Now it's Britney Bardot

Lingering kisses are not the only thing Britney Spears has been sharing with Madonna recently.

This new image of the singer styled as Brigitte Bardot shows she also appears to have borrowed the Queen of Pop's penchant for reinvention.

We have seen Britney, 21, as a schoolgirl in pigtails, a rubber-clad dominatrix, a Kylie Minogue lookalike and most recently as a carbon copy of Madonna, only days after the pair locked lips at the Video Music Awards in New York.

It is hardly surprising that the shoot, for Rolling Stone magazine, comes in the run-up to the release of her first album in more than a year. What is more surprising is how far she is prepared to use her sexuality, given her previous wholesome Southern-girl look.

Spears's racy new image has been bolstered by tales of her kissing Irish actor Colin Farrell and describing him as "the hottest thing in the world" - and dating Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst.

Starting out on American TV's Mickey Mouse Club, Spears hit the big time with her debut single Baby One More Time - helped by the accompanying video, in which she appeared as a schoolgirl.

Spears's image has become increasingly sexy since her break-up from Justin Timberlake. During their romance she said she would remain a virgin until her wedding night - a claim she recently admitted was untrue.