The two music videos represent women in contrasting ways through their use of mise-en-scene, camerawork, sound, editing, and lyrics. "The Only Exception" portrays women as vulnerable, dependent on relationships, and obsessed with love. "Raise Your Glass" empowers women by depicting them as strong and encouraging diversity and self-acceptance. While the former reinforces stereotypes, the latter challenges norms and spreads a positive message of empowerment.

1. “Compare the representationof womenintwomusicvideosof yourchoice.”
The music videos“The OnlyException”and“Raise YourGlass” give tworepresentationsof womenin
the musicindustry.“The OnlyException”isbythe bandParamore,withfemale leadsingerHayley
Williams,and“Raise YourGlass”,and “Raise Your Glass”is byfemale singerPink.The firstvideois
mainlya narrative asit tellsastory withthe leadsingerasthe maincharacter, howeverhas
performance aspectsasshe lip-syncstosome of the lyrics.The Pinkvideo ismainlyaperformance
musicvideoasshe is lip-syncingtothe camerathroughout,howeverthe videodoeslinkstronglyto
the lyrics.
The band Paramore wasformedin2004, and are knownformakingalternative rockmusic,witha
target audience of mostlyteenagers.The style of musictheyusuallywrite isheavier,withamplified
instrumentsanddrums.However,thissongsubvertsthe genre codesandconventionsof typically
beingheavierandangrier,andisinsteadasofter,acousticsongwithlyricsbasedonlove and
relationships.Despite this,aestheticallythe bandappeartoconformto the appearance of manyrock
bands,oftenwearingdarkclothes,andthe leadsingerhavingbold,brighthaircolours.The band
furtherreinforce the alternative rockstereotype asothersongswrittenbythemincluding “Misery
Business”and“Pressure”are heaviersongs,withelectricallyamplifiedinstruments.
The artist withthe stage name Pink,whorose to fame inthe year 2000 isknownfor writingmostly
popmusic.The codesandconventionsof thisgenre are thatthe musicisusuallymore upbeatand
happy,withlyricsbasedaroundlove andrelationships.She somewhatconformstothisstereotype
within“Raise YourGlass”as it isan upbeatsong,withapositive message toit.However,insteadof
beingaboutromance,it givesa strongand empoweringmessage toheraudience.The target
audience of popmusicisusuallychildrenandteenagers,howevershe sometimeswearsrevealing
clothing,whichwouldnotbe suitableforyoungeraudiences
In the musicvideo“The OnlyException”,
womenare presentedasconsumedbylove and
reliantuponothersthroughthe use of mise-en-
scene. Thisisevidentinthe scene where she is
layingdowninthe love letters.The pinkand
redcolourssurroundingherconnote romance
and femininity,whichindicateshowclosely
these tothinksare linkedtoeachother.The
use of the love letterspropsandthe character
lyinginthemsuggestthatshe is consumedby
love andthat she cannot thinkof anythingelse.
The presence of the hairclipandBarbie doll
positionadda childishaspecttothe image,and
the audience mayinterpretthisasinnocence withinherrelationship,orperhapsthe immaturityof
herobsession. The softlightingonherface makesherappearmore feminine anddelicate,which
suggestshe isconformingtothe ideologythatwomenare softerandmore fragile thanmen.This
scene juxtaposestomostothersinthisvideo,asinotherscenesshe iswearing,darker,more casual
style clothing,showingamore downto earthside of her.Furthermore,throughoutthe video,she
oftenacts verypassive tothe activitiesaroundher,withneutral facialexpressionsalotof the time.
Thispresentsheras complacentandweak,allowingothercharacterstotake control of her.Thisis
furtherseeninhow all othercharacters are male,andthat she returnsto her boyfriendatthe endof
the video.Thislinkstothe patriarchy,whichiswhere menina societylargelyholdpower –we can
see howthisaffectsherlife inthe videoasall charactersplayingimportantrolesinherlife and

2. decisionsare men,andshe iscomplacentaroundthem.Overall,the femalecharacterispresentedas
romanticand dependentuponmen.
