Star ImageSelena Gomez

How do you become a pop star?

• Selena Gomez was born July 22, 1992 and is an American singer and actress. Gomez first made her debut appearing as Gianna in Barney & Friends, lasting from 2002 to 2004. Following this, Gomez starred in the Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place where she played a stereotypical female teenager which appealed to her target audience.

• In 2009 she went from actress to musician by releasing her first studio album as Selena Gomez & the Scene, titled Kiss & Tell. The album was a commercial success, peaking inside the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. This is the beginning of when she changed from a pop performer to a pop star.

Reasons why she became a pop star

To the beginning of Selena Gomez’s pop star career she began dating heart throb Justin Bieber which helped with her pop star image. Having a famous boyfriend constantly had her in the media which made her fame begin to grow.

The well placed news stories of their relationship helped with her pop star image but also began todestroy it when cheatingrumours began to bereleased by the media.

Stars and construction• No matter who the celebrity is, stars are

constructed, artificial images, even if they are represented as being “real people” with real emotions. From a young age Selena was constructed as a stereotypical teenage girl from the program Wizards of Waverly Place but when she began to get older they decided to construct her as a completely different person.

• Her debut in the new film Spring Breakers portrayed her in a completely different image to what her target audience are used to seeing her as.

Industry and Audience• Stars are created to serve a purpose in the

music industry to make money out of their target audience. Stars live for their meaning from their audience such as Selena Gomez’s meaning to her fans allow her star credit to develop in the music industry.

• Merchandise allows the audience to make a personal bond with the artist but also makes money for the artist. This therefore can make the artists target audience bigger if their merchandise is sold world wide.

Ideology and Culture• In October 2008, Selena

participated in St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital “Runway For Life” benefit. She is the ambassador of DoSomething.org after being involved with the charity Island Dog, which help dogs in Puerto Rico. She got involved while filming Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie in Puerto Rico.

• Selena is also involved with the charity RAISE Hope For Congo, an initiative of the Enough Project, which helps raise awareness about conflict minerals and violence against Congolese women.

• Selena’s involvement with charities portrays her as the perfect “idol” for her target audience.

Character and Personality

• Pop stars can show their true persona through different types of media such as social networking sites. Selena’s personality reflected in her new film Spring Breakers which was a very controversial film. She is portrayed in the film as something her fans have never seen before which caused conflict in the different media industries.

• Her personality of a typical teenager was shown through her work on Disney Channels programmes but when she began to go through her teenage years her persona changed.