Visual Essay - Narrative

Applying Bordwell & Thompson's Theory

Although Bordwell and Thompson never came up with a complete narrative theory they did suggest the idea that a chain of events within a media text cause effects occurring in space and time and the narrative presents this idea in terms of time and space shown using flashbacks and speeding up or slowing down time.

The central idea behind Beyoncé's music video to show the ugly side of beauty, to show what goes on behind the scenes and to show the audience the part that they wouldn't usually see, almost like a backstage pass. In order to do this the audience are presented with different views of the girls which juxtapose one another. They are presented on stage in a way that they seem happy and confident and they seem to be able to achieve such natural perfection. Usually the audiences view would stop here however the producers take us backstage, into the dressing room and also into Beyoncé's house to give us an idea of the story behind the girls and what goes on in their life off-stage.

The narrative is not presented in chronological order which, in my opinion, shows the emotions of women in the video much more effectively as the shots of them happy against the shots of them being sad show a huge contrast in emotions and effectively shows how unhappy working in this industry has made them and the sacrifices they have made in order to be accepted by the society and audience surrounding this industry. This shows that the 'Pretty Hurts' music video accepts the idea that was put forward by Bordwell and Thompson as the video is constantly going from when time to another for example showing the girls onstage and then flashing back to them preparing to compete in the dressing room. On stage the girls look well-behaved, classy, beautiful and lady like but backstage they argue and fight, pick at their smaller imperfections and got through silly procedures in order to look good on stage, an example of this is the close up shot of Beyoncé applying Vaseline to her teeth in order to make them shine, something that will no doubt be a very unpleasant thing to do. By putting these shots one after the other the producers achieve their intended purpose for the video, to show that the beauty industry isn't as glamorous as it may seem as the two locations contrast from one another taking the audience from one extreme to another in a short space of time. 

Applying Sven Carlsson's Theory

Sven Carlsson said that there were 3 main areas of narrative structure, these are:

- Performance

- Narrative

- Conceptual/Abstract

Carlsson's theory suggests that binary oppositions drive forward the narrative of the music video, for example a video shot in black and white might suggest another era, or represent a song with a dark or sad theme. 

Music videos that follow the narrative structure of performance mainly show an artist singing (performing the song), or include choreography such as an acting scene or dance routine - this type of narrative structure is most common in genres of music most appealing to a younger audience such as pop.

Music videos that have a conceptual narrative structure have a deeper meaning and/or are symbolic of something meaning they are more likely to be consumed by an older, more mature audience who are more likely to recognise the meaning intended by the producers of the music video, as a result of this, this style of narrative structure is seen mostly in genres such as indie and rock.

The music video for 'Pretty Hurts' follows both the performance and the conceptual narrative structure suggested by Sven Carlsson. A key convention of a conceptual video is location change which is seen at least 4 times in the music video.

1. On stage

2. In the dressing room

3. At home

4. At rehearsals 

Another convention of the music video that suggests it follows a conceptual narrative structure is the deeper meaning behind the song which is portrayed mainly through the lyrics of the song which is unusual for a song within the genre of pop, Beyoncé, is however, an artist who although does appeal to a younger audience, also appeals to women of a similar age to her as her songs are inspired by her life experiences therefore they may have gone through similar things to her and can therefore relate to and empathise with the lyrics of the song.

The video includes both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. In music videos non-diegetic sound is conventional and is what an audience expects to hear as it is the song that goes with the video, however diegetic sound, such as speech, is unconventional although is becoming increasingly popular in music videos either at the beginning, middle or end, artists now often include a small acting scene in the video to set the scene for the audience to either add to the meaning or create a deeper meaning that isn't necessarily obvious without the visual aid of a music video or through the lyrics of the song alone. This is an additional reason as to why the video has a conceptual narrative structure, elements of the music  video help to generate a deeper meaning for the audience and gives dialogue and imagery exclusive to the music video that the audience would not be aware of it they only listen to the songs audio.

Applying Tim O'Sullivan's Theory
Tim O'Sullivan suggests that media texts tell us some kind of story about ourselves, not personal stories but the story of us as a culture/set of cultures.
This theory applies to the music video I have chosen as it shows the audience the pressures that young girls will put themselves through in order to feel accepted by society. This shows that as a society our expectations for women to look and behave a certain way and to be a certain size or shape and wear a certain kind of clothing puts unnecessary pressure on young women and causes them to go to extreme lengths to as long as they get the outcome they are aiming for which tends to be an unhealthily small body size, an example of this in the music video is when we see one of the women dip a cotton wool ball in orange juice and then eat it, this is clearly a way of making herself feel full without actually consuming any real food that could make her gain weight and the audience can immediately make links between the girls skeletal frame and this unhealthy eating habit.