In “Raise Your Glass”,mise-en-scene constructsthe
representationthatwomenare strong,andspreadsa
positive message.Inone of the firstscenes,Pinkisseenin
the iconicWorldWar 2 landarmy girlspose.Thispose
and image isoftenusedinfeminism,asitinspireswomen
to be strong and independent,asinthe pastand
sometimesstill todaywomenhave beenoppressedand
lessprivilegedthanmen.Some aspectsof herlookare
typicallymasculine asthe pose showsof herarm withmuscle,withthe dull outfitandtattoos.This
couldbe implyingthattobe strong,youhave to be masculine,asitis a commonideologythatmen
are strongerthanwomen.However,she alsochallengesthisideologybyhavingfeminine aspectsof
herappearance,suchas the redand white bandana,andmakeupwithredlipstick.Thiscouldlead
the audience tobelievethat the message she istryingtogive isthat youdon’thave to be masculine
or feminine,thatyoucan be a mix of the twoand shouldnotbe
judged. Thiscontraststo the Paramore videoasPinkisboldand
outgoing,whereasthe female characterin“The OnlyException”is
passive andcouldbe interpretedasweak. Herpositivemessages
are furtherspreadbyherplayingmultiplerolesandstereotypes
throughoutthe video. Forexample,whenshe dressesupasthe
gangsterstereotype,withacheckershirt,bicycle,bandana,hoop
earringsandbottlesof alcohol inbrownpaperbags.This couldbe
negative,asshe isshowingdifferentalreadyexistingstereotypes
and reinforcingthem, whichcouldbe limitingtomanypeople.
However,itcouldbe interpretedbythe audience thatPinkisgivingamessage aboutdiversity,
showingthroughthe use of typicallyknowntypesof people totell the audience thatitisokayto be
anythingyouwant.Therefore,Pinkgivesapositiverepresentationof women,asshe clearlysupports
diversityandfreedomof expression,andchallengesbeliefs.
In “The OnlyException”womenare representedashavingalarge focuson
romance,and beingdependentuponothersthroughcamerawork.Thiscanbe
seenthroughthe twoshotswithotherpeople,forexample herdadorboyfriend,
and alsothe pointof view shotof hergirlfriend.The twoshotsshow how reliant
she isupon otherpeople tomake herhappyand helphermake decisions,andas
mostof these othercharactersare men,we can see thatmenholda significant
role inher life.The pointof viewshotshowshow muchshe lovesher
boyfriend,andhowherthoughtsare sogreatlyoccupiedbyhim.It isalso
evidentthroughthe wide angleusedof herlyinginthe love letters. This
allowsusto see the huge amountof love lettersthere are,andtherefore
suggestshowgreather love is,andthe extentof herromance obsession.
The use of the wide angle alsoshowsoff herbody,andfocusesuson her
physical appearance.Thiscouldlinktothe male gaze theory,thatisthe idea
that the visual artsare in the pointof view of men,andoftenfocusesonwomenfroma male’spoint
of view.Thisisappropriate tothisseenaswe can see all herbody,howeverinall othersceneswe
focuson the story andher emotions,andsothisisnot true for the whole musicvideo.Therefore,
the wide angle andfocuson othersemotionallyshowsherdependence onothers,romance
obsessionandalsofocusesonherphysical appearance.

3. In “Raise Your Glass”cameraworkisusedto presentPinkas
powerful andapositive influence towomen.Thisisevidentinthe
lowangle usedof herwhenshe isin a fightingscene.Thisindicates
she isdominantandin control which
juxtaposesto“The OnlyException”
where womenare presentedasweak
and complacent.Anoverthe
shouldershotisalsousedwhenshe
isfighting,whichshowsherdeterminationandbravery,asshe is
fightingsomeonemuchbiggerthanher.Additionally,whenshe is
playinga“geek”stereotype,awide angle isusedwithplenty of space aroundthe character,and
thena two shotis usedwhenshe isdancingwithanother“geek”.The wide angle of hersittingby
herself emphasizeshersolitude andrejection,howevercontraststothe twoshot of themdancing
together,havingfun.Thisgivesamessage tobe confidentandtonot care whatpeople thinkof you,
and that nomatter whoyouare you can still have fun.Overall,powerful lowanglesandcontrasting
wide andtwoshot anglesshowempowermentandinspirationforwomen.
“The OnlyException”usessoundtopresentwomenasweakandrelationshipreliantthroughlyrical
meaningandthe music.For example,the lyricsinthissongtalkaboutbeingafraidof love because of
past experiences,butthenabouthowthe male love interestis“the onlyexception”.Showingthat
she has beenhurtby pastexperiencespresentsherasweakandvulnerable,andmakesthe audience
feel sympathyforher.Italsoreinforcesthe “damsel indistress”stereotype,asshe hasbeenhurtbut
the boyfriendsolvesthisand“saves”her.The strummingguitarand¾ time signature create amore
romantic,emotional feel,andtellsushow focusedshe isonlove.Overall,the use of lyrical meaning
and instrumentsusedinthissongcreate aromanticfeel,butalsoenforce stereotypes.
