Connotations of Album Covers

Connotations of Album Covers

In this album cover there are many connotations. For example the writing is in gold which connotes that he is very rich and that he can afford gold items. Also it shows his confidence in winning awards because a grammy is gold and the gold could mean he knows this album will win an award. The name of the album is 20/20 which connotes that this album is not just for listening but it will empower you so the album says you feel the music. Lastly, it says J.T instead of Justin Timberlake. The connotations are that many people will recognise J.T on the album, this connotes that he knows he is well known meaning he doesn't need to say his full name.

In this album you can clearly see what type of genre of music this is in. Rap music. Therefore it is very stereotypical with the gold teeth, gold jewellery and tattoos. The gold jewellery connotes that he has a lot of money meaning he shows it off to show his power to other men and to attract girls. Also the tattoos are clearly distinctive and he wears no shirt which connotes that he wants people to see his tattoos because yet again shows his money and power off which many rapers try and do.

This album is by the 'Hipster' artist Tyler, the Creator who produces rap songs. The connotations for two of him could suggest that he is aspiring to be that person because he is above his head meaning it is a thought. Also it may connote that from being a young 'Nerd' he has changed into a rapper who has completely forgotten who he was, this means he may of turned from a good person to a bad person. The color connotes a very chilled atmosphere because this blue is very icy which suggests relaxing and calm.

This album cover is based in rap music. The tattoos connote his power and wealth. The title is in clear and is the whitest color in the picture which means that they want you to instantly read this, also it is has been in my words ruined because the artist may of had a difficult upbringing or he is very violent. Also it is black and white which connotes it is very simple which means the songs may be very easy to understand and try and say a simple message.

This album cover presents his loneliness and also the title of the song is not all what it may seem. As you can see he is holding a dress to show that his wife or girlfriend has left him. Him being alone connotes that he does not want to be with anyone and he may be heartbroken. Lastly, everything is dark except his dress and his suit which connotes that he wants to stand out.

In this album cover you can see Rhiana naked, however the writing over her body stands out a lot. Also as they cover her body, this connotes that just because she is naked does not mean the audience should look at her. Furthermore, she is looking at the text and she may be thinking about the meaning of the word, a very controversial word 'Love'. She also looks very sad and the title of the song is apologetic which has a positive correlation, this means she is either very sorry or does not want to apologise to someone.

In this album cover Bob Marley is stating himself as a legen which he is, also he is not posing or looking at the camera therefore he is not boasting that he is a legend. He seems very calm in the picture as well and this may be to do with something that caught his attention away from the camera and therefore this may be why it is a good front cover.

In this album cover the cross in the picture stands out a lot because of the broken glass focusing on it and this connotes he is not just a thug. Or the broken glass is where is telling his enemy's to shoot him because he has been shot before, therefore this could be a threat to some people because of the glass and the cross shows that he is proud to be a Christian.

In this album cover Tupac has his fingers in a simple that says he is from the west side and that he is not from any other side. He shows his jewellery which connotes that he was rich and that he likes to know people who are rich. This album is every old and he had to show his enemy's that he was from the west because that is where Tupac lived and there was a lot of crime there which connotes that he had to keep him self protected. Here is Emeli Sande's cover of Our Version of Events.

On the cover Emeli is facing backwards from the camera and looking over her shoulder. This connotes that she is looking back to the past. On her back there a black rose that look dead this connotes that her past death may have occured. There is a dull background, possivle meaning that ahead of her is yet again more sadness. Her hair is grey but her face is still very young this connotes that she is feeling old and deprived. She also has very cheap ear rings which connotes that due to sadness she has lost a lot of money.

Laura Mulvey Essay

How does Laura Mulvey's theory apply to "Dirty" and "Do It Like a Dude"?

Discuss: The camera, The audience, The actors, The target audience of these artists and why you think they choose to present themselves in this way.


Laura Mulvey's theory applies to music videos "Dirty" and "Do It Like a Dude" because both videos invite the audience to view the artists as objects of desire. This is done through the camera shots and angles used, the fact the video is presented in a voyeuristic way to the audience, and the way the artist interacts with others in the video.


