Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry are three musical artists who are quite similar and at the exact same time, very different. These celebrities are well-known throughout the pop music industry and are “obviously” women. Not only do these women, consistently write and record music, they are also heavily involved in television and social media. Each continuously undergoes scrutiny for their decisions in the spotlight.
What many viewers and listeners forget is the manner in which and the images these artists project are rather superficial. Social media has its constraints and celebrities often take advantage of strategic public relations teams. These do not grant or allow the full control each individual person deserves over their own lives. In other words: What we see is what we get. So a significant amount of history as well as personality from each celebrity remain unknown. Many celebrities either prefer to keep quiet or are forced to remain silent regarding the more “difficult” and/or important issues of the world, including feminist themes and hyper-sexualization.
Yet some artists attitudes, beliefs and values are actually frequently demonstrated throughout their projects, including promotional materials ranging from print to digital. Sometimes, artists do this well-aware of their actions and other times this occurs unintentionally. Pop culture celebrities are constantly placed, or choose to place themselves, underneath the spotlight and are a primary focus of the public eye. In turn, this both offers and subjects the messages each performer sends via their own mouths or mannerisms, for open dissection and analyzation. This online magazine explores several aspects of pop culture, including researching a variety of celebrities and their projects, both past, current and future endeavors. The articles included in this magazine also further explore and explain the messages both subtly and loudly proclaimed throughout their careers and the implications these celebrities’ actions have on the pop culture industry and its ever-changing audience members.
Topics discussed throughout this online magazine include the hyper-sexualization present throughout the pop culture industry, both in and outside the realm of music. The concept of “selling out” is demonstrated through the band, Lincoln Park. Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift’s changing images are closely examined. Justin Bieber, “Celebrity Worship Syndrome” and “slut-shaming” are discussed. Gender equality and misogyny in hip-hop music are also explained.
There are many more topics and aspects of pop culture included throughout this website. But please, don’t just take my word for it, have a look around and you might like what you see! Essays are divided into four different categories: The Sexualization of Women, Authenticity, Fanbase and Female Artists. Each essay can be accessed via the home page or from any page being currently viewed. Enjoy!
