a feminine teen girl is seen more clearly. The short skirt that is worn by the represented participant Miley in that picture also support the femininity side that the creative team of Miley wants to share to all the visitors. The impression as a teen girl who is feminine and girly is seen through that picture. That feminine constructed image is included in Disney’s fairytale princess.
4. A Family Teen Girl
A family teen girl is the fourth constructed image of Miley that is raised by the researcher. Miley Cyrus is a teen celebrity who is very close to her family. Though, she is a super star but she appreciates her moment with her family so much. The constructed images as a family teen girl can be found in Miley Cyrus Official Website below:
The constructed image as a family teen girl can be seen from the picture above which is included in sub content MIBLO. The represented particpant Miley and the represented participant Tish are in actional transactional structure since Miley and Tish are connected by two vectors, they are Miley who kisses her mother and Tish who holds Miley’s shoulder. Its goal is to make closeness feeling between Miley and her mother, Tish. Besides picture above, the constructed image as a family teen girl also can be found from Miley’s words below:
1. “Hey everyone! Guess what?! I FINALLY got a whole day off! Thats right.... the whole day! I couldn't believe it. It was so nice.... I got to sleep in, and then
I got up and made myself and my Daddy breakfast! (well, it was like 10 but it was breakfast for us!). Then I went outside and it was so warm and sunny, I thought it would be so awesome to go to the beach! So me, my parents, Brandi, Justin and Noah all went to our friends' house in Malibu, it was great. We had a blast just being in the sun and hanging out. And to top the night off,
I just got back from PINZ where i went bowling with the whole family! We never do things like that, so it was something special for us to do something I just got back from PINZ where i went bowling with the whole family! We never do things like that, so it was something special for us to do something
Miley Cyrus, posted on Mar 1 st , 2009
2. (…)I came home and watch a movie with my big sister, and ended up falling asleep before the end (oooooops). But it was nice to spend quality time with her!....
Miley Cyrus, posted on January 12 th , 2009
From Miley’s words above, it can be seen that Miley and her family is very close. The way Miley calls her father ‘Daddy’ makes the close relationship with her father seen clearly. Besides, the way she describes her holiday with her family and her close relationship with her big sister create the impression as a family teen girl. The word ‘together’ that is said by Miley also supports the constructed image as a family teen girl.
The constructed image as a family teen girl also can be found in TWITTER below:
1. I miss home ... i love u mommy7:05 AM Apr 23rd from mobile web
2. I miss my family sooo much :(4:24 AM Apr 25th from mobile web
3. Looking forward to Paris, France. =] soooo close to home. i miss you mommy !4:41 PM Apr 25th from web
4. Watching baby videos with papa11:44 AM May 2nd from mobile web
Miley’s words in the TWITTER above strengthen the constructed image as a family teen girl. The way she calls her mother ‘mommy’ shows the close relationship between Miley and her mother. Besides that the word ‘home’, ‘miss my family’, ‘so close to home’ create the impression as a family teen girl. Also, her word in which she tells that she watches baby video with her father makes the impression as a family teen girl seen more clearly.
B. How Miley Cyrus’s Constructed Images on Miley Cyrus Official Website Can Help Maintain Her Popularity.
“The first floor our house (house of popular culture) contains popular artifacts-objects and people widely accepted or approved of by the masses” (Nachbar and Lause. 1992: 24). Nachbar and Lause further explain that artifacts lay below in the basement. It is the visible expression of the beliefs and values. Popular artifacts are divided into two types, popular object and popular people. Popular objects are usually called icons, while popular people are called heroes or celebrities.
Celebrity is in the same room as stereotype, which cut across real and imaginary. Celebrity is a unique community because they are like us, but living in the fantasy world, fairytale world. This fairytale comes from the fact that they live in the world that is always full with images, good images. It is true since celebrity lives and survives with the help of their constructed images. Constructed images are considered as their vehicle in order to gain and maintain their popularity.
Celebrity depends very much on their constructed images. It can be said that their image influences society’s response to them. Positive constructed image is the main goal of all celebrities, since, by having positive image they will be loved and accepted by society.
Having status as a celebrity, Miley Cyrus needs constructed images also. The constructed images which stick to her are not an only matter of images; these images should match with the society’s beliefs and values. It comes from the consideration that celebrity is popular artifacts in which their existence must be based on cultural mindset in order to be accepted by society.
The fact that Miley Cyrus is popular cannot be denied. It comes from the fact that she is loved by American society, especially American teenagers. The popularity of Miley is not only because she is Miley Cyrus, but also because this Miley Cyrus has certain constructed images which have been agreed as part of American beliefs and values. It can be said that she is popular due to the constructed images.