The music video shows that although the girls appear beautiful, happy and glowing on the outside, however the inside is a very different story - their constant battle and struggle with their appearance has left them unstable mentally as well.
This comes as a result of constantly being told that they are not good enough or not skinny enough and being compared with the other girls around them as well and eventually they get to a point where no matter how thin they get they will never believe that it is good enough and they will be in a constant battle with not only themselves but each other as well and so it is a viscous cycle of hatred and jealousy with others as well as themselves - this, I believe is the central idea within the music video and is shown when we see a girl, who looks almost skeletal, pulling at her skin as though it is excess fat and she is still not happy with her size however the audience can see that this girls is already unhealthy that if she becomes any thinner than she already is then she will be causing herself serious health risks. 

Applying Pam Cook's Theory

Pam Cook's theory puts forward the standard 'Hollywood Structure" which consists of:

- linearity of cause and effect within an overall trajectory of enigma resolution

- a high degree of narrative closure

- a fictional world that contains verisimilitude especially governed by spatial and temporal coherence

Pam Cook's theory applies to the music video in some ways however also rejects certain factors of the theory in other areas. The video is an accurate representation of an existing, working industry in society thus creating verisimilitude through coherence of space and time as mentioned in the 'Hollywood Structure'. Other points of the music video which create verisimilitude and make the video an accurate representation of the industry it is about is the acting from the people featuring in the video as they successfully create an unhappy mood surrounding the music video and this is general mood surrounding the industry from not only the people involved but also mirrors the negative comments as well as the negative and unachievable expectations society has.

The areas of Pam Cook's theory which are rejected by the music video and do not apply, in my opinion, is both the first and second point to do with cause and effect and having narrative closure, two things that I do not think this video has. Although the music video has a narrative in that it tells a very detailed story and has a very meaningful message, when it comes to narrative structure the video does not conform to a particular structure or theory because the video goes back and forth between locations and is not presented in chronological order. In my opinion, it is much easer to apply a narrative theory to a TV programme as that shows cause and effect much more explicitly as they have the aid of diegetic sound to help portray the plot and their emotions however the only way I can think that cause and effect links to this video is, as mentioned before, the pressures put on young girls from society to look and behave a certain way causes them to take drastic action towards being accepted, this has negative effects both mentally and physically on the girls as they are damaging their bodies and they are putting themselves at serious risk by doing such things as not eating properly. This, however, I do not feel is what is meant by the point linking to cause and effect mentioned in Pam Cook's theory because the video does come to a resolution which is what the theory suggests and this is also another reason as to why I think this theory applies more to films and TV programmes rather than music videos.

Applying Todorov's Theory

Todorv's theory suggests this narrative structure - there is both an antagonist and a protagonist within the equilibrium (diegesis), disruption is caused within the narrative, they then go on a quest to find a resolution concluding in a re-equilibrium.

Again, I do not think this suggested narrative structure applies to my theory as I believe it is intended more for television and film rather than music videos as the narratives shown within this media format are sometimes unclear if the video has more of an abstract style. Although Beyoncé takes the role of the protagonist in her own video, in my opinion there is no their character who is significant enough to take the role of the antagonist, nor is there a need to go on a quest to find a resolution in the video as there is no disruption and the video does not conclude with an equilibrium. 

Narrative Theorists

Whilst studying narrative the 5 main theorists we have been studying and applying to our chosen media texts are:

1. Bordwell and Thompson (1997)

2. Sven Carlson (1999)
Suggests that the 3 main areas of narrative structure are:
1. Performance
2. Narrative
3. Structure

3. Tim O'Sullivan (1998)
Suggests that through careful mediation, media texts offer a way of telling stories about ourselves - not usually personal stories but the story of us as a culture or a set of cultures.

4. Todorov (1977)

5. Pam Cook (1985)
Brings forward the idea of 'The Standard Hollywood Structure:
- linearity of cause and effect within an overall trajectory of enigma resolution
- a high degree of narrative closure
- a fictional world that contains verisimilitude especially governed by spacial and temporal coherence.

