Star Persona (AO1)

I have chosen specifically this CD cover to evidence that Rihanna's star persona is mainly about this female artist that is very modern, open minded, outrageous, goes beyond the limits, a rock star, sex model, seductive, sassy, flirtatious, flattering, desires for sexual attraction, intimacy, devotion, at the same time, she is powerful, independent, and dominant. Her main part is to attract her male audience but she aims at the young teenage women.
However, her constructed character doesn't resemble a positive role model or someone to look up to and idolize but she's someone who appear to be an extravagant and exaggerated fashion icon.

Rihanna is wearing this edgy, dark side, leathery costume which defines her feminine and attractive curves and it's very revealing, mainly, showing one side of her bum and her cleavage creating the CD cover very provocative, seductive, sexual and men would like to see more of her and some woman would want to be like her for their men. This is also going for the conventions of a typical R&B CD cover. In addition, many people associate excessive skin exposure to wealth, healthy, freedom, youthful, intelligent, honest and it attracts sexual attention without consciously realizing it.

Most of all, all of her media techniques or elements are used to conforms the conventions of typical R&B CD covers. The artist’s picture stands out the most because it’s made very eye catching, attractive and she is the main image which means that the audience will mostly gaze in the CD cover on her.
She is revealing her neck, chest, sides of her breasts, all, connotes that she is sensual and desires for passion and sex.
Basically, Rihanna is teaching her target audience how to be seductive and gaze all the men towards your physical parts. Rihanna is suggesting to her female fans to use their bodies the right way to indulge men. Personally, in my opinion, as a fan of Rihanna I, totally, go against Rihanna's sexually obsessed star persona because it's a negative example of how to be a dignified woman and younger girl will learn and imitate Rihanna which is really putting all women down who don't use their bodies to satisfy or sexually indulge men.
Too, the use of the black costume is associated with power, strength, authority, elegance, death, evil, aggressive and mystery but also, black gives the feeling of perspective and depth. Hereby, black is the perfect colour to resemble Rihanna's character or personality.

Also, Rihanna wants to seduce the male audience as much as she can throughout every different media text that I have research. For example, through her music videos, official pictures, in her song lyrics, magazines and so on, she always very sexually purposed. It has become very obvious that she is getting obsessed with creating that main image of a sex symbol. Often, is she wearing very revealing clothing or sometimes she is wearing nothing at all but covers her sensitive parts. To add up, all of these are clearly conforming to Rihanna's star persona.

To continue with analyzing, my artist's star persona, as you can see, above her performance conforms to the conventions of her star persona. Meaning, her body language is posed in a position that is very sexual, seductive, and has tempting qualities attached to it.

In addition, as soon as a man looks at her, they get turned on in a sexual way due to her passionate body language posture. This is another technique that Rihanna has used to draw excessive attention to her on the CD cover.
Most importantly, Rihanna CD cover 'sex sells' her fans. Meaning, they buy the CD because it's very sexual. The CD are particularly sold among the teenagers aged 17-19+ predominantly by White/Black African young boys and girls. Obviously, Rihanna's fans like the fact that she objectifies herself in her music videos and on her CD covers. The concept behind the CD cover relates to the song itself. Additionally, Rihanna's image is more reinforced than her music, so people are obsessed about her image over her music. This is another way to promote Rihanna's star persona.

Besides, she hasn't used lots of props except for the tattooed gun under her arms. This symbolically connotes her as a female being very ''hard'', strong, not afraid of anything, challenging, demanding, and fearless but harmful, her power is her music but, yet also, symbolically the gun connotes succeed, great speed and kills people. To add, Rihanna's message through the use of the prop, the gun, is to convey to her male audience that she is a woman that has got forcible personality.

Significantly, Rihanna's facial expression signifies that she is not directly looking into the camera but looking downwards towards her sexy curves connoting that. Her curves, pose, and revealing skin are showing her sex appeal. Rihanna’s lips are just lifeless and hold in a position to make her lips look fuller, glossier, and softer to gaze men eyes into it. She is also looking flirtatiously down, excessively revealing skin and pose is purposely represented for the male audience showing her sexiness, femininity and desire for intimacy and sexual attractiveness.
Her makeup, curves, revealing her bodily parts, all, represent a feminine image that desires for passion, her star persona is portrayed an aggressive, sexually dominant and independent female.
Again, Rihanna's gesture codes are made to appear sexy, eye catching and very attractive, also to convey her sexuality. Yet again, this is also an approach to creating her constructed star persona.

Yet, Rihanna is composed in the centre of the frame leaning forth to one side and pushing her back side up to make it more obvious with one of her arm up to fully open her chest area. On the one hand, her being on the centre of the frame connotes dominance and importance.
On the other hand, her posture, body language emphasizes particularly her sexual feminine parts.

The fact, that Rihanna isn't wearing a lot of jewelers, sparking accessories but just one bracelet connoting that she is trying to be unique but simplistic.
Even though she is an R&B singer she doesn’t meet the conventions of the R&B genre in this CD cover. She highlighted more her physique, fit and attractive figure more that meeting the conventional of a R&B CD cover.

The layout of the writing style of the name of Rihanna's song ''HARD'' has space between each word, it's big, bold, obvious, with thick capital letters and it's the largest text on the front cover reinforcing the importance of the song reflecting her character and star persona as being extravagant, bold, strong and powerful and suggesting that she is a well established artist with a recognizable image.
Still, the word ''HARD'' is naturally seen as big, bold, powerful, defeatable, masculine which reflects the typography of the title. At the same time, Rihanna is portraying a feminine image but her personality is the contrast of her gender. Meaning, she has got a conventionally male character inside her but her appearance is still herself, Rihanna.
The fact, that on the outer edge of the frame, as you can see, that it look as if the word ''HARD'' is produced appearing antagonist using the key colour red connoting blood, evil, Satan, but also, romantic, eye-catching and feminine, beautiful colour.
At last, the title name is layered over Rihanna to make it more bold and exaggerated but, yet also, not covering the important sexual female parts of Rihanna.