The constructed images which are put in Miley are popularity oriented. It is made in order to maintain Miley’s popularity. The first constructed image that is put in Miley is as a happy teen girl. This is the dominant image that can be found in Disney’s characters. The image as a happy teen girl is put in Miley is not without purpose. It is to give an impression of Miley as a fun teen girl; she does everything happily. The constructed image as a happy teen girl makes her able to be loved by everybody easily, since this kind of image makes Miley a person who is warm and friendly. Therefore, it can be said that the constructed image as a happy teen girl can help Miley maintain her popularity as long as possible since this image makes Miley
a teen girl who is loved by American society. The second constructed image that is put in Miley is as a pure and innocent teen girl. The decision to take this constructed image as part of Miley’s image is in consideration that Miley is a teenager. Teenager, as what has been explained in the previous chapter, is an age in which kid will have puberty. The word kid still appear in the definition above, so it can be concluded that teenager is an age in which kid behavior still appear, they still need education from adult. Pure and innocent are considered as the ideal image of teenager since teenager who is pure and innocent a teen girl who is loved by American society. The second constructed image that is put in Miley is as a pure and innocent teen girl. The decision to take this constructed image as part of Miley’s image is in consideration that Miley is a teenager. Teenager, as what has been explained in the previous chapter, is an age in which kid will have puberty. The word kid still appear in the definition above, so it can be concluded that teenager is an age in which kid behavior still appear, they still need education from adult. Pure and innocent are considered as the ideal image of teenager since teenager who is pure and innocent
The third constructed image that is put in Miley Cyrus is as a feminine teen girl. The femininity that sticks to Miley’s constructed image is not only femininity based on Disney’s popular icons (Disney’s princesses), which is characterized with modesty. Femininity that is put on Miley’s constructed image relates to glamorous image also. It can be said that Miley has two sides of femininity, pure femininity and glamorous femininity.
Pure femininity that is constructed in her image relates to her own side. According to Hornby, femininity is defined “as quality of being female” (Hornby, 1987: 315). It can be said that pure femininity image which is put in Miley relates to the girl’s side of Miley. The decision to choose the constructed image of pure femininity of Miley comes from the consideration that western country accepts the construction of gender. Gender is one component of the gender/ sex system, which refers to "the set of arrangements by which a society transforms biological sexuality into products of human activity, and in which these transformed needs are satisfied" (Reiter 1975: 159, taken from www.freeencyclopedia.com , browsed on Sunday,
January 31, 2010, at 2:26:35 pm). They (western country especially American society) consider that “gender roles are part of socialization process” (taken from http://www.azete.com/preview/66951 , browsed on January 31, 2010, at 2:18:50 pm). Gender defines that woman should be feminine, while man should be masculine. The concept of feminine and masculine are totally different. It comes from the fact that from birth, female children are shaped by society as being sweet, caring, loving, and delicate and usually associated with the color pink (ibid), or it is considered as feminine concept. While male children are shaped by being tough, aggressive, and competitive and associated with the color blue (ibid), or it is considered as masculine concept.
Pure femininity that is put in Miley is not only related to Disney’s characters (which is characterized with modesty), but furthermore, this constructed image reflects American beliefs and values. Pure femininity can be accepted by American society; therefore this constructed image can help Miley maintain her popularity as long as possible among society.
Glamorous femininity is another femininity that is put in Miley’s constructed image. It can be said that this constructed image is unique, since this femininity is also often to be found in Disney’s popular icons (Disney’s singers, such as Britney Spears, Hillary Duff, etc). This decision, the glamorous image of Miley, can be understood since celebrity’s image very much relates to glamour, they are glamorous people. It is the basic image of celebrity to show their material success. The glamorous image which is put in Miley relates to celebrity itself, especially the Glamorous femininity is another femininity that is put in Miley’s constructed image. It can be said that this constructed image is unique, since this femininity is also often to be found in Disney’s popular icons (Disney’s singers, such as Britney Spears, Hillary Duff, etc). This decision, the glamorous image of Miley, can be understood since celebrity’s image very much relates to glamour, they are glamorous people. It is the basic image of celebrity to show their material success. The glamorous image which is put in Miley relates to celebrity itself, especially the
The glamorous image of Miley relates to her life metamorphose also. Miley Cyrus is a teen girl that surely will grow into an adult. In relation to this, certainly she needs special formula that can make her popularity stable. The glamorous image that is put in her constructed image can help maintain her popularity. Having the glamorous image will help Miley show her material success in her mature age. It can
be said that the constructed image of Miley, glamorous femininity, can help Miley maintain her popularity as long as possible since this constructed image can be accepted by American society.
The fourth constructed image that is put in Miley is as a family teen girl. She is characterized as a girl who is very close to her family. In relation to Disney, which deals with American family, this constructed image is important to be put on Miley. It can be understood since American society has myth of nuclear family. Nuclear family (Dad, Mom, 2.5 kids, and pets) is the basic and most desirable American family unit (Jack Nachbar and Kevin Lause. 1992: 95). “Everybody should be married”, “divorce is failure”, “family values are the most valuable American values” (Nachbar and Lause. 1992: 95), are some of beliefs and values in relation to American myth of nuclear family. They consider that nuclear family is the ideal image of a family since in nuclear family there is a close relationship between the members of the family. In order to be accepted by American family especially, and American society as a The fourth constructed image that is put in Miley is as a family teen girl. She is characterized as a girl who is very close to her family. In relation to Disney, which deals with American family, this constructed image is important to be put on Miley. It can be understood since American society has myth of nuclear family. Nuclear family (Dad, Mom, 2.5 kids, and pets) is the basic and most desirable American family unit (Jack Nachbar and Kevin Lause. 1992: 95). “Everybody should be married”, “divorce is failure”, “family values are the most valuable American values” (Nachbar and Lause. 1992: 95), are some of beliefs and values in relation to American myth of nuclear family. They consider that nuclear family is the ideal image of a family since in nuclear family there is a close relationship between the members of the family. In order to be accepted by American family especially, and American society as a