Star Image-Rihanna

Star Image- How it can change over time

Since 2005 Rihanna's image has changed due to mostly her audience need, interests and for their satisfaction. I also believe an event in her personal life has averted her star image.
Rihanna's first music video single "Pon de Replay" in her debut alum called "Music of the Sun".


In this album her star image was illustrated as a pure complete innocent, good girl. Her music was categorized as reggae due to her Caribbean backgrounds. Rihanna's image within the music videos in "Music of the Sun" is seen as a very pure and innocent girl who was very recently discovered. Her main iconography at this moment was her natural beauty, innocence and her background played a huge part in her image. She was seen as a role model to young girls as she was a teenager whose dreams had recently come to life and was seen as an inspiration to young teenagers, that is is possibile to do what Rihanna has done.

In 2007, Rihanna's image has entirely changed in her attitude out of music and in relation to her album "Good girl gone bad", suggestions of this change are hinted in the tittle of her album. She has changed mainly within the industry by becoming edgy, mischievous and outspoken. Visual change, towards her image was, that she cut her hair very short and dyed it all black. Slowly with the start from this album and this year, her work started heading towards a different genre, producing more dance, hip hop sounds instead of the reggae sounds.


Rihanna's take on her change, as explained by her was that she felt, every album puts you into a different mood, which then requires change, it then has an effect on the music.
The change once again is een particualry in her song "umbrella", where her new image is properly introduced and shown to the world.

Another signifant factor towards her change, the inicdent she had with her ex-boyfriend, Chris Brown, when she was badly beaten up. Rihanna claimed that the expereince was for good and for abused womne to speak out or leave their partners. This whole incident made her whole look of being bad go down, portraying her as a victim, making her look vulnerable and innocent, this led to a lot of people becoming very supportive torwards her.

Since that incident, she has changed her image once more, semming more matured, a bit more playful, visually her hair is the biggest change dying it bright red, she seemsto be driven towards powerful ballards. Her current transformaiton is a mixture of features from her previous albums/images. It is now a new, original mix of Rihanna, being her self, something we as audience can relate to. She is defiantely know seen ad a inspiring fashion icon, becoming a massive trend setter, for clothes and hairstlyes.

In conclusion Rihanna has changed her star image greatly over the time period of her career, starting as an innocent reen quenn, later on bein edgy, releious-following envents of her personal life and finally to her hair colour being red, although this has been a major hit upon people. Her fan base and to whom her star image is represented at has expanded over time in her career, just as a her image has changed. Her constant changing image has helped her to stay relevant in the ever cahnngin music industry.