Beyonce Music Videos

 Pretty Hurts - Beyonce

Style of video: 

Throughout the music video of Pretty Hurts by Beyonce, it includes a storytelling narrative which is based on the artist's performance. It touches up on serious issues and topics such as how society views women and how they should act and look; weight, makeup, plastic surgery and more.

Star Persona:

Beyonce being the main star image of this video, she takes the lead with reasoning being that she wants to express her thoughts and opinions through the narrative of the video making her and the audience have a more personal connection as she is addressing something that she is passionate about. What we see in media nowadays is society labelling women as sex sells or sex symbols which makes it clear in this music video due to Beyonce showing skin for the majority part and the whole purpose being how everyone looks down and asserts their dominance on young females through things such as beauty pageants without realising it.

Themes and Issues/Representation:

Pretty Hurts is a self empowerment song which discusses societies beauty standards and analysing the female body image. Beyonce decided to record it to show the negative effect of beauty pageants and expectations on how women should be presented. Moreover, she is a representative women who is struggling with her body image and the pressure she is under to look a certain way and despite Beyonce not being a beauty pageant contestant in real life she still is in front of the camera and on stage for most of her life and most women feel the pressure of what society expects from us just like Beyonce. 

Technical codes:

In the music video of Pretty Hurts, there are many close up shots that are used to highlight how the character is feeling and capturing their facial expressions and emotions. However, long shots are also used to help the audience get a better understanding of how the atmosphere feels.  An example of Mise-en-scene that is constructed in the music video is props such as scales. Beyonce is being weighed and measured which is significant as it represents in a very effective way the pain and pressure of being society's idea of perfect and not stopping until that goal is achieved. The prop adds towards the role that Beyonce is playing and helps the story narrative to be understood. The long take editing is used when Beyonce is singing at the beginning of the stage and it is useful because it helps the audience begin to fain understanding of the different types of struggles the character has to face.

If i were a boy - Beyonce

Style of video/Star Persona:

Beyonce challenged conventions as she acts as the guy by wearing the pants. Throughout the music video, Beyonce puts herself in her boyfriends shoes so he could feel the pain but at the end of the music video it comes back to reality. She takes on a stereotypical male role as a policeman and challenged the common conventions of male role modes in music videos. This portrays men as emotionless and more concerned with their jobs and work life than their partners.

Themes/Issues/Representation:

Although Beyonce plays the male role throughout the music video, her sexuality is still explored as there is evidence of these 2 cases of the male gaze being adopted as the camera lingers over her body which allows the male audience to divert their attention even though she is playing a male role she still has the curves and image of a woman which reinforces the fact that females are seen as sexual objects which satisfies the need for men. A shot of Beyonce of her in the kitchen while her husband makes breakfast as she gets ready for work which emphasises the patriarchy still exists as women are seen as passive homeworkers as men go out for work.

Technical Codes:

There is a demand of close ups as in one shot Beyonce's facial expressions connote anger and aggression with slight emotion which heightens her male role in the music video. In the second shot nearing the end of the music video it shows a video of her crying which is powerful as it conveys that women are weak and emotional compared to men or thats what the stereotype implies.