1.) In Christina Aguilera's video of "Dirty" the use of camera invites sexual gaze by...
The use of camera invites sexual gaze by aiming the camera at Aguilera's bum and breasts. Therefore many older and young men will look at her video in a voyeuristic way, for example the first scene of the music video is aimed at Christina Aguilera's bum where her jeans are cut out where her bum is, therefore Laura Mulvey's theory seems to be true because she will be seen as an object of desire because the camera is focused on Christina Aguilera and her bum and breasts.

2.) The audience views this video in a voyeuristic way because...
The audience will view this in a voyeuristic way because the artist is very seductive in the way she dances and the clothes that she wears are very revealing. This is seen in the shower scene because she is dancing in water meaning she gets very wet which is very sexual. Also she is in very small clothes and therefore many people will get sexual pleasure by just watching the video Dirty because it is very sexual and also can be seen as pornographic.

3.) The actors interact in way that results in the female being looked at as an object of desire. This occurs when...
The actors who are all men are watching the girls whilst they dance very sexily in the boxing ring due to their looks and how they reveal their selves. For example within the first minute all the men are viewing Christina and the dancers as objects as desires because they are being viewed by many men and towards the end they are grinding with her this shows that the men can not resist her and use the voyeuristic views into sexual actions. This also shows that Laura Mulvey's theory that all the girls in music videos are seen in an voyeuristic way and it is also seen in movies and other types of media.

4.) In Jesse J's video of "Do it Like a Dude" the use of the camera invites sexual gaze by...
The use of the camera invites sexual gaze in Jesse J's music video "Do It Like a Dude" because as Laura Mulvey says the women are tied to desire. For example sometimes the camera is zooming at Jesse J's breasts when she is bending over, also she is wearing clothes that would attract men, for example hot pants and crop tops. However, some people may not get sexual gaze by this video because Jesse J is trying to break the stereotype because many of the girls are doing very masculine things for example a girl is smoking a cigar. Also Jesse J's li[ps are very gothic and have spikes on them, she is trying to say that she is not going to be an object of desire but she is trying to get men to reject her and not look at her in a voyeuristic way.

5.) The audience views this in a voyeuristic way because...
The audience may view this in a voyeuristic way because the audience may not just be men. The audience could be female who love women rather than men. This could be to do with Jesse J's sexuality therefore the female audience may like how she is dancing and how Jesse J represents herself. Furthermore, a male may see this in a voyeuristic because the video is very gothic and therefore a goth male may see the video in a voyeuristic way.

6.) The actors interact in a way that results in the female being looked at as an object of desire. This occurs when...
This does not occur because many of the actors a challenging the stereotype, therefore many of the women do not look good and wear good clothes to attract men, therefore they do not surround Jesse J as an object of desire. Moreover, this means that Jesse J is correctly challenging the stereotype and contradicts Laura Mulvey's theory that women are tied to objects of desire in some scenarios in the video. However the actors in the video are not objects of desire nor do they look interact with Jesse J as she is an object of desire.

7.) The target audience for these two artists in young females. However, the way they represent themselves as sexual objects does not appeal to young girls, it appeals to men. I believe Christine Aguilera and Jesse J choose to represent themselves like this because...
In my oppinion Christine Aguilera's video 'Dirty' appeals more to men compared to Jesse J's 'Do It Like a Dude' because Christine Aguilera's video is more sexual and represents the female actors more clearly as objects of desire compared to 'Do It Like a Dude'. Christine Aguilera may do this because she wants the attention or more sales because in the modern era sex sells. However Jesse J's video may be different because she wants to challenge the stereotype which is rarely done therefore she is trying to be original or she is doing it like this due to her sexuality. This means it may attract more girls compared to men.

8.) In summary, Laura Mulvey's theory applies to these music videos because...
It applies to BOTH music videos because however hard Jesse J tries to break the stereotype the cinematography and miss-en-scene still agree with Mulvey's theory that however hard women try that women are tied to objects of desire where in some scenes Jesse J is revealing her body and wearing very small clothes that may not be seen in public. Also Christine Aguilera is clearly being sexual and wants to be an object of desire.