Analysis of Lana Del Ray's Born To Die poster

1. Lara Dobson
Lana Del Rey- Born to Die
Genre – Pop
Characters
The only character present in this poster is Lana Del
Ray, the contemporary artist. The facial expression she
has suggests disgust or angers onwards whoever she is
looking at. The outfit and hair that the character has
could be seen as an outfit from the late 1900’s and the
glare that is given suggests anger towards a male
possibly. The use of the words ‘Born to Die’ suggests
anger towards a certain person who is apparently born
to die. This is a break in the stereotype of the pop genre
as it suggests hostility which is uncommon in this genre.
The direct mode of address makes the audience seem
uncomfortable and it makes us seem like the name of
the album is directed at us.
Narrative
The narrative of this story suggests that the character shown is angry towards the camera
who is meant to be a person. Also, the high angle shot suggests that the character is the one
to kill the person who is meant to be the camera. The fact we don’t have any background
information suggests there is narrative enigma as to the reason behind why someone was
‘Born to Die’.
Iconography
The red lipstick could have been used to attract someone. This is a stereotypical
representation of women in the pop genre as it makes them look provocative and sensual.
Another iconic part of this picture is the hair style that she has represents the era of the 50’s
The fact she is wearing red lipstick and the white collared shirt suggests she may be a
housewife and wants to be free from her role.
Setting
The setting seems to be in trailer park in the 1950’s. Trailer parks are usually referenced
with escape (such as in The Wizard of Oz) and this could be referenced with the fact she
wants to be free of her role as a housewife. The hair and costume that Lana is wearing
suggests the era of the 50’s. This has been used to tie in with the narrative and the idea that
women are meant to be seen and not heard. I believe she is in a rural American location.
This ties in with the narrative as she is in a working class environment. This makes it seem as
if she is born then work and then dies, contributing to the title ‘Born to Die’.
Technical Codes
The use of a high shot suggests Lana Del Rey is meant to be seen as scary and intimidating.
This breaks the stereotype of the pop genre as it is not seen as an angry genre of music.
Also, the shot is a medium shot which shows the sky above her, suggesting that it could
relate to the narrative.