ABSTRACT
This thesis is written based on researching Miley Cyrus' official music videos released in 2008- 2013. It is aimed of describing how the changing images of Miley Cyrus as American celebrity are represented in her music videos and explain what triggers her to change her images to stay popular.
This research is descriptive qualitative. This method was conducted by observing, classifying and interpreting the data. The data were collected by using purposive sampling. The sources of main data are six Miley Cyrus’ official music videos entitled “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)” downloaded from www.youtube.com. The data are in the form of moving images, music and lyrics. To support the main data, supporting data that consist of comments, pictures, conversation and information taken from books, journal articles, online sources, autobiography and videos are used.
Since the research is in the scope of American studies which is an interdisciplinary study, it involves some disciplines which are applied in the form of theory and approach. In answering the research question, this research applies some theories and approach including popular culture theory, semiotic theory and socio-cultural approach.
From the analysis, it can be found that Miley Cyrus has changed her images from an innocent country girl into racy, druggie and highly sexual liberated girl. She also has changed from a cheerful and optimistic girl into a miserable girl with drugs and free sex life. These images are clearly constructed through whole narrative, including moving images which consist of fashion, facial expression and body language, lyrics, song, cinematography elements and mise-en-scene. This extreme changing images which highly show contradictions to her previous persona makes her be media furor in 2013. Moreover, Cyrus’s extreme changing images are precisely done in order to maintain her popularity. There are things triggering her to change her images in more provoking ways to stay popular besides her personality.They includethe influences of celebrity culture, youth culture, woman’s body & sexuality perspectives and American socio-cultural condition in 21st century.Obviously, these components have signified certain cultural changing in American society in a certain period of time.
Keywords: Miley Cyrus, Images, American Celebrity, Music Videos.