Visual Essay - Representation

Representation is when/how the media present something back to an audience - how they RE-PRESENT it. The media are able to do this by conforming to stereotypes and ideologies that are widely recognised by today's society, by doing this they manipulate how a media product, such as a music video, is consumed by an audience.

Applying Laura Mulvey's Theory
Laura Mulvey's Theory - The Male Gaze, suggests that as an audience we subconsciously consume music video's (and other media texts/products) from the perspective of a heterosexual male because the media present women as sexual objects that exist only in media texts for the gratification of the men not only within the media product as well, but also in the audience. They do this by dressing women in provocative and revealing clothing , they also show women as people that are constantly pining to be looked and win the attention of the men making them appear desperate and dependent on men. They also dance sexually and in ways that are suggestive of sex which results in the audience having a lack of respect for those women however because the media has such an impact and an effect on society now, people assume that this applies to all women however this is clearly not the case.
The women that appear in these video's have given full consent and are fully aware of what is expected of them thus giving consent to be presented in this way. The reasons for women choosing to be represented like this is because it makes them feel empowered and dominant and they don't necessarily to be looked at by men, some do it to empower other women and promote positive body image and confidence among women. One artist who is most well-known for doing this is Beyonce. She is recognised worldwide for her music but also her work in empowering women to be confident, independent and strong without having to rely on men, she also encourages women to be more supportive and have more respect for one another.
In Beyonce's music video for her song 'Pretty Hurts' she shows the ugly side of beauty and gives the audience a 'behind the scenes' view of what it takes to fit the mould and be societies version of beautiful. The meaning behind the song is that beauty should be judged on someones personality rather than on somebody looks like. The song and the video also reflects the negative impact this industry has on young girls growing up and on women as well and the pressure society and the media put upon women to behave and look a certain way whilst making special references to  the expectations television has for people and also the expectations of Vogue Magazine.

Beyonce - 'Pretty Hurts'

As mentioned previously, this video is all about the industry surrounding beauty pageants and gives the audience a 'behind the scenes' insight into what it is like to fit into society's idea of beautiful because it is not as glamorous as it seems to the people who are less involved. The girls who take part in these competitions are represented as classy, lady-like women who are well-behaved and respectful of each other however this video shows the impact that competition has how desperate people are to be at the top in this industry and the sacrifices they make (mainly with their body) in order to be the best.
Laura Mulvey's theory suggests that women are only seen as sexual objects, this music video conforms to Mulvey's theory in that the women are dressed in skimpy clothing that accentuates certain body parts which are suggestive of sex.

The thumbnail of the video (above) draws attention to Beyoncé's cleavage because the bralette she is wearing is covered in diamanté's and bright colours therefore the audiences eye is immediately drawn to this area of her body and,subconsciously, the audience view this from the perspective of a heterosexual male as Laura Mulvey's theory suggests. 

Another example of this is the use of the close up shot of Beyoncé's bum.

Again, the diamanté decoration in the leotard that Beyoncé is wearing immediately draws the attention of the audience straight to this area, however the fact that this is a close up shot and fills up most of the frame also contributes to the fact that this is only thing in the frame that the audience will pay attention to. The fact that the audience view this in the sand way a heterosexual man would, immediately gives this frame sexual connotations and represents Beyoncé as a sexual obje ct. 

The video itself, however, does not include many male 'characters' which means that the video does not present women as sexual objects for the gratification of men and therefore rejects The are of Mulvey's theory that women only exist in media products as a result/for the gratification men. It encourages one of the crticisms of Mulvey's theory - that women represent themselves in a sexual way as they find it empowering and they want to use their body positivity and confidence to empower and encourage other women to do the same thing. Another point to make is that one of the few men that do appear in this video is a very influential figure of the fashion industry and men surrounding this industry are often surrounded by the stereotype and stigma that they are gay, which is of course a inaccurate assumption that is placed upon all make figures of the fashion industry. If the men in this video did happen to be gay though, they would not be looking at the half dressed women that are in the video, in a sexual way which again supports the criticism that Mulvey's theory doesn't take into account the opinion of a homosexual audience as their opinion will most definitely differ to that of heterosexual man and Mulvey's theory assumes that all audiences will take on this point of view when faced with women in the media.

