Gwen Stefani- Wind It Up CD Cover Analysis

Within the mise en scene, there is an extreme closeup of the artist, Gwen Stefani. The shot only allows the audience to see her shoulder, hair and lips. This may indicate that a statement is being made that it is not nessecary for her to show her whole profile as her fans will be able to recognise her by her name and brand symbol ( on the key) as she is a well known and successful artist. Therefore the reason for the camera shot is used for the purpose to show the key, which is the symbol of her brand which is obviously important to her. Although her physical identity is hidden, it provokes sexual connotations as her shoulder is bare and sunkissed, and it gives the illusion that she is naked. This especially attracts the male audience mostly, whist also creating and enigma towards the female audience.
The artist is not making eye contact with the audience which is rare in the pop/rock c.d covers i have researched, however the audience will still have a sense of closeness towards the artist as is is an extreme closeup and it is only depicting her without distractions from the background.
Her image as a whole is the typical prortrayal of an attractive female. For example her blonde hair, red lips and fair skin builds up a similar imagery in the audience's mind of a barbie doll. Feminists would be aginst this depiction as she is suggested as a figure of sexuality which supports stereotypical ideologies.
The one object on the c.d cover that draws attention away form Gwen Stefani is the key of her brand ( L.A.M.B). The key is golden with diamonds in it which symbolises her success and wealth, which makes her seem experienced in her profession as she has grown to be a success. This creates an enigma towards the audienece as the wealth and luxury this key represents provides an idea of what her life is like which interests the audience. The key can also have a hidden meaning of secrecy and the way that it is clear in the audience's view, it is almost like she is welcoming her audence into her world and music with this key.
The copy of the text is golden, which again represents her luxurious lifestyle of fame. Although the connotations to these colours make her seem like a 'diva', it contrasts with the style of the font of her name which seems very laid-back and relaxed because of the missing capital letters in her name. Both contrasting traits make her interesting as it means that her personality will come across as being very open and a mixture.
There main lighting is the key light used form the back and top her, which lightens the whole image and makes everything on the cover more exaggerated and clear. Also the fill light is used to excentuate this. The lighting almost makes her look 'heavenly' and pure with connotations of an angel, as there is a slight background of pastel blue and her platinum blonde hair and fair skin exaggerated with light promotes her innocence and portrays her as a pure person.