Essay on Gender Representation in a Music Video

Essay on Gender Representation in a Music Video

Discuss the ways in which a music video of your choice (Madonna - Express Yourself) constructs the representation of gender by using technical aspects.

In Madonna's music video for 'Express Yourself', gender is represented in various ways. The music video shows a male industrial worker searching for a female (Madonna) who seems to be romantically involved with his rich male boss. During the music video, both females and males are sexually objectified, although females more so than males. This occurs mainly through camera work, editing and mise en scene, as the only sound used is the song itself. The 'male gaze' can be found often in this music video, which is ironic because at the very start of the song Madonna addresses 'girls' specifically.

At the beginning of the music video, editing and camera work is used to objectify and stereotype men. The beginning of the music video is set in an industrial work-place, where strong and muscular men are seen working. A succession of quick cuts objectifies the men as the shots all show close-ups of parts of the men's bodies, with only one of their faces shown in the whole sequence. For example, at the beginning the camera moves up a man's chest, focusing on his muscles and cutting off before we see his face. This takes away from the personas of these men and turns them into sexual objects. This idea is amplified by the number of men in this sequence as all of them are being shown this way. As well as this, the men are also being stereotyped as they are all strong and doing heavy manual labor, which is a stereotype of men. The objectification seen in this sequence is the opposite of Mulvey's male gaze theory as it is making the viewer look at the men in a way that sexualises them. Therefore, this music video objectifies men.

A short while after this sequence, camera shots are used to show females as being powerful. A low-angle shot shows Madonna in an expensive dress holding a black cat. Her clothing and cat make her seem rich, whilst the low-angle shot shows her as powerful and important, thus portraying females that way. A few seconds later, editing is used in the form of an eyeline match to make Madonna seem more powerful than the men. A long shot of her looking out of a window in her high apartment room is followed by a high-angle shot of the men exercising in the yard beneath her. As well as making Madonna seem powerful, it also objectifies the men as it seems that she is watching them for her own pleasure, and cares about their bodies more than their personality. This further goes against the male gaze as the shot is more likely to appeal to females than males.

However, although the video so far seems to defy the conventions of the male gaze and female objectification, as the video continues this begins to slowly disintegrate. This starts at about 1:26, with a mid/long shot of Madonna in some lingerie. This is clearly designed to appeal more to the male population than the female, and introduces the male gaze for the first time. This idea is furthered by various long shots of Madonna's shadow against a screen, which is warped into the 'perfect' image of the female body, with large breasts and a tiny waist. This camera work and mise en scene objectifies Madonna and introduces the male gaze into the music video. However, in the next scene, the mise en scene creates somewhat of a mixed message. Her lingerie has been swapped for a black suit and eyepiece, and she seems powerful as she dances at the top of some steps whilst some men toil away beneath her. However, this powerful image is slightly broken by brief flashes of her bra as she opens her jacket, causing the viewer to see it. These moments could be seen by some to be objectifying as the viewer sees her in a sexual way, but could also be a symbol of female power as she is the one choosing to show her bra, and she doesn't seem forced to be doing it. This is a confusing moment as one one hand she seems more powerful and in control, yet others may perceive it as objectifying and sexual. Therefore, mise en scene is used to both objectify and empower females.

Near the end, there is no doubts as to whether Madonna is being objectified or not. A long-shot is used in a sequence that shows her crawling under tables in a very seductive way. The shot shows her in profile, and her body is outlined against a red background, objectifying her and making the viewer see the video through the male gaze. The sequence ends with a close-up of Madonna licking milk out of a bowl like a cat, making her seem like a pet or a possession, but definitely not like a real person. Her personality is removed and she is seen to just be a sexual object as the viewer looks at her through the male gaze.

In conclusion, the video objectifies both males and females, with males being objectified at the beginning, and females during the middle and end. This is mostly done through camera work, editing and mise en scene, as the only sound is the non-diegetic song playing over the video which Madonna sometimes lip-syncs to. The video is half shown through the male gaze and half through the opposite as both females and males are being objectified. This occurs despite the fact the Madonna addresses her song to girls at the very start of the music video.