Women are often portrayed in one of two ways in music videos: the virgin or the whore. The virgin is innocent and not associated with men, while the whore is highly sexualized through clothing, poses, and camera angles. Examples given are The Neighbourhood's "Afraid" depicting a crying woman, and Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" showing women as objects for the male gaze. Traditional gender roles present women as passive objects that advance the male narrative. However, artists like Taylor Swift and Kesha have seen success challenging these traditions by giving women more active roles.

1. LAURA MULVEY
M U S I C V I D E O T H E O R Y

2. THE CONCEPT – THE VIRGIN
The female or woman in a music video is often over-sexualised and can only fit into one of two
categories:
• The Virgin – a pure, innocent character who is often on the side-lines of the video or not in
association with a man
• The Whore – often very sexualised, either through use of mise-en-scene, clothing or body
language on screen.
The Virgin/ Whore dichotomy can be depicted through The Neighbourhood – ‘Afraid’. Through this
video, the girl is depicted as weak, crying into the camera through extreme close-ups. The trope
cannot be reflected as sexual as she is presented as the opposite, demonstrating the theory that
men cannot be attracted to a woman who is ‘good’ and ‘pure’, or to deem it another way, sexually
objectified.

3. THE CONCEPT - THE WHORE
The idea of the ‘Male Gaze’ is supported
thoroughly through Robin Thicke’s video –
Blurred Lines. It details of when the audience is
put into the perspective of a heterosexual male.
This is shown by how the women in the video are
dressed in skimpy clothing which is purely to be
over-sexualised and appealing for the male gaze.
This is explicitly shown within the screenshot
with Thicke himself ‘examining’ the female body
in a voyeuristic fashion.Women in the media are usually shown
through a variety of angles and camera shots,
often using close ups that tilt and hold on the
woman’s curves to identify the her as an
object and express her to ‘only exist in relation
to the male’ or in other terms, no other
purpose on screen unless to be of an impact
toward the male. This removes her identity so
they can be admired for being beautiful.

4. THE TRADITIONS?
The extent of gender roles is becoming much clearer in the modern media
and the online age. Because women are shown to be erotic objects and
often the sideliners of any conceptual video, they tend to slow the
narrative. This has actually led to a rise in album sales through artists
such as Taylor Swift and Kesha, proving the theory. Contrary to this idea
however, is the one that men have a more active role, driving the narrative
forward and falling into a category of outnumbering women to make
them appear vulnerable and further objectified or being surrounded by
them, continuing to suggest that the camera and audience is representing
what a heterosexual man would want to see. The idea of the woman
being passive is believed to help inspire the man to pull forward the
narrative.

5. HOW CAN IT BE VIEWED?
In three ways:
• How men look at women.
• How women look at themselves.
• How women look at other women.
Those who are gazed at become objectified, with a value to serve only the enjoyment of
the voyeur. Mulvey also argued that our society is patriarchal with men dictated and
taking an active role of the ideal woman and roles. This can be seen through examples
below. L-R. Taylor Swift – ‘Shake it Off’, Ariana Grande – ‘Into You’ and Beyoncé- ‘Hold
up’