The soundin “Raise Your Glass”spreadsa positive messageandempowerswomen.The lyricstell
the audience tobe whotheywant,and to not letanyone judge them, forexample “whysoinsecure?
Raise yourglassyou are wrong,inall the right ways”.Thisshowsthatshe encouragesdiversity,and
that beingdifferentisagoodthing.Thisalsolinkstothe videoasitshowsdifferentkindsof people
and presentstheminapositive light,andlinkstofeminismasall people shouldbe treatedequally,
and that womenshouldnotbe insecure.Overall,Pinkuseslyrical meaninganditsconnectiontothe
musicvideotospreada positive message,andempowerwomenthroughthis.
The editingconstructsthe representationthatwomenare vulnerableandobsessed withlove.This
can be seenthroughthe fastpacededitingwhenshe isondateswithdifferentpeople.Thisindicates
herconfusionandfrustration,andthe lackof control makesthe audience feelthatshe isweakand
vulnerable.This,alongwiththe soundreinforce the “damselindistress”stereotype asshe needs
helpinthisconfusingsituation.The use of a dipto blackto transitiontothe love letterscene andthe
slowcuts withinthispartsuggestthatit isdream-like.The factthatis appearsto be a dream suggest
that itis herideal tobe inlove andin a relationship.Thissupportsthe ideologythatwomenare
obsessedwithlove,andthatfemininityisoftenassociatedwithromance.Thisideacouldhave
stemmedfromthe past,as women were thoughttohave the purpose of beingmarriedoff tomen,
and were onlyviewedasromanticobjects. Overall,fastpacedcuttinganda dipto blackare usedin
the videowhichpresentherashelplessandromantic.
Pinkempowerswomeninhermusicvideothroughthe use of editing,andspreadsapositive
message.Thisisevidentwhenslow-motionisusedduringthe scenesshe isfightingsomeone in.This
createsa dramatic feel,andmakesherappearmore powerful anddominant.Thistherefore
empowerswomen,asshe isshowingthatwomencanfightjustas well asmen,and that theyare

4. justas strong,contrary to popularbeliefsthatwomenare weak
bothphysicallyandmentally.Thiscontraststothe editingin“The
Only Exception”where womenare presentedasweakandin
needof help.We can furthersee Pinkempoweringpeople
throughthe use of a multi-screen. Thisshowsmanydifferent
people lip-syncingtothe wordsof the song.The use of a wide
range of people,from all differentbackgroundsandethnicities
showbeingdifferentandunique inapositiveway.Thistellsthe
audience thatitis okayto be different,andhow people canall
worktogetherandunite.Italsoshowsus that womencanspread
positive messagesthroughthe musicindustry,challengingthe
commonmusicvideoswhere womenare showntoplease men.
Therefore,the use of slowmotionandmulti-screenempowers
womenandgivesa positive message throughmusicandmedia.
In conclusion,bothvideosgive contrastingrepresentationsof womenthroughdifferentaspectsof
media.“The OnlyException”presentedwomenasvulnerableandcomplacent,andreinforcedthe
“damsel indistress”stereotype.Italsopresentedthe female characterasobsessionwithlove,and
veryromantic.Thiscouldcreate a negative impactonthe audience,asitcouldleadyounggirlsto
believethattheyshouldonlybe focusedonlove andgettingaboyfriend –to follow inthe footsteps
of the character fromthisvideo,andalsothat theyshouldrelyuponmenfortheirhappiness.
However,we onlygetthisrepresentationfromone character,notwomeningeneral.Additionally,in
manysceneshercasual clothesandminimal makeupcouldbe interpretedasherbeingdownto
earth– teachingyoungeraudiencesthattheycanbe themselves.The “Raise YourGlass”musicvideo
presentswomenaspowerfulandstrong,bothphysicallyandmentally.Italsoempowerswomenand
givesappositive messagetoheraudience thatisitokay tobeingdifferentandthat we shouldall
treat people equally,nomattertheirbackgroundorstereotype.Thiscreatesapositiveimpacton
audiencesasshe givesinsightonimportantissuesandchallengesstereotypes,showingyounger
audiencestodefythe normandbe whotheywant. The Paramore videojuxtaposeswiththe Pink
videoasin the latterwomenare presentedasdominantandstrong,whereasin“The Only
Exception”womenare presentedas vulnerable anddependentuponothers –exactlythe ideologies
Pinkchallenges.The Paramore videoisthemedonlove,andthe characterisextremelyrelationship
orientated,whereasthe Pinkvideodiscussesmore importanttopicsinmodernsociety.Overall,we
can see that mediaisa significantaspectof the musicindustry,andstrong,clearmessagesare
presentedtoaudiencesthroughmediafeatures.