In a modern, Western society, a typical female popstar holds a greater responsibility than ever before- rather than solely being a musician, this woman is now an influencer, brand ambassador and businesswoman; she has a huge amount of influence upon her audiences lives. With the increase in popularity of social media, popstars are now instantly connected with thousands of their listeners and now her ‘followers’ meaning that her influence is even more apparent. It is clear that mass media can be seen to have a direct link with the causality of poor body image for females, particularly “thinness depicting and promoting” media (Harrison & Cantor, 2008), this can be seen to prompt body image disturbance and disordered eating by activating related thought and emotions (Harrison & Cantor, 2008). Considerable amounts of research have been done looking into the effects of television and magazines on body image (Grabe, et al., 2008) and more recent studies link internet-based media with body image dissatisfaction (Tiggermann & Miller, 2010). However, research is considerably lacking when looking more specifically at music-media. This dissertation will look into the impact that popstars have on their audience, specifically looking into pornification within the music industry. The first chapter will draw parallels between the terms ‘brand’ and ‘popstar’ to demonstrate what popstar has come to represent in the 21st Century particularly regarding how its connections to commodification have come to evolve over the last ten years. This is important as it highlights the scope of the potential impact that her actions may have on her audience. The second chapter will define the key term ‘pornification’ and explore how this can be seen in society today. It will then go into more detail as to what extent pornification is present within the music Pop ‘Pornification’ industry. This is essential as by understanding pornification in this context it allows for the implications to be analysed fully in the next chapter. This chapter will outline how both the audience and the popstar are affected by pornification within the industry to show how there is a seemingly never-ending cycle where women will continue to conform to the standards of mediated beauty. The final chapter will outline some of the responses to pornification that can be seen, both from audience members and industry professionals. The impact of this will be analysed to show what this may mean for the music industry. The conclusion will bring this together and make suggestions as to how this issue could be best improved.
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