Example of a star

Example of a star

Hayley Williams

Hayley Williams is the lead singer of the pop-punk band Paramore and displays many of the features of Dyers' Star Theory.

Dress sense and style

Hayley William's most recognisable fashion feature is her bright orange hair, which she established as her signature during the years following Paramore's first album release

The influence of the punk scene that her music has its roots in can be clearly seen in her eclectic choice of clothing and hair style. In the early years of her band's success she mostly wore t-shirts and jeans, giving her a very relaxed appearance and removing herself from the industry standards that female artists are often expected to maintain: either expensively and glamorously dressed or sexualised in revealing outfits. While her casual style played up to conventions in the punk/rock genre, she was still able to stand out by creating a particular look; one that featured her vibrant hair that she has since become renown for due to its changing (but still bright) colours and style. Her clothing is also continuously evolving and now features elements of other genres and influences, but still heavily features core punk elements such as ripped tights, graphic tees, mixed/matched items, and a frayed/fashionably messy finish.

Image/appearance

Hayley William's stage performance style is another good example of how she has taken genre conventions and accentuated them to form her own recognisable image. Punk bands often deliver very energetic performances and Hayley is no exception, however her status as a young woman means that she is able to take on a playful, spirited, and friendly stage presence which fans now know often includes running around the stage, kicks and jumps, and bringing fans up to sing with her or play guitar solos. A lot of artists on the punk scene play up to the the angry/angsty reputation of the music, which can give them a negative and antisocial image. However, Williams' doesn't do this and so allows the band to be accessible to many audiences while still being noticeably of that genre from her sense of style and energy alone.

Props

Her signature look does not only involve dress style/make-up, but also includes her orange microphone which she is often seen using during concerts and music videos. This is a continuation and accentuation of her famous ginger hair and personalises the band's image.

Presentation and connection to their audience

Due to starting her music career at a young age (she was signed to a record label at 14) and pretty much growing up in the industry, Hayley William's connection to Paramore's fans is extremely strong as a lot of them have been with her for years and grew up with her. This has meant that many of them have the band's logo tattooed on them in the same place as the singer to show their loyalty to both the band and Hayley herself. This logo is also on a lot of the band's merchandise, therefore showing how marketable and recognisable it is. She also has several social media accounts- most noticeably Twitter- where she interacts with fans and posts updates about the band and personal projects. This further strengthens the bond between her and her audience and allows her to present other parts of her personality that fans first glimpsed in Paramore's music and stage presence. An example of one such project was in 2013 when she launched her own hair dye and make-up brands, again taking advantage of her recognisable style and the interest of the fans. Her personal accounts also allow her to promote charity projects such as the PINKTOBER campaign to raise awareness and funding for breast cancer, again using the interest of fans for different causes.