English 101/Johnson
Semiotics Essay 1
10/18/12
Country Stars Within Society
There are a lot of movies with a main character stereo-typed as a cowboy that might have dark skin from working in the sun, is muscular, has rough hands, and a southern drawl. He might ride a horse, work really hard in the barn or on a tractor, sing or play a classic country song, and is gentleman to all woman. This is an image that comes in the mind of many people who think of cowboys, and there could be some out there like this description. Based upon movies with characters like this, has the truth been twisted to make all these stereo-types? The media has created the idea of these male country stars being rugged and dangerous, giving a physical attraction or desire, and in addition being loyal and respectful to woman. These technically are not bad things, but they could be stereo-typical and judgmental.
Male country stars are portrayed as masculine or rough in many magazine covers, ads, movies and TV shows. For example in a Wranglers Retro Jeans ad, Jason Aldean smirks at the camera wearing his worn out blue jeans frayed at the bottom, ragged on t-shirt, and classic cowboy hat at one of his concerts. This laid back look of his is not very unheard of by country males. This ad shows Jason can have a full range of motion in the jeans, that they are durable enough to hold him all the way through his high energy concerts and other day activities. This implies that a male country star is hard on his jeans and needs them to be durable and reliable. Another example within this ad is the Wranglers logo. A rope spells out Wranglers on a leather patch with thick visible stitching. This shows that it will not move no matter what you put it through, such as the hard work of a cowboy. By looking at adds and pictures this is what you see but other examples can be hidden in lyrics of many country stars. For example Justin Moore’s song “I Could Kick Your Ass”. “You