Goodwin and Mulvey's theories applied to music video

Freud’s idea of Voyeurism is used to explain gendered pleasure in music videos in order to gain sexual pleasure.



Nicki Minaj 'super bass'

 Goodwin theory of voyeurism argues the female performer will frequently be objectified through a combination of camerawork and editing with fragmented body shots and close-emphasizing a sexualized treatment of the star. Goodwin’s theory can be applied to music videos as this can be seen in music videos for female performers such as Nicki Minaj,  Beyonce or Rihanna. Rihanna particularly has adopted a sexualized image. Her videos often show her wearing revealing clothing and use close-up’s on her lips, chest and thighs. Her video for “S&M” was even given an 18 rating in some countries for being too racy. Nicki Minaj’s music video for “Super Bass” follows Goodwin’s theory use close-up’s on the female performer of her lips or thighs and even slow-motion. However it also uses the close-up’s of a male, using a slow-motion tilt sexualize him and also using close-ups of his lips and torso.



enrique iglesias tonight im loving you



The idea of voyeurism is also seen in videos for male performers, the males can often be shown as sexualized through close-ups to attract the female viewer, which is very common for boy bands such as JLS and The Wanted, who often use their looks to sell themselves to the female audience. Male artist’s music videos often use female dancers flatter the male stars ego, and make him seem attractive, and also entice males to watch the music video because of the female dancer. Female dancers/love interests are often shown in close up’s and seen hanging off the male artists arm. This can be seen in videos such as The Wanted’s “Lightning”, where members of the band are seen kissing the female dancers, or Enrique Iglesias “Tonight I’m loving you”, where again he is seen kissing women and being chased by women.



Laura Mulvey theory of the male gaze can also be applied to music videos as it focuses on the idea that the camera is shown as a heterosexual male, focusing on the female. This idea can be backed up by the focus of women seen in most music videos, whether the artist is male or female. For example the dancers or female love interests are often used to sell the male artist and the female artists are selling themselves.