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Wednesday 5 December 2012

Similar Artist and Text: Christina Aguilera's Stripped

Over the span of her career Christina Aguilera has released albums similar to Jessie J's Who You Are. A notable example is Stripped, released in 2002.



Both album covers feature the artists with their arms above their heads. This could be seen as a submissive sexual invitation, relating back to Mulvey's theory of the male gaze. However with Stripped it is seen as a literal invitation when seen in conjunction with the lyrics on the record. The image is in black and white, which may indicate that some of the views she expresses on the album are very straight forwards, having no 'grey area' to their interpretation. The image, a long wide shot showing her entire body, has most likely been utilised in order to show off her body in a sexual manner, enhanced by the fact she is not wearing a top or bra and instead has long (and obviously blonde) extensions covering her bare breasts, as well as a pair of leather-esque trousers.

The look which has been encompassed on the album cover can be seen throughout the singles released from the record, save Beautiful which, like Who You Are's lead track with the same name, has a more demure video and theme about personal identity. The lead single for Stripped, "Dirrty" has been heavily criticized for being overly sexual both lyrically and visually. However it is this sexuality that is the binding motif between the album and its singles, making them obviously a part of her musical change, as before she was seen as a very clean cut artist. Despite criticisms the song was nominated for three different Grammy Awards, enforcing the point that sex sells.

As the album was released 10 years ago it is difficult to find a magazine advert for its release. I did however find the tour poster that accompanied the release. It followed a very common theme among tours that coincide with the release of a new album in that uses the album cover as its main image. This helps it tie in with everything else.

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