From craziness to haute couture: the evolution of Miley Cyrus' personal branding
She started her career as a Disney figure, one of her who, curiously, kept her true identity hidden from her so that her fame wouldn't destroy her personal life.
She started her career as a Disney figure, one who, curiously, kept her true identity hidden from her so that fame wouldn't destroy her personal life. Those were the foundations of Hannah Montana, a girl who lived as a star but also as a normal person. Hannah and Miley (who was called Stewart in the series) were a duality, Hannah being a shield.
In wanting to defy the Disney Channel's childhood image of a star, Miley Cyrus left Hannah Montana aside even though for the entire duration of the show, she was consistent with the brand that had been created around Miley Stewart / Hannah Montana. , its four seasons and its multiple cds. And the image of her brand was very clear: a family girl, simple, modest. She so modest that she categorically rejected the public exposure of a photograph of Annie Leibovitz in which she appeared with her back completely uncovered, suggesting - only suggesting - nudity while she covered herself with a blanket. That was the brand that was sold at that time.
In order to leave behind the image of that Miley, a radical change had to be resorted to. Her new video for the song "We Can't Stop" in conjunction with her performance at the VMAs alongside Robin Thicke, had social media jumping for weeks. There was no talk of anything other than Miley Cyrus. Not even N * sync's reunion generated as much impact as her latex outfit and her suggestive - or rather explicit - movements. And not only social networks had something to say, also the media, almost all of them. Suddenly Miley Cyrus was on everyone's lips, even those who had not seen the awards ceremony live. Miley managed to get rid of the Hannah Montana figure.
According to Forbes, since that performance, Miley has sold more than 90,000 digital copies of her album Wrecking Ball of hers, she gained 226,273 new fans on Facebook and 213,104 new followers on Twitter. Perfectly aware of what she was doing and how she was doing it, Miley continued in the same line without paying attention to the comments of her detractors, because after all, they were also giving her publicity and she took the next step : Terry Richardson.
The photographer directed the also ultra-commented Wrecking Ball video, and it's the perfect pair for his personal branding. Terry Richardson is well known in the fashion world, and not exactly in a good way. They have accused him of being macho and sensationalist. His personal brand in his photographs revolves around sex, but that has not kept him from haute couture.
And that is precisely where Miley is now. From going out of the public domain in all the media, he begins to rank higher by appearing on the covers of the most famous and most recognized fashion magazines, under the lens of important photographers in the industry. Mario Testino photographs her in a look copied from Madonna for German Vogue, David Sims turns her into a punk beast for LOVE, Mert & Marcus put her almost unrecognizable on the cover of W and she was recently the face of the Marc Jacobs campaign.
But the move from craziness to haute couture wasn't a break like Hannah Montana's. In all these editorials and campaigns, Miley continues to be portrayed as a highly sensual and sexual entity, rebellious and daring, ready for anything. Whether we like what she does or not, she is maintaining consistency throughout her process, and she has become a brand that she attracts and sells. If you're curious, go google to find Annie Leibovitz's photograph.