Another part of this music video that represents women as sexual objects is that Beyoncé appears not once, but twice wearing rabbit ears as an accessory to go with her outfit

however these can be closely linked to Playboy which is a media text whose purpose is to represent women as sexual objects and they appeal to an audience who encourage this and consume their products because they have a reputation for showing graphic images of women. The iconography and connotations/denotations surrounding this idea is that these women have no respect for themselves as well as the men who are the dominant audience for this product and also have very little or no respect for the women who are involved in the media product they are consuming. They also use their bodies to make money which is seen as shallow and the women are often referred to as 'slutty' by the media and other women who have little or no understanding for why other women want to do such a thing and present themselves in this kind of way.
This can be applied to the music video by saying that as a result of the industry that Beyoncé shows herself being involved in in her music video, she has lost respect for herself and only now competes for the pride of winning and the rewards that come from being successful in this industry rather than because it is something that she enjoys doing. She has lost her own identity and now only represents herself in a way that will be accepted by society as she wants to fit in even though the feelings and emotions that Beyoncé portrays in her music video is that doing this makes her miserable and that being constantly compared to the other girls/women doing the same thing as her and having to be constantly better than them has a huge impact on her confidence - something that she has to pretend she has in order to be successful in what she is doing.

Applying Richard Dyer's Theory

Richard Dyer's Star Theory has 4 main components:
1. Stars are constructed and artificial even though they are represented as being 'real people'. They are manufactured and have a USP which enables them to be copied by their fans who go to gigs and allows their merchandise to be sold successfully. E.g. the photo-copied nature of teen boy bands, institutions know what makes them successful and so reproduce the same things time and time again.
2. By conforming to certain attitudes and ideologies for a particular social group stars make themselves desirable to audiences allowing them to then be successful (hegemony).
3. Stars try to represent shared cultural values and attitudes as it promotes an ideology surrounding them as a brand. This is usually based on what they think an audience wants to consume and what the institution thinks is desirable to the target audience.
4. Dyer suggests that stars have 2 paradox's - ordinary and extraordinary. The star needs to be like their audience so the audience are able to relate to them however they also need to be extraordinary to leave something for the audience to desire.

Beyoncé is perhaps one of the biggest stars there is, mainly because she is extremely desirable to her female audience however women still feel that they can relate to her because of the themes of her songs - being insecure, teaching women they do not exist only for men (rejecting Mulvey's theory). 

Beyoncé is someone that most women wish they could be and because of the fact she is so desirable she becomes a star which leads her to bring very successful within the music industry as her media products are always going to be widely consumed by her target audience of females. 

The stage, the spotlights, the dressing room etc. are all signifiers for the audience to show them that Beyoncé is being represented as a star in this music video, however, although she is still a star, which is how her target audience see her anyway, she is still playing a character in this video because she is not representing herself as we know it, as a singer, she is representing herself as being a successful contestant in beauty pageants.

My chosen music video conforms to the 4 main components of Dyer's Star Theory:

The first suggests that 'Stars' are artificial although they appear to be presented as 'real people', this is done in Beyoncé's music video where she goes on stage to sing a short extract of a song and in the long shot of all the contestants on stage together. (see below) 

In these two parts of the video Beyoncé is represented as showing her true self through her talent of singing and also in her response to the question she is asked on stage - "what is your aspiration in life?" as the audience feel that they are getting to know the person shown on stage in a more personal way. Her response - "my aspiration in life is to be happy" links to the fourth component as well as the first because it shows Beyoncé in a way that 'ordinary people' will be able to relate to as it makes her seem in touch with reality and shows that she isn't as materialistic as people would believe 'stars' to be.

The second component is all to do with conforming to certain ideologies and attitudes based on what an industry thinks the audience wants to consume. The leading narrative and main idea throughout the music video all links back to physical appearance and attempting to conform to societies idea of 'beauty' and 'perfection' which involve having the correct body shape and size, and being at the correct age (30 years old max.). This is shown to the audience throughout the entire video, an example is when Beyoncé is getting measured and weighed and the facial expressions of both her and the person she is being measured by that she has not met the 'standards' that are expected of her if she is to be successful in his industry however, the long shot of Beyoncé sat surrounded by trophies suggests that she is capable of winning and has been very successful in beauty pageants at some point as trophies and medals connote both winning and success. 

Careers in this sort of industry tend not to be very long-lasting and perhaps seeing Beyoncé 'fail' is a sign that her time in this industry is up as she may be seen as 'too old' to compete by the audience. If this is the case they will not want to consume, or continue support her as their will be younger contestants moving in who will now be likely to be more successful than she is. 

