Britney Spears Murdered Her Celebrity Brand

Last Friday, celebrity Britney Spears decided that she would kill her pop icon status, which took over a decade to create. Her brain waves were obviously malfunctioning when she shaved her head outside of a closed salon in Sherman Oaks, California. A celebrity's visual image, or visual brand, should be one of their most valued assets. A superstar career is based on talent and ability but more than anything it is built on public image. And when I say image, I mean they must look the part. Take the TV show American Idol for example. Every once and a while you will see a contestant on the show that can belt out sweet lyrics like a pro, but because they don't look the part they are turned away and even if they are advanced to the next round their success is short-lived. Britney's carelessness with the scissors reminds me of similar situation that Keri Russel found herself in while staring on the hit TV series Felicity. On the show Keri was known for her long curly locks of hair, but in a personal need for change Russel decided to go for a much shorter look. It was obviously not as drastic of a change as Britney has made, but the decision left the viewers of a Felicity feeling as though they didn't know her character any more. Some are calling Britney's action a publicity stunt, but I say that unless she is planning on debuting a new brand of Britney, fronting a punk band in the near future, she has just committed celebrity suicide.