Remarkably Relatable: How Celebrity Portraits in Rolling Stone Shape Identity Discourses
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2024-01-08
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en
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This thesis examines the dynamic between identity as a concept and the medium of photography. It does so through an analysis of photographs that were published in the first decade of the pop culture magazine Rolling Stone, from 1967 until 1977. More specifically, it focusses on the photographs that were printed in the central feature of the magazine: The Rolling Stone Interview. By focusing on the communicative function of the photographs, this thesis aims to discover how the medium of photography plays a role in individuals’ public identity formations, and in the development of identity discourses in society. In the Rolling Stone Interview, the photographs communicate the mostly white, male celebrities’ talent and importance as natural and authentic. This thesis therefore argues that ideas of truthfulness and naturalness associated with the photographic medium play a significant role in normalizing which identity groups are seen as naturally important within a culture.
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