THE REPRESENTATION OF BEYONCE, RIHANNA, AND NICKI MINAJ IN THEIR PERFUME ADVERTISEMENTS TO MEET THE IDEAL BEAUTY STANDARDS OF 21st CENTURY

This research focuses to analyze the representation of Beyonce, Rihanna, and Nicki Minaj in their perfume advertisements to meet the ideal beauty standards of 21st century in America. This research is conducted under the framework of American Studies as interdisciplinary studies which implements Semiotics theory and Socio-cultural approach to accomplish the objective of the research. This research is a descriptive qualitative research taking three American celebrities’ advertisements pictures as source of the primary data. The primary data is in the form of images, expressions, photographic elements such as camera angle, camera shot, colors, lighting, and etc. The secondary data is achieved from articles, books, online media, and other relevant references that support the main data. After conducting the research, it is found that Beyonce, Rihanna, and Nicki Minaj are represented to meet the ideal beauty standards of 21st century in their perfume advertisements. These three celebrities are mixed races with different physical characteristics, but they are represented into one ideal beauty characteristics which are straight blonde/colored hair, tan light skin, flawless skin, and also perfect body shape and size. These characteristics are obtained from several processes such as wearing make up; dying and straightening their hair, wearing wig, coloring the hair to have ideal hair characteristics; lighting process; photoshooting; and editing their photo with Photoshop. Their visualizations in all of their perfume advertisements trully represent the ideal beauty standards in this 21st century of America. KEY WORDS: Ideal Beauty of 20th Century, Ideal Beauty of 21st Century, Mixed Race, Popular Culture, Advertisement