Pink Music Video Analysis

Pink Music Video Analysis

Identify 4 characters from the video that are represented throughout:

How are representations constructed? Costume, setting, camera shots

Why are these connotations being used?

what statement is the video making?

Character 1:

The representations that have been used in this video gives each character that has been made/designed a certain feel for the audience to respond to.

Starting with the costume on character one - I wouldn’t call it extreme lengths but at the same time I wouldn’t call it normal. It has been constructed in such a way which shows this character’s thoughts and emotions on how she views the world or how she should be viewed by the world more so because of things in the media. Some people would call this dress type ‘slutty’ which is technically putting people who dress like this into a certain stereotype.

Why is this tough?

It seems pretty obvious, but this character has been specifically designed to show this character as potentially ‘slutty’, the background to me seems to be a discrete roof-top carpark in an American city at night. She is also twerking next to a male. This could be because people see the certain stereotype as ‘slutty’ to be people who are very desperate to try and impress anybody with anything they can and whenever they can. It’s almost been exaggerated in this video. Personally, I think this connotation has been used to represent/exaggerate what exactly this stereotype in real life is seen to be like, which is probably not the case.

Character 2:

This one may also seem pretty obvious but what I get from this is people who are overly-obsessed with their body and looks. Again its a big exaggeration/parody on people wearing fake tan because people seem to describe fake tan as what this character is like, but it’s usually not the case.

So the costume is a bikini, but the main focus here is the fact that she has a literal orange body. The setting is of this character in a Tanning Salon which doesn’t really say anything other than establishing where exactly this character is. The main thing I get from this shot though is the contrast between the main character on the right and the character in the left.

The character to the left is just a person who has gone and got a normal spray tan that (I guess) would look natural-like. But the character on the right is somebody who has completely overdone the spray tan. I like how this has been presented, because it shows that there are certain females (and some males) out there who are seen to be known as “Orange” for example simply because of the overdone spray tan, so people who over-do spray tans or makeup etc.. to the extent that it doesn’t look attractive or nature are put in this certain stereotype.

I personally feel that the statement that this character is being presented as is that some people out there wear too much makeup, and are therefore put into a set stereotype.

Character 3:

For character 3 it seems as though this person is represented to have a busy life, so much so that she doesn’t even have her hands on the wheel. It seems as though this character is reasonably well-off, this is seen by the convertable car, the glasses and the expensive-looking cardigan and necklaces, all of these link together well. But using the idea that rich people have busy lives is certainly not strictly the case, nor do some drive irresponsibility.

So the connotations that are here could be that rich people are in their own world, like they have no time for anybody else and that they are selfish and couldn’t care about nobody but themselves. “Stuck up” is a word quite often used. Again, negatively putting all rich /well-off people under a certain stereotype which isn’t strictly true.

I think I’ve already said this but to clarify: I personally feel that the statement that is being used here is that “all rich people have no time for themselves and are selfish, only thinking of themselves” I certainly don’t agree with this, just look at rich people giving money away to charity and helping people.

Character 4:

A lot is being said in this screenshot, just look at the contrast between both character’s costumes, one is a woman wearing short and a sports-bra, the other is a woman wearing joggers and a t-shirt. This is also set in a gym which clarifies a little more what is trying to be said here. The specific camera shot here is a 2-up shot. One lady out of focus in the foreground and the main subject in focus seen taking her top off.

So what is the connotation being used? I feel like this character is portrayed to be somebody who is different, but doesn’t feel comfortable with standing out, feeling like they aren’t good enough or look good enough and want to become ‘sexy’ and the only way to do this is to go half naked to catch attention.

I feel the statement that this character situation is saying is that “The only way you can look sexy is by the way you dress, you will only draw male/female attention to yourself if you are only half-dressed”.

This is where people are split into 2 stereotypes, one of people being seen as “sexy” and the other people being something like “stay away from him/her they’re not ‘sexy/fit’” - again, something I personally don’t agree with.