The Outlaw Archetype
Welcome to the the Archetypes series once again, this is the second of 12 archetypes we will be covering. Archetypes are one of the most powerful tools in defining an artists identity. An artists identity is the building block every successful pop stars brand is built upon, you cannot have a successful sustainable brand without a strong identity.
This week we will be looking at one of the most popular of the archetypes The Outlaw.
Rules are made to be broken!
The outlaw is an extremely attractive archetype primarily because it represents a kind of ultimate freedom. The outlaw archetype has been consistently presented to us in many forms, from the iconic movie characters such as Tony Montana from the movie Scarface, to Hip Hop stars such as Tupac.
There are a number of other subtypes included in this archetypes family.
- Revolutionary
- Radical
- Rebel
- Gamechanger
There is one main commonality between all of these types and that is they work against the perceived norm. The rule of law or social behavior boundaries that exist do not apply to them and they will either disrupt or destroy them. Just like a ruler an outlaw is also concerned with power and respect, but can get consumed with self importance. Outlaws are especially popular with youth culture and women as they are typically the most oppressed in society and wish to achieve freedom, even if they themselves do not become outlaws, they may secretly admire what an outlaw represents.
Harley Davidson
The Outlaw archetype has been used in business, an example of this is Harley Davidson motorcycles. The way these machines are presented and the visual images used to market their products are closely aligned with being an outlaw. The motorcycle is widely known for its association with a biking group called the Hells Angels. These are a group of tattooed bikers who live on the wrong side of the law represent the ultimate in dark freedom, they go where they want, when they want and take whatever they wish, by force if necessary.
These bikes are also targeted at men who work in routine jobs with mundane lives who wish to have some freedom on the weekend, away from all of the rules at work and home they have to abide by.
Artist – Madonna
One of the most well know outlaws in the music business was Madonna. I say was due to the fact that she has moved from The Outlaw archetype to one of The Ruler, as she is seen as the benchmark for females in the pop music industry.
Madonna consistently rebelled against what she saw as outdated attitudes towards sexuality and religious taboos. Madonna may have wondered about the upset her imagery may have provoked, but she never showed it. She was bold and displayed that freedom to do what she wanted when she wanted.
From singing about a virgin being touched for the first time, to the “Sex” book with explicit pictures of herself and others in semi pornographic poses, Madonna consistently created controversy but never displayed any regret. As every good outlaw does, she believed she had the right to do it her way, and anyone who thought she was wrong didn’t matter.
Being an Outlaw!
To be an outlaw it is important that you have a strong rebellious nature. You cannot portray an effective outlaw if you go along with the norm and you are afraid to rub people the wrong way. It is not enough to just sing about crime related topics and dress a certain way, you must have and display a certain confident attitude. We often find outlaws have many scrapes with the law and are generally shunned by people in high position, but this will not worry an outlaw.
To be an effective outlaw you must be rebelling against something, there must be a root to your rebellion. It could be you were forced into a certain way of life because of circumstances beyond your control, or you see something that you think is wrong and you choose not to abide by that or campaign against it via disruption or provocation tactics. Please do not attempt to be an outlaw when it is not your nature and you just want to be considered cool, it could cause you great embarrassment.
