For instance, Pamela Anderson is an icon of sex. This is her image, and she never disappoints her fans; whether she's getting married in a skimpy white bikini, or appearing at functions with her blouse bursting open, Pamela Anderson never lets her sex guard down. You can see Pamela Anderson in magician Hans Klok's Vegas show; here she parades her sensuality in grandeur style. Pamela Anderson is growing old in the same fashion that Mae West did, who at the age of 85 still played the sultry role of a sexy seducer in the movie.

It's rare to hear David Beckham speak, and when we do, we are painfully reminded that his handsome chiselled face and body are no match for his undeveloped speech. Jamie Oliver talks with similar difficulty, except Jamie's tongue seems to swell, and block the flow of his words. But the voice of Jamie Oliver and David Beckham only serves to enhance their image. It's like they are saying: "I'm working class and proud of it" - it's part of who they are, and they don't make any effort to change that. Jamie Oliver and David Beckham have a natural and unpretentious persona; their enthusiasm for their chosen fields gives weight to their passion and sincerity; and these are the values that endear an audience. Victoria Beckman doesn't need to remodel. She lives and breathes the life of Posh Spice. Victoria represents wealth. She's tightened up her image, and looks like a mannequin in a shop window - her face expressions are reserved - "never smile and never eat in front of the camera" is her motto. Posh went from singer, to author, to fashion designer, to having her own signature perfume (borrowing from her husband to give it some oomph). But without David Beckham, Posh, like the other Spice Girls, would have long faded from the limelight. The Spice Girls work as a collective; their image of 'Girl Power' connects to the ideal of girls kicking arse in stilettos, low-cut tops, and mini-skirts. Individually, they do not have the strength of character to creatively grow into an image of their own making. But together, Victoria and David Beckham work as a team: Beck gives Posh credibility; Posh gives Beck a voice.

In the Golden Age of Hollywood, an actor or actress only made commercials before they got famous, and were struggling to make ends meet. Today, the association of an actor or actress to a desirable brand in commercial art intensifies the actor or actresse's fame, and defines their public image. Gwen Stefani has built her brand extensions from a strategy that copies her favourite artists: her L.A.M.B logo is copied from John Galliano's logo; her perfume commercial resembles the tone of Madonna's Justify my Love video clip; her song Cool is snatched from the unique musical style of eighties band The Motels. Gwen Stefani has given herself a pop culture image by grabbing the best bits from the past and remodelling them as her own.