Laura Mulvey is a British feminist film theorist. She was educated at Oxford and is currently professor of film and media studies in London. Mulvey's theory focuses on visual pleasure and narrative cinema. Her studies are based on how women are represented as sexual objects which is evident in media texts today, such as music videos, television and films. Her research focuses on women as sexual objects and how they are involved in media texts to be enjoyed and objectified my men. Her theory of the male gaze occurs when a scene may focus on the curves of a woman's body or features such as lips or even feet. The cinematography will focus longer than usual on these body parts meaning that we cannot look at anything else if we chose to, this is when the male will look at the woman as a sexual object which is called 'The Male Gaze'.
However this does not always apply to media texts as they contradict Mulvey's theory. I'm going to explain and show how Katy Perry's music video from 'California Gurls' conforms and contradicts.
The first shot from California Gurls is a close up of a board game. This board game is ideology showing that Katy Perry is a Queen of Candifornia who must be freed in order to be the prize. It is also an establishing shot of the location for the rest of the video which is set in Candyfornia (the game); mise en scene such as the candyfloss clouds demonstrate this, also the reference to Snoop Dog as the 'Sugar Daddy'. It also claims that the dice belongs to the Sugar Daddy which means that he has control over Katy Perry (Sugar Daddy along with his 'candy-man' costume is a reference to a pimp which means that he owns her). This conforms to Mulvey's theory because the woman is seen as a prize which is sexualised by her costume.
The gifs below show that the game belongs to Snoop Dog as he places Katy Perry at the start. When he roles the dice she moves which also conforms the theory as the male has dominance over the woman. So Katy Perry is simply an object, and she is not in the video for any purpose but to be looked at. Snoop Dog also has a cane which usually people with a high role have such as royalty or sorcerers, meaning that he is an important role and is the master of the game.
Gummy bears are seen as sweet and delicious but instead use vulgar actions to offend Katy as part of the game. In the video they are represented as males and are owned by Snoop Dog. It suggests how men are rude to women and do not consider them as real people because they are just seen as objects.
Katy Perry contradicts the theory here as she has strength and sets the girls free so that they can become a force and be more powerful than Snoop Dog. They cause mischief to take control of the game which is not what a stereotypical woman would do, therefore she is braking stereotypes of how smart and strong woman are and that they are more than just sexual objects.
Part of their mischief is when the gingerbread man tries initially to ruin the game, although the girls come dressed like girl scouts that sell cookies, they put a heart on him (giving him a heart) which turns him in love with them. He becomes weak and submissive to them and even though they eat him he is smiling because of how beautiful they are, this shows that they have taken over the game and can conquer anything. This contradicts the theory because they are there for a purpose and there wouldn't be a video or narrative without them.
The last two shots show that Snoop Dog is buried under the sand meaning that he now has a lower status than the girls, in comparison to the beginning where he was above them and having total control. This means that he lost all of his power and has lost the game. This shows that they were more than just a prize and are not sexual objects as we see more shots of their facial features at the end rather than focusing on their bodies. Katy Perry's blue wig is also covering her breasts unlike the rest of the video where they were revealing or provocative. This shows that she was using her features as a sexual object to win the game, so now she has won she is restricting herself as she no longer needs to be looked at as a sexual object. This is a re-presentation of women showing that they are not just there to be looked at. Meaning that the overall result of the narrative contradicts Laura Mulvey's theory as Katy was underestimated and uses her body in a clever way, although 'the male gaze' still applies.
Richard Dyer - Star Theory
Richard Dyer's Star Theory is the idea that icons and celebrities are constructed by institutions for financial reasons and are built to target a specific audience or group of people. The theory is broken down into 3 sections: audience and institutions, constructions and hegemony (cultural beliefs). He says that, "Stars are commodities that are produced by institutions." Katy Perry conforms this theory as she is a constructed image made by the institutions and is represented across a range of media and mediums.
Stars are made to make money, so Katy Perry (real name Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson) is constructed in a way which audiences will want to consume her. The institutions want to please the audiences so that the star is successful and makes money. Katy Perry's persona was created for the audience to identify with and so stars can differentiate between different stars. Stars are built with someone's signature to them, in this case, Katy Perry has many bright hairstyles. The reason that she changed her name to 'Katy Perry' was to be easily remembered and to have a new and better constructed version of herself.
Consumers relate to the star by having features that they admire or share with them. This develops from an admiration into an idolization which can control the consumers beliefs and they can attempt to replicate what the star does. This happens with Katy Perry as thousands of fans will have dyed their hair after admiring the look on Katy.
Richard Dyer says that stars are 'personas', not real people. Katy Perry conforms this theory as she is a character constructed by the industry to be consumed. She shares only what she wants to in the media so consumers only see this character that is being portrayed, not the real life Katy Perry (or Kathryn Elizabeth Hudson). This identity is created to appeal to a mass audience, which can make the star known and become icons. Stars are made and groomed to meet the expectations of an audience, which links to Laura Mulvey's theory of the male gaze as the star is expected to be desirable.
In California Gurls, Katy Perry is yet another constructed character within the narrative. She is now a 'Queen of Candyfornia', which does relate to herself as she is one of the most famous stars from California. Although she has the colourful wig, she is another construct by herself and the institutions to be appealing in this video. In the narrative she is also a character playing the game, so rather than a video representing her real life Katy Perry has made a promotional video sharing her cultural beliefs and ideologies rather than showing her true identity.
Tessa Perkins - Stereotypes
Stereotypes are assumptions we make based on groups of people. Tessa Perkins identifies 5 assumptions: stereotypes are not always negative, they are not always about minority groups or less powerful people, they can be held about one's own groups, they are not rigid or unchanging, they are not always false.
Her first assumption applies to Katy Perry as she is stereotyped positively. Her stereotype is a pop star, which is made from many different positive traits stereo-typically such as beautiful, desirable, kind, talented. In her music videos she is seen as a positive role model, especially in California Gurls as she is the protagonist that saves the girls which shows 'girl power'. She's also a role model for young people, in this article (http://aleteia.org/2013/11/08/katy-perry-the-best-role-model-for-young-women/) Katy is praised by a mother because of her empowerment and how she represents women in comparison to other female pop stars.
Katy also conforms Perkins' third assumption of stereotypes being held about one's own groups. Pop stars have a stereotype although different pop stars have different individual stereotypes. For example, Beyonce is seen as a more fierce (her alter-ego 'Sasha Fierce') and powerful pop star who is a loving mother and wife. Pop stars are all different individually so that they are recognised and have their own personality and look, especially if they are a brand.
Perkins' fifth assumption is that stereotypes are not always false. In this case the stereotype is correct of Katy Perry as she is desirable, kind and beautiful. Although, as we only see of Katy what she chooses, we cannot truly judge her as we do not know her like a friend or a family member. From what we can see she is a stereotypical pop star. Looking at her social media however, such as Instagram, shows us more about her.
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| katyperry: Before accepting the offer to be on the cover of Forbes, I was told that a lot of women have previously shied away from doing it. I wondered if it was because they thought socially it would look like they were flaunting or bragging or it wasn't a humble decision. Ladies, there is a difference between being humble and working hard to see the fruits of your labor blossom, and your dreams realized. Hopefully this cover can be an inspiration to women out there that it's okay to be proud of hard earned success and that there is no shame in being a boss. Also... don't think that I didn't celebrate this moment by going straight to Taco Bell and getting my crunch wrap supreme #ontourbreak |
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