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Celebrity Media Analysis: The Rise and Fall, and Rise of Britney Spears

Jay Underwood
Oct 5, 2016
7 min read

Over the last decade, celebrity culture and celebrity analysis has become one of fastest growing industries within the humanities and social sciences (Turner). Celebrity gossip and tabloid news dates back to Ancient Greece and Rome and has since dominated the media cycle and has occupied vast amounts of space in the public’s consciousness. Commonly defined as “the accumulation of attention capitol”, celebrity is an elusive umbrella term that refers to individuals or groups that attract attention or have an impact on the public’s awareness (Rojek). Furthermore, celebrities are created by the media and are distinguished by their name, their image, and are known for their “well-knownness” (Boorstin). With this in mind, the following analysis will examine the media coverage of Britney Spears. It will explore the highs and lows of Spears’ career and will argue that celebrity media coverage explains career achievements or failures with regards to particular events in their personal life.

Spears is one of the highest selling music artists of all time and is recognized as a pop-culture icon. Numerous media outlets have dubbed her the ‘Princess of Pop’ and is credited for the revival of pop music (Hopkins). When defining the categories of celebrity, Rojek asserted that those who fall under ‘achieved celebrity’ have made an impact based on their skills and accomplishments, compared to ‘celetoids’ who attain intense bursts of fame and are recognized for their personal lives over their talents (2015). Spears is a combination of both categories as she is a successful musician known for her discography and shocking performances but is also known for her scandalous personal life. Additionally, Spears is often referred to as ‘Godney’ as a form of praise and comparison to a religious entity; a practice that is now a mainstay of organizing recognition and belonging in secular society (Rojek).

When producing a celebrity, the projected image is tightly managed and operates under highly structured contracts to result in high levels of recognition in relatively short periods of time. In 2008, Time Magazine included Spears in their Top 10 Teen Idols countdown due to her music success and “commercialized, test-marketed innocence”. After a stint on the Mickey House Club, Spears became a household name with her breakout single …Baby One More Time and her debut album of the same name. Britney’s created image as the “virginal all-American girl” and “pop’s little Lolita” was instrumental in the media’s infatuation with the singer and her career success (Abarbanel). Additionally, Spears’ comments regarding her virginal status helped solidify her as a role model and ‘teen idol’ for her young fans who flocked to buy her records, fashion and accessory merchandise. Spears’ ‘good girl’ image was also positively received by the mass media as she was often compared to other female musicians, such as Christina Aguilera, who received negative press for their adult-rated image (Erlewine).

Along with the positive reactions to Spears’ career and image, her personal life also received positive attention from the mass media. Her personal story of a small-town girl making it big made her a media darling with one report dubbing her “Miss American Dream” (Hooper). During this period of Spears’ career, she begun a relationship with fellow teen idol, Justin Timberlake. The relationship would go on to be one of the first high-profile couples of the new millennium and attracted intense media coverage with US Weekly labelling them as “a match made in heaven” (Ross). Referring back to the analysis’ main argument, Spears’ career entry as ‘America’s sweetheart’ was an effort put together by Spears’ musical talents and a marketing team that produced her as a celebrity. However, her flourishing personal life also played a major part in the professional success she saw as well as the positive media attention she received.

Conversely, over the next few years Spears would experience a sharp decline in professional and personal success. As her image transitioned from teen idol to adult-sex symbol, the celebrity media criticized her for becoming more “trashy and hypersexual” compared to her initial public image (Abrahamson & Prior-Miller). Her provocative performance at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards was met with harsh criticism for their overtly sexual nature, whilst her 2002 performance at the same award show lead culture critic Camille Paglia to believe Spears had “spiraled out of control” (2006). The wholesome image that spears initially presented to audiences was being contrasted with her “increasingly sexualized performances and alleged heavy partying” (Meyers, pg. 890-907). Her album sales were also declining from her previous two commercially successful albums as she began to alienate her young fans (“Primetime”).

Whilst this was occurring, Spears’ relationship with Timberlake had ended. Timberlake’s’ debut solo single Cry Me A River insinuated that Spears was unfaithful and caused their breakup. Following this, Spears was vilified in the in the press with headlines that read ‘Britney Vs Justin’ in US Weekly and ‘The War Is On’ in InTouch (“Primetime”). During her 2008 documentary Britney: For The Record, Spears spoke about the personal effects of the breakup:

“With Justin, he was part of magnitude of what I had become. So when he was gone I was like, ‘what am I supposed to do with myself?’. I was so young and I didn’t know [what to do], and I was really famous! I would go out just to keep my mind busy, so I became known as a party-girl.” – Britney Spears, 2008.

Additionally, Spears’ tour chauffeur and aunt was diagnosed and would later loose her battle with Ovarian cancer (Cunningham). As shown, Spears’ struggles with her personal life, where she transitioned from a girl to a woman, were also evident in her professional career where she took on a more adult image.

In 2007, Spears’ career and personal life would face even more turmoil after the release of her fifth studio album Blackout saw her lowest sales to date and her performance at the 2007 Video Music Awards was condemned by the media (Willis). Her promotional efforts for the album were overshadowed by her increasingly erratic behavior that conflicted with her “carefully sculpted sexpot-next-door persona (Erlewine). An article in Rolling Stone commented on Spears’ changing image stating that she was no longer associated with girl “the world thought she was” and that she was “not America’s sweetheart” (Grigoriadis). Throughout the year, Spears visited rehab several times for alleged substance abuse, shaved her head and beat a car with an umbrella, ended her marriage to Kevin Federline, lost custody of her two children and was forcibly admitted to a medical center (ABC News). The media spectacle that surrounded Spears meant she was now being viewed as a ‘celetoid’ rather than an ‘achieved celebrity’. These scandals negatively affected her reputation as a role model, whilst her gender and perceived lower-class status (humble Southern girl) contributed to the intense public scrutiny and bad press (Gies).

After a disastrous year, 2008 saw Spears return to professional and personal prominence. After successfully regaining shared custody of her two children, Spears began recording Circus, which was initially “just something for [Spears] to do to keep herself busy during her recovery” (“Britney: For The Record”). Her lead single Womanizer became one of the highest selling singles of all time and earned her a Grammy nomination whilst her Circus World Tour became one of the highest grossing music tours of all time (Kaufman). Whilst commenting of Spears’ return, MTV reporter James Montgomery stated “Britney Spears is indestructible” and “that she has become iconic”. He further commented:

“She inspires in ways I do not understand, she survives in ways I cannot comprehend, and she endures. She has outlasted almost every one of her contemporaries, she has become a measuring stick and a cautionary tale and an icon” – James Montgomery (2008).

In an interview with Spears, Rolling Stone’s Jenny Eliscu claimed that “the singer finally seems happy” and “liberated” and that her image has been restored to her “happy” fans (2008). Circling back to the main argument, the positive media coverage of Spears regaining control of her personal life meant she was able to steer her career back on track.

In conclusion, this media analysis can deduce that Spears’ career successes can be attributed to her current state of happiness with her personal life. Spears image has always played a crucial part in her positive media perception. As seen throughout her career, her carefully constructed image that combines ‘America’s sweetheart’ and ‘sex kitten’ is a key element in her professionally success. However, as someone who’s life has played out in front of the world and the mass media, Spears’ personal ordeals are what shape her career. As demonstrated throughout her career, the success of her professional endeavors are dependent on and reflect the accomplishments in her personal life - for better or worse.

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