2. WHY I CHOSE TO DO A CASE STUDY INTO
GENDER REPRESENTATION
As my music video is an R&B video I am very conscious at all times of
how the women in my video will be portrayed; as I want to go against the
typical conventions of women in an R&B I decided that I needed a clear
idea of what kind of role gender and especially females play in a music
video. I decided that the best way to build up my knowledge of how
women are portrayed in music videos I needed to actually look at music
videos and the main one that I looked at was Buttons by the Pussy Cat
Dolls featuring Snoop Dogg.
3. WHY DID I CHOSE THIS VIDEO?
I chose this video as the women take in this video take on both a
post-feminist role and a ‘male gaze’ role. Furthermore this video was
very good in helping me to identify the gender roles that I will need
to think about before I can incorporate them into my video.
4. LAUREN MALVEY AND THE
‘MALE GAZE’
This video takes on Lauren Malvey’s ‘Male Gaze’ gender theory very well, as the
Pussy Cat Dolls are dressed in very skimpy, figure hugging and revealing clothing,
which in turn encourages the ‘Male Gaze’ to be taken on. The camera shots help
this idea of the ‘male gaze’ the long shots of the girls back emphasising their figures
and the close ups of them taking their jackets of to reveal even skimpier and less
clothing. The suggestive body language of the girls further strengthens the idea of
the ‘Male Gaze’ the way that the girls walk towards Snoop Dogg swaying their hips
and biting their lips makes them look like sexual objects to be won.
5. EXAMPLE'S OF THE ‘MALE
GAZE’
Throughout the whole video the body language of the Pussy Cat
Girls helps to encourage the ‘Male Gaze’ a few more examples of this
include the way that the all the girls when they are on the pole are
playing around and stretching. This instantly attracts the ‘male gaze’ as
they connote a type of pole dancer and pole dancers are the objects
of men, there to be looked at by the audience; this connotation
enforces the idea of the Pussy Cat Dolls being objects.
6. SNOOP DOGG’S ROLE
Additionally the ‘Male Gaze’ is taken on in this video with the help of
Snoop Dogg who encourages this by him himself taking on the ‘Male
Gaze’ when the Pussy Cat Dolls are walking towards him. The fact
that the Pussy Cat Dolls are walking towards Snoop Dogg with him
just standing there strengthens this idea that females are objects and
there to be looked at by the females.
7. EXHIBITIONISM AND POST-
FEMINISM
However this video does not only take on the theory of the ‘male gaze’ it
also takes on the theory of post-feminism and exhibitionism. This is
taken on by the fact that the Pussy Cat Dolls in this video are being
purposefully sexually provocative, take the way that they walk towards
Snoop Dogg. They are purposefully being sexual in their movements and
purposefully attracting the ‘male gaze’ in their actions and this is
symbolised by how confident they look and mid to long shot shows them
in a power position as if they are lion and Snoop Dogg is the prey.
8. THE ‘FEMALE GAZE’
Linked very strongly into this video is the idea of a ‘Female Gaze’
where the Pussy Cat Dolls are actively trying to get the desirability
from the male audience. This has been done in a number of ways,
take the way they are dressed for example the clothes that they are
wearing are revealing and the Pussy Cat Dolls seem very happy
wearing them. Furthermore the dance routine they did illustrates this
idea that they are actively trying to get the ‘male gaze’.
9. HOW CLOTHES LINK TO
EXHIBITIONISM
The clothes that the Pussy Cat Dolls wear in this video enhances the
idea of exhibitionism as yes they are wearing skin tight clothes but
this is to connote that they comfortable in their own skin and
comfortable with the ‘male gaze’. It is also to promote that they are
comfortable with their sexuality.
10. POST-FEMINISM
The post-feminism in this video also encourages that the Pussy Cat
Dolls are better male musicians in general but in the instance of this
video they are better than Snoop Dogg, this has been asserted in
many different areas; the Pussy Cat Dolls having more lyrics, being
more assertive in their sexuality and just generally and the Pussy Cat
Dolls having more presence all showcase the Pussy Cat Dolls being
not just equal to men but being superior to them.
11. WHAT DID I LEARN FROM THIS
VIDEO
I learnt a number of things from this video, firstly I learnt that female
musicians do not always wear minimal clothing to attract the ‘male
gaze’ they do it to say that they are more powerful than men and can
use all the tools at their disposal to get them there.
12. WHAT WILL I TAKE FROM THIS AND
INCORPORATE INTO MY VIDEO?
There are many things that I will take from this exercise but the most
important thing I will take from it is the ‘female gaze’. The ‘male gaze’
is very common in R&B videos even in ones by female artists so I
have decided that to break this typical convention I will instead use
the ‘female gaze’ instead of the traditional and stereotypical ‘male
gaze’.
