ALBUM COVER ANALYSIS

M A D O N N A – L I K E A V I R G I N

( M E D I A L A N G UA G E A P P L I E D

THE TEXT I WILL BE ANALYSING IS AN ALBUM COVER FOR MADONNA – LIKE A VIRGIN. T H I S A L B U M WA S R E L E A S E D I N 1 9 8 4 . T H E L E A D S I N G L E ‘ L I K E A V I R G I N ’ B E C A M E H E R F I R S T N U M B E R 1 S I N G L E .

The Image used for this album cover was shot in a hotel suite of the St. Regis Hotel, lying on a bed against satin pillows and sheets

Overall, the mise- en-scene has an air of wealth and sophistication as satin was quite expensive in the 1980’s.

The mise-en scene in general gives off a wealthier vibe even though not much of the room can be seen in the shot.

The innocent symbols are harshly contradicted by her dark make up, dishevelled hair and facial code.

She is wearing a wedding dress and holding a bouquet of small flowers. Wedding dresses and white flowers usually symbolise purity and innocence along with her full-length gloves

Her costume code is far from traditional as the dress has a very tight-fitting bustier that shows a lot of cleavage and she is wearing the infamous ‘boy toy’ belt which further contradicts the idea of a pure bride

Her facial code is a sultry-looking steely gaze which appeals to the male gaze theory and presents her as a sex icon

The name of the album, ‘Like a virgin’ is in a smaller blue serif font which contradicts the brown hues of the rest of the album.

The album cover only has 2 styles of typography. The larger text is of the artist’s name: Madonna.

Her name is written in a serif font which is more sophisticated than a sans-serif alternative.

The album cover image has been edited to have a sepia filter over it which gives the entire image an older, wealthy feel.

Normally a person’s name would have the first letter capitalised to show that it is in fact a name In this case we can see that this has not been done which portrays Madonna as an object rather than a person

This supports Richard Dyer’s theory that all

icons and celebrities are created by institutions

for financial gain.

The Album cover adheres to the stereotype in the media that women are objects of desire based on her clothing.

As well as being an object of desire, she presents herself as a woman who also desires something based on her facial code.

The photo can be said to be taking from the perspective of a man which also supports Mulvey’s male gaze theory.