CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Research Background America is a land of popular culture. It is because popular culture was invented in the great cities of the United States, and above all in New York (Maltby in Storey, 2009, p. 8). Moreover, American popular culture has dominated the global markets through certain products including movie, music, celebrity, lifestyle, food, and many more. Those products have been successfully marketed to the worldwide society through the label of American products. Therefore, American products become popular in the global society and become the parameter of the world s products standardization. Since America becomes the center of popular culture products, it can be said that America becomes the point of references for many people (Kroes, 1996, p.75). As one of the American popular culture products, American celebrities become my focus in this research. American celebrities are persons who become the representation of American dream. Their lives are surrounded with beauty, fame, and money, thus, they become the representation of American Dream. For American celebrities, their lives and popularity depend on their constructed images appeared in media. And then, their constructed images will bring them to the wider audiences andlet them become the role model of the society. Moreover, American celebrities are being presented as a model of consumption practice and aspiration for the reader (Turner, 2003, p. 40). Therefore, the existence of American celebrities is necessary in our lives. In this research, I take the case of Miley Cyrus s changing images as an American celebrity which is represented in her music videos as the main focus. Miley Cyrus is an American singer/actress who is popular due to her images. It is to say that image is a crucial thing within a
celebrity s life, because celebrity is a person who lives in images construction. Images are structured messages It is a conventional visual arrangement, based on a visual code (Kress & Leeuwen, 1996, p. 25). Moreover, Miley Cyrus was known for her successful Disney Channel series entitled Hannah Montana. ThroughHannah Montana series, Miley becomes the role model of the ideal teen girl in America. The popularity of Hannah Montana series has led to a successful franchise for Disney with merchandises ranging from dolls, digital cameras, cloths, lunchboxes, playing cards, electric guitar, etc. Hence, the popularity of Miley as Hannah Montana character has been known to the world. Within the character of Hannah Montana, Miley describes herself as a goofy, sassy, hardworking, talented, funny, considerate, honest, and chaste teen girl. She was a good role model that she empowered little girls to dream big and taught them how to behave toward family, friends, and strangers (http://www.parents.com/blogs/parents-perspective/2013/10/24/the-parents perspective/the-5- real-reasons-behind-the-miley-cyrus-backlash). That is how Miley s image as Hannah Montana has been constructed in media and society. However, Miley Cyrus' constructed images I have mentioned before have transformed into other constructed images. Miley Cyrus has officially changed her images construction from the girl of Hannah Montana into the real Miley Cyrus, precisely in 2013. She clarified that she had left her Hannah Montana images and changed into the new raunchy images. The term of real Miley Cyrus which is depicted with raunchy images, has been identified through the portrayal of Miley s sexualized body and illicit slut images in her music videos released in 2013(http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/family/articles/2010/06/24/miley_cyruss_image_switch_g ives_parents_pause and_provides_a_teachable_moment/).by looking back at Miley s character in Hannah Montana, indeed this new constructed image of her is against the previous image.
The changing images of Miley Cyrus happened in 2013 and it was identified for the first time through her music videos released within the year. Within the year, Miley released an album namely, Bangerz with three songs. The songs that have been successfully made into music videos become the root of Miley s controversy. The controversy relies on how Miley is showing her sexualized body and slut images inside the music videos. Even more, she has shown us directly how her constructed images from a cute Hannah Montana into the wild Miley Cyrus. Since Miley s music videos gained controversies and critics for her 180 degrees drastic changes, I take her music videos as my object of study. There are three reasons why I employed music videos to analyze Miley s changing images. Firstly, it is because her music videos become the origin vehicle to carry out her changing images to the public recognition. Thus by using it, I can have an original source of analysis for her changing images. Secondly, it is because music videos are very popular in society, especially with youth. Thus, music videos can be used as effective tool for entertainers to promote themselves. People nowadays have easy access to see music videos by only visiting popular video sharing sites namely www.youtube.com. Moreover, music videoas the media has the power to influence its audience (Thomas, 2014). Thirdly, it is because music videos directly or indirectly will become the signifier of the singer or performer s identity. Generally, music videos can be referred as the combination of song and imagery within an integrated short film produced for promotional purpose, not only by displaying the performers but also creating their identity (Moller, 2011; Peeters, 2004). Celebrities are unlike heroes; heroes are gaining popularity by having achievements; while celebrities are not. For celebrities, the way to develop the capacity of fame is not by achieving great things like hero, but by differentiating their personalities from their competitors (Turner, 2003, p.5). This is to say that celebrity needs refreshment for their images to stay popular. Their
