“GIRLFRIEND” TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

ANALYSIS ON THE REPRESENTATION OF GENDER IN AVRIL LAVIGNE’S MUSIC VIDEO “GIRLFRIEND”

• THE VIDEO I AM ANALYSING IS “GIRLFRIEND” BY AVRIL LAVIGNE AND THE MUSIC VIDEO IS DIRECTED BY THE MALLOYS.“GIRLFRIEND” IS A POP-PUNK BASED MUSIC GENRE. IN THIS MUSIC VIDEO, THERE ARE TWO BINARY OPPOSITES OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS – THE PUNK BLACK-HAIRED GIRL WITH A STRONG DISPOSITION AND A NERDY RED-HAIRED GIRL WITH A MORE FEMININE ATMOSPHERE AND THESE TWO CHARACTERS ARE FIGHTING OVER FOR THE SAME MALE CHARACTER.

• “GIRLFRIEND” MUSIC VIDEO IS SET IN A HIGH KEY AND AMBIENT LIGHTING. THE HIGH KEY LIGHTING ADHERES TO THE POP GENRE, AS IT IS TYPICAL IN POP MUSIC TO HAVE A VIBRANT LIGHTING. IT CAN ALSO INDICATE HOW THE MEDIA PERCEIVES POP MUSIC TO ONLY TARGET WOMEN, ESPECIALLY IN THEIR TEENAGE YEARS, WHICH IS WHY MOST POP MUSIC VIDEO ARE IN VIBRANT AND LIVELY COLOUR MODE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ENTICE THE GENERAL TARGET AUDIENCE.

• THE SETTING OF THE VIDEO WAS LOCATED IN AN ARCADE AND A STAGE DESIGNED WITH THE COLOUR SCHEMES OF HOT PINK AND BLACK. THESE COLOURS ADHERE TO THE PUNK-POP GENRE OF THE MUSIC. THE HOT PINK COLOUR SYMBOLISES HOW WOMEN CAN BE PASSIVE AND FEMININE AS PINK IS STEREOTYPICALLY A “GIRL” COLOUR. ON THE OTHER HAND, BLACK IS A MASCULINE, STRONG AND BOLD COLOUR WHICH CONTRASTS TO THE FEMININE HOT PINK COLOUR WHICH SUGGESTS HOW WOMEN CAN ALSO BE AGGRESSIVE, STRONG AND DEPENDABLE AS MEN ARE.

• THE MALE CHARACTER IN THE MUSIC VIDEO WEARS A BLACK T-SHIRT WITH A WHITE SWEATSHIRT UNDERNEATH WHICH IS SIMILAR TO THE COLOUR SCHEME OF THE PUNK BLACK-HAIRED GIRL. THROUGH MISE-EN-SCENE, WE CAN ASSUME THAT THE TWO CHARACTERS WILL END UP BEING WITH EACH OTHER AS THE HAVE THE SIMILAR COLOUR SCHEME AND DESIGN – SIMILAR TO A COUPLE-TEE. THE MALE CHARACTER IN THIS MUSIC VIDEO HAS AN ALOOF AND WEAK PERSONALITY, AS IF HE IS BEING DRAGGED AROUND BY THE TWO FEMALE CHARACTERS. THIS CONTRADICTS THE STEREOTYPICALLY MALE REPRESENTATION IN MEDIA AS THEY ARE OFTEN SEEN AS MASCULINE, DOMINANT, AND STRONG AND WILL OFTEN BE THE ONE WHO IS LEADING, NOT THE ONE BEING LED BY.

• THE COLOURS ALSO REFLECT THE PERSONALITIES OF THE DIFFERENT CHARACTERS PRESENTED IN THE MUSIC VIDEO OR IT INDICATES THE DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE ARTIST. THE BLACK COLOUR REPRESENTS THE PUNK BLACK-HAIRED GIRL WITH A STRONG PERSONALITY WHICH SHOWS THAT LAVIGNE CAN BE AGGRESSIVE, TOUGH, PLAYFUL, DEPENDABLE AND STRONG. MEANWHILE, THE PINK COLOUR REPRESENTS THE GEEKY RED-HAIRED GIRL WITH A FEMININE PERSONALITY WHICH ILLUSTRATES THAT THE ARTISTS CAN BE PASSIVE, LIVELY AND FEMININE. THESE BINARY OPPOSITES WERE PRESENT THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THE MUSIC VIDEO.

• SINCE THE TARGET AUDIENCE OF THE MUSIC VIDEO IS FEMALE WITH THE AGE RANGE OF 15-20, THE COMMON CINEMATOGRAPHY INTERPRETATIONS HAVE A DIFFERENT CONVENTION IN THIS MUSIC VIDEO (EVEN THOUGH THE LYRICS ARE TARGETED TO A MALE AUDIENCE, THE VIDEO ADHERES MORE TO THE FEMALE AUDIENCE). HIGH ANGLE SHOT WITH A SHALLOW FOCUS EDITING WAS USED TO SHOW THE “FEMININE” SIDE OF LAVIGNE AS IT SHOWS HER SUBMISSIVENESS AND HER VULNERABILITY. HOWEVER, THE BOLD BLACK EYE MAKE-UP CONTRASTS THIS CONVENTION AS IT ONLY MAKES HER LOOK FIERCE. THIS JUXTAPOSES THE STEREOTYPICALLY REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY BEING SUBMISSIVE, VULNERABLE AND NEED SOMEONE TO PROTECT THEM. ANOTHER INTERPRETATION FOR THIS CAMERA SHOT AND EDITING IS THAT THE ARTIST IS IMPLYING TO HER TARGET AUDIENCE THAT THEY HAVE TO BE STRONG AND REINFORCES THE AUDIENCE TO LIKE A “GIRLFRIEND” MATERIAL.

• THE LOW ANGLE SHOT OF THE ARTIST REINFORCES THE PURPOSE OF THE HIGH ANGLE SHOT WITH A SHALLOW FOCUS IN WHICH SHOWS THE ARTIST’S SUPERIORITY. THIS REINFORCES THE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN BEING DEPENDABLE, STRONG AND HAVING THEIR OWN WAYS AND DECISIONS. THE LOW ANGLE SHOT ALSO MAKE THE AUDIENCE FOCUS SO MUCH ON HER BODY, ESPECIALLY HER LEGS AS IT IS ONLY COVERED IN FISH NET LEGGINGS. THIS INDICATES THAT THE STEREOTYPICALLY VIEW OF WOMEN BEING A “MATERIAL” IS STILL PRESENT IN THE VIDEO.

 

• THE MEDIUM SHOT AND CLOSE UP SHOTS WERE ALSO PRESENT ON THE VIDEO TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ARTIST AND HER AUDIENCE CAN ESTABLISH A CONNECTION AND A RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER. THE LONG AND WIDE SHOTS WERE SHOW THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ARTIST AND HER BAND. THE FACT THAT SHE IS THE ONLY FEMALE PERFORMING SURROUNDED BY MALE BAND MEMBERS SHOWS HER STRONG PERSONALITY WHICH CONTRASTS HOW MALE ARE STEREOTYPICALLY VIEWED IN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY IN WHICH THEY ARE ALWAYS THE MORE DOMINANT AND STRONG CHARACTERS IN A MUSIC VIDEO OR A FILM.