ABSTRACT
This chapter considers that the notion of honesty and truthfulness is not the responsibility of the artist alone, but part of a broader ideological context of popular music. It focuses on to the connections between this "private core", stereotypes of gender, and the use of the figure of the child in the audiovisual construction of the pop persona. As an analytical tool for approaching subjectivity, this theory of naivety allows for critical readings of visual and musical representations, which is particularly useful for illuminating Marit Larsen's strategies and understanding her wide-ranging appeal, most notably through the stereotype of the girl-child. The image of the child's faith as something with which his arm himself – as part of a person's arsenal – can possibly be interpreted as the child's defence against the adult world of love and loss, and thus against having their heart broken.
