Recently I read “Can You Handle My Truth?”: Authenticity and the Celebrity Star Image by Erin Meyers. Unsurprisingly she gives a lot of credence to authenticity within the celebrity image and how authenticity is linked with truth, especially the notion of photographic truth. As a way of exploring this idea she then gives an analysis of the image of Britney Spears and how her image has changed over the years with various high and low points.

This does strike me as being quite a strong point, that if a celebrity wishes to promote the image that they want to be seen, it needs to be believable and understandable by the audience. She also raises the point that the celebrity image uses authenticity to produce a connection between the viewer and the subject, that a photograph resonates with the person viewing the image. This also makes sense and produces a sense of identification from the viewer, which can produce a personal resonance.

Exploring this concept further, we can look at the image of Beckham and the motorbike and how this image works on various levels. Firstly, he is with a motorbike and this is quite a masculine portrayal and something that a lot of men can identify with, myself included, and I’ve often said that I can do without a car, but can’t do without a bike! It also shows Beckham as being muddy and dirty, which shows that he has ridden the bike and that he is not just standing next to it and this gives the image an authenticity that would be missing if it was shot in a studio. Then there is the fact that the image has been made B&W producing a sense of classicism and nostalgia, which is further enhanced by the motorbike being a Triumph Scrambler that has it’s roots in the British motorbike industry.

All of these points, and more, make the image accessible to the viewer and they can identify with Beckham in an activity that is very accessible. Instead of the image portraying an unachievable status and an aspiration, its produces a romanticised reality that embodies masculinity that is achievable. This is Beckham, the “down to earth” guy who pursues activities that any man can do and by doing so utilises the authenticity of the veracity of the image to produce a sense of truth and believability. The fact that the image was taken in the Amazon rain forest by a highly skilled professional photographer, Neil Harvey, and followed by a large film crew isn’t an issue. Also, the post production and image manipulation used to produce such a romanticised image doesn’t distract but instead enhances the notion that riding a dirt bike is a masculine activity.

But this is the image that David Beckham want’s to be seen. He want’s to be seen as just another guy riding a motorbike, that he is diminishing his superstar status and is concentrating more on being just an ordinary person. There are no trappings of celebrity in the image, no glitz or glamour, just dirt, mud and motorbike. By doing this he is increasing his own authenticity, projecting himself as an accessible person, which in turn increases his appeal and strengthens “Brand Beckham.” I find it hard to believe that this image was just captured as a snapshot, the lack of the vernacular is testament to this, but was staged and then manipulated to increase the authenticity, which in turn increases the appeal and accessibility of David Beckham.