Another example within the music video that shows the lengths that the girls go to to be successful in the industry they are working in is when we see a girl eat a ball of cotton wool.

Instantly the audience knows that this to make her feel full without actually eating proper food in order to stay thin as any audience,  whether they have an interest in this industry or not, knows the conditions and struggles that people will put themselves through in order to be the best. Again, the facial expressions of the girl shows that this not in any way enjoyable to her but shows she understands the expectations she has to meet and is desperate to succeed and be accepted. 

The third component put forward by Dyer says that stars create a character based on what they think an audience wants to consume and this suggests that the person they present themselves as on stage is different to the person they are in real life and therefore although the audience may love the person who is on stage they might not always like who the person becomes off stage.

An example of this in Beyoncé's music video is again, the long shot where she is surrounded by trophies. In this shot she is sat slouched over, leaning on her knee, with her legs apart and overall she does not look lady-like neither is showing very good posture, nor is she in the picture below.

In juxtaposition to this there is a point in the music video where she is being taught how to stand correctly in order to present herself well therefore this is a clear example of her showing herself one way on stage and another when she is not competing.

The fourth component suggests that 'stars' have two sides to the character they show on stage, one that is extraordinary is to be desired by an audience, and the other that is ordinary and gives the audience something them and the 'star' have in common so that the audience feel they can relate to the 'star' in some way.

The same as the example I used when explaining the first component, when Beyoncé is asked what her aspirations are, she simply replies 'to be happy'. The audience would probably be expecting her to say something in relation to winning more pageants, instead the answer she gives is much more personal and puts her on a level with her target audience rather than them seeing her as being higher than them. Her response is also very ironic because, as discussed before, there are several points in the music video where she appears to be unhappy, perhaps this is her admitting to the audience that she is not happy in what she is doing because by saying she aspires to be happy it suggests that she is not happy t the present time. It also reinforces my point earlier about saying that she has outgrown the industry she is working in. The montage shown after she says this reinforces the irony of her answer and confirms that she is unhappy in what she is doing. 

Applying Tessa Perkins' Theory

Tessa Perkins identified 5 assumptions based on stereotypes:

1. They are not always negative

2. They are not about minorities/less powerful groups

3. They can be held in ones own groups

4. They are not rigid or unchanging

5. They aren't untrue

The stereotypes surrounding the 'Pretty Hurts' music video include the stereotype of all blondes being 'dumb' which rejects the fifth assumption identified by Perkins because the colour of your hair does not define someone's level of intelligence and although the initial idea from which a stereotypes is triggered does have some truth to it, it does not mean that it applies to all women with blonde hair nor does it mean that all brunettes aren't 'dumb'. An argument that challenges this idea is that say if a brunette dyes their hair blonde, do they go from being intelligent to dumb? And another argument could be the question of why does this stereotype only apply to women and not to men?

The fact that the women shown in this video have a career in beauty, fashion, makeup etc. also reinforces the ideas behind this stereotype as it is looked down on by other people who have 'proper jobs' and so in this case rejects the second assumption Perkins identified, that they aren't always  about less powerful groups/minorities however stereotypes about upper class and social majorities do also exist, for example people who are rich can be called spoilt or snobby however people can achieve wealth through working hard meaning they are not spoilt and have worked hard for the money they have and the stereotypes surrounding social class tend to apply more to people who are born into it therefore in some ways agreeing with the fifth assumption identified by Perkins but also with reason to reject it depending on the context of a situation. 

Richard Dyer - 'The Star Theory' (Representation)

 According to Dyer:

• A star is not a real person, they are constructed.
• Icons and celebrities are constructed by institutions for financial gain.
• Stars create a persona that makes them desirable ti an audience. 

Quotes from Dyer:

• "Stars are commodities that are produced by institutions"
• "A star is a constructed images, represented across a range of media and mediums."
• "Stars represent and embody certain ideologies"

4 Key Components of Dyer's Theory:

1.Stars as constructions:

Stars are constructed, artificial images even if they are represented as being "real people". By doing this, it helps them to build a USP (e.g. the Spice Girls giving each other individual names within the group) which can be copied and parodied by audiences.

