Textual analysis of Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko for my Alevel media coursework.

1. TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF GIRLS LIKE
GIRLS BY HAYLEY KIYOKO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0MT8SwNa_U

2. NARRATIVE
• The Music video has a circular
narrative, where the ending
sequence to the music video is also
the beginning: the ending sequence
we see the main character grazes
her face on a rock before she cycles
away and in the beginning we see
the same wound.
• As well as this, the music video fits
Todorov’s Narrative Theory with an
equilibrium, disruption, recognition,
resolution and a new equilibrium
and this circular structure is shown
by the same head shot of Coley at
the beginning and end of the video.

3. CAMERA SHOTS
• A majority of shots used in the music video have a shallow depth of field, which is used to create the
effect that the two girls only have eyes for one another and the word around them is out of focused
because their love interest is what they focus on and also focuses the audiences attention on the
characters.
• By filming Coley, the girl staring, rather than what she’s staring at, suggests that the gazer has
dominance over the subject of the gaze.
• This scene is also shot from slightly below which gives Coley a sense of power and suggests that
even though she is in love with a girl, she doesn’t care about the repercussions.

4. CAMERA SHOTS
• A low angled shot is used again when Coley is fighting
Trenton, used to give an illusion of power and is presented as
the powerful figures, subverting from stereotypes of men
being dominant and violent as she is beating up the man and
winning. Subverts from stereotypes of women being the
weaker sex and may be considered empowering for women
as you don’t need to take abuse for being who you are.
• In opposition of Coley being dominant, when Trenton is
shouting at her, Sonya is filmed from a slightly higher angle
giving her a sense of submissiveness, a stereotype for women.
• Dyer (1979) theorised that stereotypes revolve around power
and Coley is subverting this but using her own power to be
with her love interest.
• The use of these shots allows the audience to understand that
women don’t have to adhere to the rules of meritocracy and
the patriarchy and that, in order to have what you want, you
have to fight, sending a powerful message to the audience.

5. MISE-EN-SCENE
• The video opens with Coley cycling with injuries on her face, creating an enigma
(Barthes) as the audience questions what happened to her.
• However, this enigma is not answered as, when Coley arrives at Sonya’s house,
she no longer has the injuries, suggesting a passage of time. That being forwards
or backwards, the audience are not aware.

6. MISE-EN-SCENE
• Cigarettes are used to connote to the idea of teenage
rebellion and Sonya blows smoke into Coley’s face,
which is a sign of love and foreshadows at a
relationship that the two may get to.
• As well as this, there is a scene where Sonya dances
whilst Coley looks on, Trenton in the background
playing baseball. These actions reflect their gender
stereotypes and support Strauss’ theory of binary
opposites.
• Throughout the video there are representations of
teen life and rebellion with alcohol and cigarettes but
also of innocent love with the girls playing in the pool
together and painting each others nails. It represents
teenage love as a whole, not simply between girls and
boys and suggests that its normal, a positive
representation for young girls who may find
themselves liking other girls.

7. LYRICS
• “We will be what we need” with a mid-shot of the two girls painting each others nails. This line suggests that the girls are going to
end up together.
• It also suggests that despite hard times, the girls have been there for one another and will continue to do so. In the video you seen
Sonya’s boyfriend Trenton not being together with her and, when he is, he’s rough and she quickly escapes him, suggesting that
their relationship isn’t very good and this line further amplifies that Coley and Sonya are there for each other.
• This scene shows the girls painting each others nails which suggests at the stereotypes of girls but also subverts the
heteronormative idea as “needs” is sung with the intention of saying they need a girlfriend rather than a boyfriend, subverting the
gender stereotypes of women needing men.
• It represents their life as being gentle and kind, a friendship with strong emotions for each other and presents innocent teenage
romance in a neutral way.

8. LYRICS
• Diegetic line “Are you kidding me?” used to break the
romance between the girls as it breaks up the song as
the first dialogue, creating tension between Sonya and
Trenton. This line allows Propp’s theory to come into
play and presents Trenton as the villain and he is
presented as the barrier between the two girls.
• Considering this line had been shouted into Sonya’s
face just after Trenton pulled Coley’s hair and she hit
her face on a rock, presents Trenton under the
stereotype of men being violent and angry and
therefore exerting masculinity.
• When this happens, the music muffles and there is a
high pitched noise playing, both suggesting at Coley’s
injury but also that the girls were caught and their
love is being questioned and fought against, making
the audience feel sympathy and upset for the girls.

9. EDITING
• Shots in the video have varying lengths and alternate between being in time with the music and having longer shots that
allow for more of the story to be told. The shots that are in time with the music allow audiences to understand the
relationships between characters better and to understand their relationships whereas the longer shots carry the narrative.
• The shot-reverse-shots that are used between Coley and Sonya help build this foreshadowing of a relationship and, with the
majority of the video being shot at eye-level, it allows the audience to feel involved and to see how the girls have impact on
each other.
• The video has jump cuts that fit with the narrative and the genre of the music video so as not to perturb the audience from
the main focus of the video: the story.

10. CHARACTERS
• Hayley Kiyoko chose to be absent from her music video
for Girls Like Girls. Although this isn’t unheard of for
artists, it is suspicious for Kiyoko as the majority of her
videos circulate from experiences from her own life. This
suggests that Coley is supposed to represent Hayley,
suggested through the similarities in their faces.
• As well as this, Kiyoko gave her characters names: Coley,
Sonya and Trenton, names that are common in America,
where the singer is from.
• This allows the audience to feel a more personal
connection with the characters and, if Coley was used to
represent Kiyoko, also with the singer.