Representation Flashcards
(23 cards)
Low Angled Shot of Woman as Object
Shot: Low angled shot of a woman posing like a statue.
Keyword: Objectification
Meaning: The pose and framing reference the objectification of women, as if her body is being displayed for consumption.
The low angle makes the woman appear passive, reinforcing traditional power dynamics where women are seen as objects for male gaze. This aligns with Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory, where the camera positions the audience as a male spectator.
Woman Pulling Free of Ropes
Shot: Medium shot (MS) of a woman pulling free of ropes, dressed in a small blouse and shorts.
Keyword: Sexualization
Meaning: The woman is dressed revealingly, while pulling herself out of restraint, symbolizing freedom but also sexual vulnerability.
This visual reinforces the idea of women as both objects of desire and victims, critiquing how music videos often sexualize women under the guise of empowerment.
Graveyard Scene and Low Key Lighting
Shot: Medium shot (MS) of a woman in a graveyard with low-key natural lighting.
Keyword: Misery | Death
Meaning: The dim lighting and graveyard setting connote death, destruction, and darkness, reinforcing a grim atmosphere.
Context: The visual ties to the darker themes of suffering, which contrasts with typical portrayals of women in glamorous settings. This can be interpreted as subverting the traditional “woman in distress” trope.
POV Shot of Woman Removing Swimsuit
Shot: Point-of-view (POV) shot of a woman removing her swimsuit.
Keyword: Sexualization | Body Representation
Meaning: This shot is critical of the pervasive sexualization of women’s bodies, which is commonplace in media.
It challenges the viewer’s expectations, drawing attention to how the female body is often used as a spectacle, as theorized by Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze. The woman’s action is framed in a way that critiques the superficial gaze and objectification of women.
Uncomfortable Mode of Address
Shot: Multiple shots put the audience in an uncomfortable mode of address.
Keyword: Audience | Mode of Address
Meaning: The camera angles and gestures put the audience in a position where they feel discomfort, forcing them to confront the objectification of women.
The direct address, when the audience is implicated as part of the problem, challenges typical music video structures, urging viewers to reflect on their complicity in consuming objectifying media.
Woman Addressing the Audience
Shot: Second beach shot of a woman smoking, suddenly turning to directly address the audience.
Keyword: Agency | Power Dynamics
Meaning: The woman in the shot flips the power dynamic, confronting the viewer as the ‘danger’ or threatening figure.
This subverts the usual power dynamic in music videos, where the viewer is often positioned as the controlling, male gaze. Instead, the woman asserts control, challenging societal expectations of women’s passivity.
Loss of Makeup and Lack of Anchoring
Master shot of a woman singing, with her makeup progressively disappearing.
Keyword: Anchorage | Unanswered Hermeneutic Code
Meaning: The lack of makeup and unsettling visual shifts unsettle the viewer, with no clear explanation of what’s happening.
The absence of anchorage (no clear narrative resolution) invites interpretation and creates an uneasy atmosphere. The hermeneutic code (mystery) keeps viewers questioning, emphasizing themes of emotional decay and vulnerability.
Parody of Sexism in Music Videos
Shot: Close-up (C/U) of a book titled “How to Photograph Girls.”
Keyword: Sexism | Parody
Meaning: The book mocks how women are often objectified and reduced to their appearance in media.
The ironic representation critiques the objectification of women in music videos. It highlights how women are often seen as passive objects to be consumed visually, referencing Van Zoonen’s Male Gaze Theory.
Women in Male Clothing
Shot: Medium shot (M/S) of women wearing stereotypical male clothing.
Keyword: Gender Subversion | Power
Meaning: The women’s clothing and stance subvert gender expectations, presenting them as powerful and authoritative.
This visual challenges traditional femininity and empowers women by presenting them in roles traditionally associated with masculinity. This can be seen as a subversion of gender roles in media.
Woman Bound in Ropes
Shot: Medium shot (M/S) of a blonde woman bound by tight ropes.
Keyword: Societal Restrictions | Patriarchy
Meaning: The ropes symbolize societal restrictions placed on women, such as the expectation to conform to the role of the “weaker sex.”
This visual directly challenges the narrative that women are inherently weak, offering a critique of traditional gender roles. The ropes reflect the societal constraints placed on women, especially the pressures to fulfill maternal roles.