popularity depends on the amount of media representation about their images. Moreover, the relation between celebrity and media is very close. They are having reciprocal relationship. Celebrity gets fame and recognition from the media which carry out their images, while media get income revenue by publishing the celebrity s images. It is to say that there will be no celebrity without media (Altman, 2005, p. 9). Along with her controversial changing images, the popularity of Miley Cyrus shows increasing, instead of decreasing. There s no longer a question surrounding how long Cyrus could sustain popularity with her shocking performances. She s done more than just sustaining (www.forbes.com/sites/jesselawrence/2014/04/01/as-bangerz-tour-reaches-halfway-point-pricesfor-miley-cyrus-tickets-rising/).this condition portrays the shifting condition in the American society in receiving the contemporary popular culture. Turner (2003) states that modern celebrity as a symptom of a worrying cultural shift (p. 4). The changing images of Miley Cyrus as American celebrity indeed can be used as the signifier of the cultural shift in American society. The modern phenomenon of celebrity reflects an ontological shift in popular culture (ibid., p. 6). The ontological shift in popular culture relies on how the cultural meanings are perceived differently by the society. Previously the idea of celebrity is related to the entertainers, who become the aspiration for other people watching their shows, but then, the idea of celebrity is not merely about that anymore; it is likely enclosed to the idea of how celebrity as key-role media aspiration contributes inmaking cultural meanings in society (ibid., p. 6).This shift is clearly represented in the Miley s changing images phenomenon asseen in her music videos. As a role model of youth in America, indeed Miley gives significant influences to the American society. Moreover, she has contributed in creating and patterning the way the society think about an ideal teen girl in America. However, she has changed the way she presents about
the ideal construction of American young women. She presents a type of pornography images which she never had before; hence, her changing images are full of controversies. Knowing that her changing images gains controversies, the media competes to each others anxiously, to report the latest information about Miley Cyrus changing images. Everything related to Miley Cyrus changing images was becoming the headlines of many media in 2013. However, Miley Cyrus changing images are still considered as valuable news to be reported in 2014-2015. She stays popular and still to be considered as a valuable American celebrity. By knowing this phenomenon, therefore; this research is necessary to be done. B. Scope of the Study The scope of this study is to describe the changing images of Miley Cyrus as American celebrity represented in Miley Cyrus official music videos released in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2013 under the American Studies, popular culture and gender studies framework. C. Research Question The aim of this research is to find out the answers of the following questions: 1. How are the changing images of Miley Cyrus represented in her official music videos? 2. What triggers Miley Cyrus to change her image to stay popular? D. Objectives of the Study The objectives of this thesis are: 1. To describe how the changing images of Miley Cyrus are represented in her official music videos.
2. To describe what triggers Miley Cyrus to change her image to stay popular. E. Significances of the Study The significances of the study from this research are as follows: 1. To provide the information and knowledge to the English Department students, especially American Studies students about celebrity, images, and changing images. 2. To give contribution of opinions and a reference to other researchers about American Popular Culture through the case of Miley Cyrus changing images in Miley Cyrus music videos. F. Methods of Research 1. Type of Research The type of this research is descriptive qualitative because this research answers the research questions by describing, analyzing and interpreting (Strauss & Corbin, 1998, p.15) its qualitative data which are words and observations, not numbers (Renner & Powell, 2003, p.1). 2. Source of Data and Data The sources of main data in this thesis are six Miley Cyrus s Official Music Videos which were released in 2008 until 2013. They are 7 Things (2008), The Climb (2009), When I Look at You (2010), Can t Be Tamed (2010), We Can t Stop (2013), and Wrecking Ball (2013). All of the videos are downloaded in the internet video sharing site, www.youtube.com. The main data are in the form ofmoving images, music and lyrics.
