The Two Sides of Ms. Britney Spears

Personally, I think this is an excellent article.
There may not be much to add from me, but I thought it was a good read.
[ My comments in RED ]


She's sexy, but she's proper. Thank you! She's the girl next door, but she's (really) sexy. Yes, we're excited, but aren't we all confused? Maybe a little.

Britney, it seems, has conquered America. Amen brother! We see her on TV, interviewed by Oprah, having fun on Saturday Night Live, spotlighted in those elaborate Pepsi ads. On the radio she's in heavy rotation, at the movies she's starring in "Crossroads," there's the Britney concert tour, Britney greeting cards and Britney singing at the 2001 Super Bowl. There are dozens (hundreds?) of Britney Web sites, and we see her smile on the cover of Vogue and countless other glossies -- oh, and we can read two books by Britney (fiction and non fiction). All we need is a Britney blimp, and her image will have been transmitted by every media yet invented. I'm sure that's next, don't worry.

But there's something a little strange about the teen pop diva. You can see it in a huge double billboard in New York City's Times Square. To the right is Britney as a '50s pop star, all buttoned up and prim. To the right is Britney in a current stage appearance, that trademark midriff at the ready, proving that high-powered sex appeal does sell records. Therein lies some of the oddness of the Britney persona.

One one hand, she's the chaste good girl. Yes, she had a boyfriend, 'N Sync's cute 'n hunky Justin Timberlake. But this pairing of pop royalty is, she claimed, was virginal. This is the nice Britney. The one who replied, after being asked about the school girl imagery of one of her videos, "I don't know what my (expletive) image is, I just tied up my shirt." Of course she has millions of pre- teen girl fans, and for them (and the mothers who accompany them to concerts), she's the fresh-faced icon found in so many photos.

Then there's the other Britney. She's the one with dark eyeliner and such a convincingly vampish look. The one who sweats and undulates when she performs. The one who belts out "baby, baby hit me one more time," accompanied by her signature vocal moans -- and they ain't chaste. If this isn't about sex, then I'm a Boy Scout (and they told me I wasn't Scouts material at an early age). She's tapped into the time honored practice of using sex to sell pop music. And she's really good at it. As much as some fans may want to kid themselves, this is true. Her sexuality is A LOT of her selling point. It's not a bad thing, it's just a fact. She is an awesome performer, but the fact that she is an amazingly pretty (not a...)girl/(not yet a...)woman doesn't hurt her.

Not that using sex appeal to sell music is new. A performer named Elvis also did this. Thank you, Thank you very much! (in my best Elvis drawl...)But the King never claimed to be chaste. And, closer to Britney, Madonna was also adept at this formula. But Madonna never claimed to be chaste (goodness no, she actually published a book called "Sex," and it arrived in bookstores wrapped in plastic, as if it was some great Taboo). Like a virgin...woo!... But Madonna and Elvis both came on the scene as young adult performers.

And that's Britney's problem -- or actually her strong suit. She achieved massive success as a teen idol, and like many she could have burnt out as a teenager. But due to some very savvy management -- and some smart, well-crafted pop -- she has kept going, and she's a little old to be pure bubblegum (and while we're at, let's face it -- Spears is talented). Thank you again....SEE...journalists can be nice to her. It's time for her to make the transition to the big bad adult world. At 20, she necessarily has to sing songs like "Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" (although the video performance makes it clear she's all woman, hubba hubba). Purely piggish, but complimentary none-the-less.

For her, that song is not so much a complaint as a marketing stance. Not a girl, not yet a woman -- but having the audience of both. It's kind of a two-sided persona, yes, but there's no arguing with success. They say the biggest acts are crossover acts, and if that's true, it's one of the secrets to the singer's success. She's a pre- teen/teen/adult crossover, and she's working all three audiences. Now that's a formula for success. No wonder she stands astride the pop music world like a colossus.

If you really think about what they're trying to say in the article, you can actually realize how truly amazing Britney is. Whether people love her or hate her, (mostly) everyone knows the name "Britney Spears". I guarentee you, that when people hear the name "Britney" (or Brittany...etc..) in any context, 50% of Americans think "Spears". And think about it...how many "Britney's" are there in the world? My cousin, who is 4 knows who Britney is. My cousin who is 13 obviously knows who Britney is. I'm in my twenties, I know about Britney. My mother knows Britney. The point that I'm trying to make here is that no matter WHAT is thought of her, she will never be "Britney who?" She's not the best singer that ever lived. She's not even the prettiest. (Pretty close, I do admit...) But she is amazing. No one can say any different. She's worked for everything that she has accomplished. For that, she deserves respect. (Thanks to this article, she may get some...or at least a little more.)

Source:
http://about.com
(?)James Macquire(?)


:: in deFense ::