Video Lacks Anchoring
Observation: The video lacks anchorage, leaving the audience to make their own interpretations.
Keyword: Polysemy | Scopophilia
Meaning: The lack of clear narrative or visual resolution leaves the audience uncertain about the representation of women, inviting varied interpretations.
The polysemic nature of the video allows for multiple readings, such as the sexual gratification for a heterosexual male audience, but it simultaneously critiques scopophilia (the pleasure of looking) by presenting it as uncomfortable and inappropriate.
ronic Representation of Patriarchy
Shot: Medium shot (M/S) of a man standing in front of a woman, holding a torch in an exaggerated pose.
Keyword: Ironic Representation | Patriarchy
Meaning: The exaggerated portrayal of a man’s dominance is ironic, mocking patriarchal hegemony.
This scene undermines the typical “hero vs. damsel” narrative in music videos by portraying the man as absurdly powerless, positioning the woman as the central, powerful figure.
Sexualized Images as Referentials
Shot: Sexualized images of women presented with referential codes.
Keyword: Sexualization | Cultural Codes
Meaning: These shots draw attention to the sexualization of women in media.
Context: The video uses cultural codes referencing the sexualized portrayal of women in mainstream cinema and media, thus critiquing the normalization of objectification.
Close-Up of Woman Singing with Agency
Shot: Close-up (C/U) of a woman singing.
Keyword: Agency | Empowerment
Meaning: The close-up shot connotes agency and rebellion against traditional passive representations of women.
Context: This empowering visual is a stark contrast to the usual portrayals of women in passive, objectified roles in music videos. The woman takes control of her own narrative and expresses agency.
Gagged Woman in Escape Scene
Shot: Medium shot (M/S) of a gagged woman escaping from ropes.
Keyword: Escape | Agency | Subversion
Meaning: The woman’s escape from her restraints is presented without sexualization, but rather as a moment of strength and defiance.
This subverts typical representations where women in distress are sexualized. Instead, the escape is portrayed as an act of resilience, challenging the usual passive female victim tropes.
Overall (Female): Polysemic and Subversive
Overall: The video is polysemic, offering multiple interpretations and subverting hegemonic ideological perspectives.
Keyword: Polysemy | Subversion
Meaning: The video allows for a range of interpretations, from a critique of objectification to a feminist commentary on power dynamics.
The polysemic nature challenges the traditional portrayal of women in media and critiques hegemonic gender and sexual ideologies. It subverts viewer expectations by playing with narrative ambiguity and visual discomfort.
Male Representation - Diverse and complex
David Gauntlett - the representation is diverse and complex
Men- sometimes but not always depicted as strong/ dominant. Some male figures appear confused or passive suggesting vulnerability
Narrative in constructing diverse and complex representations
Fragmentation, non-linear narrative- The music video uses a fragmented, surrealist style where gender representations are not consistent.
Abstract narrative means there are contradictory portrayals of gender- difficult to pin down one clear message about masculinity or femininity.
Diverse and complex representations of feminity seen in visual motifs (makeup)
Visual Metaphors- Visual motifs/symbols (e.g. woman singing the lyrics)- multiple interpretations regarding gender identity, societal pressures, and expectations.
The imperfect makeup could symbolize the breakdown of constructed femininity or relationship between appearance and reality in gender performance.
Van Zoonen on male representation within Riptide
Riptides representation of masculinity conforms to van Zoonen assertion that male representations in the media are wholly different to the way that women are depicted.
Where the video presents women as victims or as erotic spectacles using conventional beauty ideals, Riptides grants men the power to look and to act.
The videos male characters, for example, point guns and drive sports cars. The representation of masculinity is active, conversely the female depictions are restricted e.g. being tied with ropes.
This naturalises the notion as men as powerful and women as weak
Male’s bodies as a spectacles (Van Zoonen)
- Visual codes
- looking at women: arguing over women
rescuing women: protecting women, looking for women
wearing 60s/70s clothing: stuck in the past, drawing ideals from stereotypes - Narrative codes
- protecting/defending women: saviour, white knight archetype
dropping everything to stare at women and money: - stereotypical of men’s desires in 60s/70s: American dream
filming women without them noticing: peeping tom idea, - voyeurism, objectification
