Stereotypes of women
Pink
Attitude
Caring
Weak
Bad drivers
Young
Slim
Overwhelmingly
white
Conforming
to our image of ideal beauty (perfect skin, hair and alluring gaze).
Representations of women across all
media tend to
highlight the following:
•beauty (within narrow conventions)
•size/physique (again, within narrow
conventions)
•sexuality (as expressed by the above)
•emotional (as opposed to intellectual)
dealings
•relationships (as opposed to
independence/
freedom).
- Simplification
- Exaggeration or distortion
- Generalisation
- Presentation of cultural attributes as being 'natural'
Why is Lady Gaga an influential figure?
- Iconic pop star
- Unique (stands out)
- Treats music like art
- She has evolved as a musician
Context
-Her body language - negative, worn out
-She's sad/worn out - has to go to work although she's going through stuff, tried to hide
emotions & stay strong in front of dressing table but screen turns B&W showing emotions
which she's actually feeling
-Many biblical/religious references
-When her friends pick her up she puts on her hat&glasses back on - picks herself back up
and pretends she's fine - has to be strong for fans - shows her fans she cares.
-Emotionally transparent & vulnerable
- Just broke up with fiance - had been together for 5 years - rumors of him having an affair
- Has people who care.
- The music video was directed by 2 females
- The people who came to her were her crew - does the crew really care or are they just there to get on with the show so they can get paid - do they really care about her mental state?
- Doesn't portray a traditional love narrative, rather focuses on Gaga's own team
- Gaga is emotionally transparent.
Analysis of the music video
0:15
- mid shot
- lying on her back, eyes closed, with sun against her in the desert
- music is soft and sombre like a dream like state before changing into stressful sound (contrast).
- slow pan downwards from the sun to her face before zooming into a mid shot
0:25-0:30
- dressed in all black with black shades and hat, in a black car going along a dark road leading to know where; death, evil, and mystery. Black is a mysterious colour associated with fear and the unknown.
0:50
- Colour is complex and has many layers to it.
- Black and white; simple - raw - easy to understand
1:12
- when introduced to this colourful, pink, bold leader she looks confident and strong - direct mode of address.
Analysing lyrics:
"your giving me a million reasons to let you go" a failed relationship and she cant take it
anymore.
"i would run for the hills" if she found a way out of the relationship easily she would just
leave.
"If you could find a dry way, I'd forever be still," but she seems to be saying that if he
could figure his life out, she wouldn't complain anymore.
"cut through all this worn out leather," which seems to be a reference to toughened
emotional walls that keep her or him from being honest.
"Head stuck in a cycle. I look off, and I stare." highlighting her own emotional emptiness
and hopelessness.
"I've stopped breathing," but she's "completely aware" as she watches her life descend
into chaos seemingly beyond her control.
"And if you say something that you might even mean / It's hard to even fathom which
parts I should believe." He's lied so many times that she simply can't trust anything that he
says.
"Baby, I'm bleedin' / Can't you give me what I'm needin'?" Despite his many lies she
loves him and is still giving him the chance to fix things
"Every heartbreak makes it hard to keep the faith," to show how his actions have made
it hard for her to believe that he can fix things, but she claims that she needs only "one
good [reason]" to stay with him.
Society is run by males so females are used as commodities in media
- Suggests gender is constructed through discourse, and that its meaning varies according to cultural and historical context.- Advocates that the very presentation of women’s bodies as objects to be looked at is a core element of western patriarchal culture.
- Also presents that in mainstream culture, the visual and narrative codes that are used to construct the male body are different from those used to objectify the female body Codes- a system of words, letters, Feminist theory: Males body are to be admired as they worked hard for it, whereas females bodys are seen as something they should just have.
–Propose
that
feminism is a struggle to end sexist/patriarchal oppression and the whole
ideology of domination.
–Suggest
the
idea that feminism is a political commitment rather than a lifestyle choice
–Advocates
that
other factors, such as race and class, as well as sex, determine the extent to
which individuals are exploited, discriminated against or oppressed
Steryotypes of cowboys why was it used
Essay
The song 'A million reasons' by Lady Gaga has gotten over 150 million views on Youtube. It is often said that the music video to this song pin points and contrast the idealism of stereotypes in the female music industry.
