How do different contexts influence the meaning of music videos?
‘If I were a boy’ was released by Beyonce in 2008 whereas ‘The Man’ was released by Taylor Swift in 2019. Beyonce and Taylor Swift are established and influential female musicians within the music industry.
The first video of ‘if I were a boy’ opens with a first insight of the artist and the editing of the contracts between her and the man already is signifying the social groups and stereotypes in society in those times. The line that is repeated throughout the song is ‘if I were a boy’ shows that she thinks that there is inequality between genders and we also see that the women is serving the breakfast and the man is just eating without even appreciating what she is doing this reflects on the change in society overtime as women were always seen as weak and having to provide the strong man before they head of to work, however in this music video this is trying to show that even if you are a man or a women it should not matter.
At the beginning it is subjective as we are so used to seeing the man heading off to work but she is showing that she is a strong, powerful women by working for the NYPD as these areas of new York are known for being rough areas this is intertextuality as the men are seen to be more powerful than women In these circumstances. The mise on scene of her in her police uniform identifies her as a policewoman and she stands out from all the policemen in the foreground showing more men are more populated in these roles. The camera work showing a low angle looks up to her making her look superior and the juxtaposition of the camera when cross cutting to the man doing the work emphasises the idea of it going back to ‘normal’ again. The use of showing the audience a low angle when she is seemed to be higher than who is her around her. A line in the music video says ‘drink beer with the boys 'showing that most positions in the police are seemed to be male and she would go out with them.
Both ‘If I were a boy’ and ‘The Man’ deal with the issue of gender inequality. The two videos are narrative and illustrate the meaning of the song. The lyrics of the songs amplify the meaning of the songs. ‘If I were a boy’ depicts the conflict between a couple as one partner entertains and courts the attention of the opposite sex. ‘The Man’ shows the different aspects of a man’s life as he grows more successful in every area of his life. ‘the man’ is also a self-reflection of herself as an artist when the scene of the man urinating up the way making references to gender when he just does it Infront of everyone it is perceived to be normal. Though the graffiti on the wall showing the names of all her past and current albums. This further emphasises that even rude disgusting action is still phrased as a man, this promotes the ‘freedom’ that women in society don’t have as if this was a women dping this action they would be looked down upon.
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