Stars are manufactured to make money out of audiences who go to gigs and/or buy merchandise. Record labels know what is profitable and popular hence the photo-copied nature of teen boy bands - they know that they will be popular therefore they just keep recreating the same thing. 

2. Audience and Industry/Institution:

By conforming to certain attitudes and ideologies artists make themselves desirable and successful even though they may not necessarily believe in those ideologies themselves. (Hegemony)

3. Ideology and Culture

Stars represent shared cultural values and attitudes that promote a certain ideology about themselves as an artist and they want an audience to see what they believe in. 

4. Character and Personality

A star creates a character based on what they think an audience wants to consume and they promote an image that they feel is desirable to an audience.

Dyer suggests that stars have two paradox's:

- ordinary

- extraordinary

The star needs to be ordinary, like us, so they have something to relate to however the star still needs to be extraordinary so that they are desirable to an audience. 

Tessa Perkins - Stereotypes (Representation)

A stereotype is a certain group of people who conform to a particular style and are recognisable mainly because of how they choose to represent themselves. Stereotypes are often negative however they have only come about because there is some truth behind them and they are based on prior knowledge, however they are also based on assumptions people have before getting to know the group of people they are stereotyping. Stereotypes are hard to break because people 'hold' assumptions which leads to the unfair treatment of members of society.
An example of when this is done is when somebody is walking down the street and see a group of 'chavs' approaching, they will cross the road because they are afraid of them because of they are known for being anti-social and violent, however the person crossing the road has no guarantee that these people are out to cause trouble and are basing their opinions of them solely on the label they give to them because of how they are dressed.

Tessa Perkins identified 5 assumptions that people make based on stereotypes:
1. Stereotypes aren't always negative. E.g. French people are good at cooking.
2. They are not always about lower class people or lower class groups E.g. Upper class people are snobby and stuck up.
3. They can be held in ones own groups.
4. They are not rigid or unchanging.
5. They aren't untrue.

Dominant stereotypes tend to be negative, for example, an incident involving the stereotypical 'troublesome youth' can be seen in the media, however young people graduate from university every single year which is a highly positive achievement but because this is only shown annually society dismiss it and allow the negative stereotype to dominate.
Once a stereotype or image of someone or a group of people is created, it can be very hard to change societies opinion although it can be done.
An example of this is when Miley Cyrus re-branded herself in order to break out of the Disney mould and lose the image that people had of her as a teen pop star. In doing this she made some very controversial decisions but as I established whilst studying Laura Mulvey's theory of 'The Male Gaze', this makes artists more profitable because it gets more media attention which makes us, as an audience, consume this kind of content more than others.

In conclusion:

• They are erroneous (usually wrong)
• They are (negative) concepts
• They are about groups who we have little or no social contact with - they are not held about ones own group - therefore how are they believable?
• When people 'hold' assumptions it makes stereotypes much harder to break, leading to unfair treatment of other members of society. 

Laura Mulvey - "The Male Gaze" (Representation)

 According to Dyer:

• A star is not a real person, they are constructed.
• Icons and celebrities are constructed by institutions for financial gain.
• Stars create a persona that makes them desirable ti an audience. 

Quotes from Dyer:

• "Stars are commodities that are produced by institutions"
• "A star is a constructed images, represented across a range of media and mediums."
• "Stars represent and embody certain ideologies"

4 Key Components of Dyer's Theory:

1.Stars as constructions:

Stars are constructed, artificial images even if they are represented as being "real people". By doing this, it helps them to build a USP (e.g. the Spice Girls giving each other individual names within the group) which can be copied and parodied by audiences.

Stars are manufactured to make money out of audiences who go to gigs and/or buy merchandise. Record labels know what is profitable and popular hence the photo-copied nature of teen boy bands - they know that they will be popular therefore they just keep recreating the same thing. 

2. Audience and Industry/Institution:

By conforming to certain attitudes and ideologies artists make themselves desirable and successful even though they may not necessarily believe in those ideologies themselves. (Hegemony)

3. Ideology and Culture

Stars represent shared cultural values and attitudes that promote a certain ideology about themselves as an artist and they want an audience to see what they believe in. 

4. Character and Personality

A star creates a character based on what they think an audience wants to consume and they promote an image that they feel is desirable to an audience.

Dyer suggests that stars have two paradox's:

- ordinary

- extraordinary

The star needs to be ordinary, like us, so they have something to relate to however the star still needs to be extraordinary so that they are desirable to an audience.