At 0:15 a mid shot is used as we see lying on her back, eyes closed, with the sun against her in the desert. The music in the background is soft and sombre like a dream like state before changing into stressful sound, this provides a contrast in themes at this moment possible referring to her current emotional state. There is a wide shot showing a desert environment before the camera slowly pans downwards from the sun to her face before zooming into a mid shot. The position of the camera at this moment makes her seem more vulnerable which feeds into the stereotype of women being emotionally and physically weaker and below men which offers to bel hooks theory of women being represented i media as being s
I interoperate this whole scene as symbolism as she feels like a lost soul and is still finding herself attempting to run away from her problems before her team finds her and attempts to comfort her. The people who came to her were her crew, this posses the question whether the crew really does care or if they are just there to get her to go to the show so they can get paid. This is important because as a pop star there is a lot of uncertainty of who really cares about you or if there intentions are corrupted by humanities lust for fame and fortune.
the slow pan makes her seem more vulnerable - stereotype women are weak emotionally and physically
I believe this song counters the stereotype of being POP star in this day and age as instead of showing the fun life of partying and being famous it shows the negative side of being a massive pop star like Lady Gaga as she is seen showing a more depressed side of her life as a star, as shown in her reaction towards the beginning of the video, at 0:25 - 0:30, where she is either jumping out of a car or having a tantrum about her position, this is also shown by her looking upset and angry in the car on the way back from the desert. In this scene she is dressed in all black with black shades and hat, in a black car going along a dark road leading to know where, the frequent use of the colour black connotes death, evil, and mystery, which could represent her emotional and mental state at the time. Black is a mysterious colour associated with fear and the unknown.
At 0:15 a mid shot is used as we see lying on her back, eyes closed, with the sun against her in the desert. The music in the background is soft and sombre like a dream like state before changing into stressful sound, this provides a contrast in themes at this moment possible referring to her current emotional state. There is a wide shot showing a desert environment before the camera slowly pans downwards from the sun to her face before zooming into a mid shot. The position of the camera at this moment makes her seem more vulnerable which feeds into the stereotype of women being emotionally and physically weaker and below men which offers to bel hooks theory of women being represented i media as being s
I interoperate this whole scene as symbolism as she feels like a lost soul and is still finding herself attempting to run away from her problems before her team finds her and attempts to comfort her. The people who came to her were her crew, this posses the question whether the crew really does care or if they are just there to get her to go to the show so they can get paid. This is important because as a pop star there is a lot of uncertainty of who really cares about you or if there intentions are corrupted by humanities lust for fame and fortune.
the slow pan makes her seem more vulnerable - stereotype women are weak emotionally and physically
When she finally gets back to the studio at 0:50 the colours used in this scene are vibrant and complex and has many layers to it before slowly going black and white as she stares at herself in the mirror, to symbolise her emotional state, which is empty. This perhaps relates to Liesbet van Zoonen feminist theory of women throughout history being represented as objects in comparison to males. The very presentation of women’s bodies as objects to be looked at is a core element of western patriarchal culture. Society is run by males so females are used as commodities in media which is why in this moment she may have felt objectified by society and media, hence the colour pallet change to 'black&white'.The black and white is simple and raw making it easy to understand. This is important as this shows that she does not want to be where she is, but she is being ignored and has to put up with it and pretends she's fine as she may feel she has to be strong for her fans showing her fans she cares as well as her emotional transparency & vulnerability, hence the line "million reasons to let you go", meaning that she wants to stop her job but she 'just needs one good reason to stay'.
fe4Head shot - often subvert van zoonen theory
The music video then takes an interesting shift in tone as at 1:12, we are introduced to Lady Gaga wearing a suit and hat which is colourful, pink and bold, this is an interesting choice of clothing as it counter contrast the stereotype of women in music videos. This again relates to 'bell hooks' feminist theory that advocates that other factors, such as race and class, as well as sex, determine the extent to which individuals are exploited, discriminated against or oppressed. Lady Gaga, being fully aware that she fits within the role of the traditional women which is being slim overwhelmingly white and pretty, decides to wear to wear this rendition of a cowboy outfit knowing there is less of a sex appeal and therefore money too be made. Lady Gaga uses the iconic representation of the cowboy as a counter type representation of femininity as the cowboy stereotype is often a symbol of America and male orientated
–“Masculine traits :powerful, strong Independent”
–Honest
leader she looks confident and strong - direct mode of address.
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