This is a monstrosity of a video by that monstrosity of a woman, Nicki Minaj. This music video angers me for so many reasons, but I'll keep it relevant. Nicki Minaj thinks she's 'different' because she wears different coloured hair and wears weird outfits (much like Lady Gaga...), yet her video and songs are just like every other hip hop music video out there.
Let's use Goodwin's theory to look at this:
1) Dancing women? Check. Cars? Check. Money? Check. Dance routine? Check. Low angled shots giving you "power" over the audience? Check.
"Oooh, I'm so different and fresh in the hip hop world because it's pink! And I'm female!"
2) She manages to get a plane up when she says 'plane'. Well done, Nicki, well done.3) She dances in time to the music? And it's edited so that some of the dancing fits the beat.
4) Lots and lots and lots of close ups on her face, especially of her eyes doing that weird blinking thing because she's so "weird" and "random". And lots of midshots to show her face and torso, so that you can see that she's wearing her bra basically over her top instead of under it.
My exact expression whilst watching this video. Also, I hope she realises she's a bit on display...
5) The dancing women wearing basically nothing? Check. Nicki Minaj wearing her top so low down it may as well not be there? Check. Oh, but you're a female artist so wearing practically nothing and gyrating against anything with a pulse is empowering and celebrating female sexuality? No. It means you are just a pawn to the music industry, being used how they like to sell records and making you appeal to a male audience. You are not empowering to women with lyrics like 'you're like slicker than the guy with the thing on his eye' and 'boom ba da boom boom ba da boom bass got that super bass'. Think you're in control, Nicki? No, sit down.
6) Alright, Minaj, I'll give you that one. I can't find any intertextual references...
Rant more. Keep the media terms in there but, oh please, please, please, rant more. If you have time and energy. Pull it apart into all the constitutent elements of horrific modern day life and grind them unto dust beneath your angry heel.
ReplyDeleteThen swagger off, trailing Minaj carcasss in your wake.
Oh, and I think the orignal line was 'you're slicker than the guy with the astigmatism' but it didn't fit the beat.
ReplyDeleteHarder to rhyme too. The only ones I'm coming up with a mildly rude. Speaking (writing) of (about) which, if you want to use a more edgy Stan video in your conventions post, go ahead.
One thing I ponder... what is the point of this video? No-one's going to watch it for the 'music', yet the visuals just don't work (the male gaze idea doesn't really apply here from what I can see - she doesn't look attractive in any way here, just stupid. And that's from someone who can usually appreciate surrealism in art...). It doesn't even have the "so terrible it's funny" appeal... it's just terribly terrible.
ReplyDeleteNot entirely sure why but parts of it remind me of this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgWn7zbgxZ4
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DeleteNooooo! Bah! Deleting toddler alert! Deleting toddler alert!
ReplyDelete1) HM, that link is wonderfully odd, thanks.
2) 100% male gaze. Just because it hasn't worked on us doesn't mean it hasn't worked on tens of thousands of others.
My initial response was way more witty and intelligent but a certain little girl has just undone her daddy's hard work and is in need of a stern warning about attacking the computer.
Middle picture, looks like she is also intrigued by the physical / miraculous dichotomy of the essential functions of a magnet. Last one, promise.
ReplyDelete