2. If I were a boy..
If I Were a Boy is a song recorded by Beyonce for her third album, ’I Am
Sasha Fierce’.
"If I Were a Boy" is a pop introspective ballad which draws influences
from folk rock through its instrumentation of which includes acoustic
guitars, drums and strings. The song's lyrics lament the misunderstandings
between the genders and indict the male side of relationships.
3. Genre
If I were a boy is a slow pop song. Typical of many slow pop songs "If I
were a boy" is a love song. The Music video is in black and white. This
creates a different atmosphere as it emphasises Beyonce’s feelings of
sorrow, sadness and dissatisfaction. The locations used are the home
e.g. the bedroom and kitchen. Kitchens are more associated with
women while bedrooms are more for men. However the role is swapped
as the male is seen doing feminine activities such as cooking.
4. Narrative
Beyonce challenges conventions as she acts as the guy ,the one who wears
the pants. Throughout the music video Beyonce puts herself in her
boyfriends shoes so he could feel the pain. However at the end of the music
video it comes back to reality. Beyonce takes a stereotypical male role as a
policeman and challenges the common conventions of male role models in
music videos. In the music video it portrays men as emotionless and more
concerned with their jobs and work life than their partners. This is shown
through scenes such as where he purposely misses his partners calls.
5. Voyeurism
Even though Beyonce plays a male role in the music video, Her
sexuality is still explored. In these two cases there is evidence of the
male gaze being adopted, as the camera lingers over her body. This
is done to get the male audiences attention and also down to show
even though she is playing a male role she is still sexy. This reinforces
the fact that females are seen as sexual objects satisfying the needs
of men.
6. Demand for close ups
I decided to compare these two close up shots. The first close up is
right at the beginning of the music video. Beyonce’s facial expression
connotes aggression and no emotion, which emphasises her male
role in the music video. In the second shot at the end of the music
video it shows her crying ,this is a powerful close up as it suggests
that women are weak and emotional compared to men.
7. Relationship between lyrics and visuals
There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. An example of this
is at the beginning, when the lyrics starts Beyonce says ‘If I were a boy,
even just for a day’ .we then see Beyonce in the kitchen while her husband
makes breakfast as she is getting ready for work. This emphasises patriarchy
still exists as women are seen as the passive homemakers while the men go
out and work. The second shot shows Beyonce practising her shooting as
she is police woman. However while this is shown the lyrics ‘Cause I know
how it hurts’ may suggest that this is the way she deals with her
relationship issues.
8. Intertextuality
The music video flows the same conventions seen in typical
American movies of policemen. For example the way they
dress,(sunglasses and hat).The two main characters who
always work hand in hand to try and solve crime.
