Singer Sinead O’Connor has written an open letter to fellow singer Miley Cyrus warning her not to be exploited by the music business. The letter was prompted by Miley Cyrus’ most recent
Many elements in this letter are worth addressing in more depth: the music industry’s stake in the commodification of the female body, the sexualization of young adults or the explicit warning about Cyrus’ mental health (an issue O’Connor herself continues to battle with). In addition to this, Cyrus’ age (20) and her position as role model to other girls and young women also provokes an ethical consideration. Yet O’Connor’s letter equally articulates a development that can be witnessed amongst the music industry as a whole: the pornofication of its female stars.
Many will argue that the music industry has always profited from the allure of sexual availability expressed through lyrics, voice, tone and so forth. The music video opened up the possibility of this allure being explored more explicitly via images such as in
Much of the sexual allure promoted by the music industry and seemingly endorsed and performed by its female stars relies on the dissolution between the public and the private. Madonna’s (bi)sexuality was aggressively explored in many music videos and stage performances, yet her privacy was always fiercely protected. Social media used by a new generation of female stars on the other hand actively questions any strict boundaries between the public and private as stars are ‘caught’ in intimate moments. These are not performances but they are moments that the star generously shares with her grateful ‘followers’. This is of course a pure game which shall ultimately result in an increase in record sales: the more sexual or controversial the image, the more free publicity for the star, the more followers on social media, the more advertising opportunities for the upcoming album and so forth.
Another major element in the sexualization of the music industry’s female stars appears to be a visual aesthetic which, in fact, has been borrowed from the strip club. For instance Rihanna’s recent music video
The global race to obscure the boundaries between art, obscenity and pornography provokes an intriguing question: when, how and by whom will this race be won? In this context, it is quite possible that artists are also racing each other directly. At the VMAs for instance, while Cyrus grabbed the headlines for reenacting a sexual position with Robin Thicke, Lady Gaga performed her new single in nothing less than a g-string thong. Lady Gaga’s long awaited new album also resulted in a transformation of her body: more trim, more toned and more on display. Does the success of a female artist relate to the extent of which she is willing to undress on stage, in videos or photographs?
In a world in which the image of the female star eventually exceeds the actual music, the value of photography is crucial. Wanting to be seen in a certain light, stars flock to those photographers who are already considered controversial or provocative. Lady Gaga did an unusual photo session with the Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki, while, more recently, Cyrus was photographed by Terry Richardson. The former is best known for his depictions of Japanese bondage fetish, while the latter appears to be the go-to-photographer for young women who want to shed a good girl image (as explored in a previous post). The popularity of photography amongst female pop stars is by no means an embrace of the avantgarde, but rather, it is the embrace of an economic formula which equates the stars’ image with sexuality and increased record sales. Sinead O’Conner is right to question who will profit from, and also who will be empowered by, this formula.
Article by @MarcoBohr