The sources of the supporting data are books, journal articles, online sources, autobiography and videos. The supporting data are in the form of comments, pictures, conversation, and information. 3. Technique of Collecting and Analyzing Data The main data are collected using purposive sampling technique. It uses six music videos released in 2008-2013. The steps of collecting the main data are as follows; each of the music video is watched repeatedly to find the significant images of Miley Cyrus appeared within each music video. Then, the significant images appeared in each music video are cut. The cutting includes the process of converting the moving picture into still picture. After that, the still pictures collected are grouped into images characterization of Miley Cyrus within each music video. Finally, there are images characterizations within the six music videos. In order to specify it, the first four music videos released in 2008 2010 are analyzed first in purpose of determining the previous images before the change. Then, the next analysis goes to the next two music videos released in 2013 in purpose of determining the new images after the change. To see the changing images, the previous images are compared to the new images. Then, the changing images of Miley Cyrus represented in Miley Cyrus music videos are analyzed with some related theories. The supporting data are collected using purposive sampling technique. All of the supporting data collected are watched, read, and analyzed. The process of analyzing the supporting data includes making the key-point and summary of the data. Then, the key-point and summary are analyzed more deeply through some related theories. G. Theoretical Approach
This research is conducted under American studies framework. There are debates in how American studies have positioned itself in exploring the newer issues of American society, including class, race, or gender, because previously, American studies only focus on myth and symbol paradigm. Alan Trachtenberg has contributed to indicate that American Studies is closely linked to the cultural studies, and it will stand confidently by looking back at its myth and symbol. It is rather different from Berkhofer s opinion that American studies has came to the new term called as the American cultural studies, therefore, the new context for American studies is needed. It is also exploring the myth, symbol, and images embedded in texts, tales, and artifacts (Berkhofer, p. 588), which created crucial roles in marking and patterning the American culture. This research mostly concern with how myth, symbol, and images embedded in text fuse the cultural and political critique in practice of contextualization (Ibid, p. 594). It more focuses on American popular culture in the form of American celebrity as its product which carries terms like media, women s sexuality, and American society. Discussing about American Celebrity is linked directly to the American mass media which is part of popular culture. Since popular culture is widely known as emerging and developing in America; hence, it becomes a crucial term to be discussed in American studies field. In this case, celebrity as a product of popular culture is covered by certain images made by their selves or shaped by certain media industries. Therefore, analyzing the changing images of Miley Cyrus needs to use the interdisciplinary analysis. By using interdisciplinary analysis, it means that it cannot use one perspective only to observe the cultural object; it needs more, because they are intertwined to each other. Campbell and Kean (1997) mention that the purpose of relating various disciplines while studying American cultural products is in order to find the context behind it as it has been widely recognized that central to any interdisciplinary enterprise is the
relationship between text to be studied and the contexts from which they come (p.4). Since American Studies is an interdisciplinary study, therefore I use several theories like popular culture, Semiotics, and socio-cultural approach to find out the context behind the data that I analyze. Popular culture is used in order to analyze the main problems related to the issue of American celebrity as the product of American popular culture. Popular culture means a culture that is widely favoured or well liked by many people (Storey, 2009, p. 5). To be favoured by many people, it has to serve the dominant myth, beliefs and values of the society. Barthes in his mythologies said that myth itself live in vivid and evocative symbols with words and images which serve to make dominant cultural and historical values, attitudes and beliefs seem entirely true reflects of the way things are (Barthes, 1997, p. 45). To Nachbar and Lause, a culture must be reflective to be popular that it has to reflect its audience in two zeitgeists (Spirit of an era) with the attitudes, perspectives, beliefs and values which represent the fundamental character of the culture itself (Nachbar and Lausse, 1992, p. 4). As the product of popular culture, celebrity has to reflect the audience s beliefs and values to be popular. Their popularity depend on their images which are fabricated on purpose to satisfy our exaggerated of human greatness (Turner, 2003, p. 5). Celebrity follows what becomes trend of an era to keep their profile alive. By this, they become the real representation of how American beliefs and values have shifted through years. Turner (2003) states that modern celebrity as a symptom of a worrying cultural shift (p. 4). Celebrity nowadays, who are basically the role model of the society, especially American women celebrities may have portrayed an apparent cultural shift which is heading into wrong direction. This worrying cultural shift is attacking American culture that privileges the momentary, the visual and the sensational over the enduring, the written and the rational (Ibid).
