Browsing by Author "Maijala, Iida"

This linguistic study examines the media representation and portrayal of pop star and celebrity Britney Spears. Within contemporary media discourse, young female celebrities frequently experience the dual nature of fame as they are often idolized and scrutinized at the same time. Despite her status as a cultural icon, Spears is a fitting subject for examination due to her multifaceted and intricate relationship with the media. Using a qualitative approach, this study analyzed eight cover stories from Rolling Stone magazine featuring Spears, spanning from 1999 to 2008. Critical Discourse Analysis by van Dijk (2015) served as the overarching theoretical framework, with Social Actor Analysis by van Leeuwen (2008) utilized as a complementary approach to explore Spears’ representations in the magazine. The findings revealed that Spears was consistently nominated and categorized as a social actor. Moreover, the analysis uncovered a mix of positive, negative, and mixed appraisals of Spears. Additionally, a shift over time in linguistic portrayals was observed. Initially, Spears’ portrayals were mostly positive, but later, negative appraisals became more prominent. The study offers insights into broader societal dynamics surrounding language, gender, and power, demonstrating how media representations and discourse have the potential to reinforce harmful stereotypes, and how media practices reflect and shape public perceptions of women.