Miley Cyrus as the American iconic popular culture has performed an extreme changing images which apparently shows this worrying cultural shift towards American beliefs and values. This shifting can be analyzed further by using socio-cultural condition approach of American society in 21st century. The American socio-cultural condition in 21st century is strongly portrayed a postmodern society who value on relativism, multi interpretation and freedom to choose (Butler, 2002, p. 16). This society tends to see things relatively without seeing the universal truth, because it does not exist in this society (Ibid). By setting their mind to see things in its relative way, therefore, things may be valued and seen in more variety and multi interpretation ways. This is heading to skeptic society who might have abandoned their sciences, religions, history and philosophy. Postmodern society is also basically shaped by personal experience, self-seeking, and mass media, rather than the religious and moral institutions which shaped the society for so long. This is directly linked to the worrying cultural shift happened in American nowadays society. Besides, the society has strove great length for equality in race, sex, and religion. The changing images of Miley Cyrus apparently shows a condition where woman empowers herself to get equality and recognition by using her sexuality. Cyrus posses a girl power and post feminism notion inside her changing images. She embraces post feminism idea where women are free to celebrate their sexuality and to explore sexual options and to express themselves in whatever ways they feel comfortable (Gladen, 2007). She has explicitly shown her sexualized body to worldwide audiences and expressed it in more provocative ways. She is apparently used her own body to gain popularity. This is to say that to celebrity, by performing explicit body is not only a part of making the art inside their work, but also a strategy to win direct and massive public attention to maintain or energize their popularity. As Cyrus had performed her controversial images in her music videos,
it may become the signification of how myth and symbol embedded within cultural text can be such threat to give future identity crisis (Hoskins, 103) which particularly ended with the worrying cultural shift in American nowadays society. Since Miley Cyrus is a product of popular culture which is considered as text; therefore I also use semiotic theory to analyze the main problems. The semiotics theory is the study of signs and of communication of meaning through signs (Milner, 2005, p. 68). Moreover, semiotic theory is originally known from Ferdinand de Saussure; that semiotic is understood as structured system of signs, where each sign is meaningful only in relation to the other signs in the system (as cited in Milner, 2005, p. 68). He insists that a sign is composed of signifiers and signified; in which the signifier consists of sounds and images, while the signified consists of the meaning or the concept. Saussure s theory of semiotics focuses on the primary signification of sign; therefore his theory is related to the denotative meaning of signs. While Saussure mentions about the denotative meaning of sign, Roland Barthes mentions about the use of both denotative and connotative meaning of signs. The denotative meaning relies on the literal meaning of signs, while the connotative meaning relies on the cultural meaning of signs (Baker, 2000, p. 69). Moreover, Barthes explains that the denotation is the primary level of meaning of signs which generates denotative meaning using the first system (signifier and signified) and becomes the signifier for the connotative meaning (p.69). Barthes semiotic is applied to decode the meaning conveyed by the signs composing the six Miley Cyrus music videos. As Cyrus music videos convey certain signs in the form of images and symbols, it may explain how myth and symbols have shaped and described the American socio-cultural condition through times. According to Barthes in his Mythologies (1972), those images and symbols are used to see the idealized truth within our culture that is masked by myth. Myth itself according to Barthes is usually created as
a function called hegemonic, which means as the material, hidden political ideologies (Hoskins, 109). This presents on how myth itself carries particular meaning within certain cultural text through its images and symbols. This makes what appeared in Miley Cyrus changing images which strongly performed public vulgarity and pornography within her music videos can be read as sign representing myth existed in American society. Yet, by performing the controversial changing images, Cyrus gains massive public attention which certainly lifts her popularity up. This may be caused by how the sign appeared in her performances, including the images and symbols are seen and identified through the context of postmodern with its popular fundamental idea where everything can be seen in its relative ways. It is also noted that she explicitly uses her sexuality as power to gain popularity which is related to post feminism where women are free to play with their sexualities without any oppression. This is to say that her vulgarity and pornography images becomes major signs explained under the postmodern and post feminism framework which is likely accept those controversial changing images to be existed in American nowadays society. H. Thesis Organization The thesis was organized into four chapters as follows: CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION, provides Research Background, Scope of Study, Research Questions, Objective of the Study, Significances of the Study, Methods of Research, Theoretical Theory, and Thesis Organization. CHAPTER II : LITERATURE REVIEW, consists of Semiotics Theory, American Socio-Cultural Condition in 21st Century and Miley Cyrus Biography.
CHAPTER III : ANALYSIS, consists of the changing images of Miley Cyrus as American Celebrity on Miley Cyrus Official Music videos and what triggers Miley Cyrus to change her image to stay popular. CHAPTER IV : CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION