Research - Additional Music Video Analysis

Beyonce - Pretty Hurts

I will be analysing Beyonce’s ‘pretty hurts’ music video.  The genre of this video is Power Pop as it has a powerful message behind the son g and the video. It discusses society’s beauty standards. This video follows a non linear story line, and through the help of constant cuts betweens shots, it shows a story line through the idea of flashbacks and to show the future. The video begins with a series of shots such as close ups and panning shots of the girls in the beauty pageant getting ready. Panning shots are typical conventions of a pop music video as it shows voyeurism of the women. The transitions between these quick shots are quick and there are many of them. Again this is a typical convention of a pop music video. Within the first 1 minute of the video beginning, there are already around 9 costume changes. The costumes are revealing, which shows the idea of women having to have ‘perfect bodies’. It also relates to the idea of Laura Mulvey who suggests in videos women are objectified and are there to look at. This is exactly the idea of the video as it suggests that beauty pageants are there for men to look at women, as in one of the shots it shows 3 judges which are all male. Using all these fast shots and costume changes, represents the idea of beauty pageants being messy and a lot of work. Beyonce is the main character in the video as it mainly focuses on her as she is the artist. This is a typical convention of music videos as the artist is the typically the main character. Beyonce is represented in the video as your typical beauty constant. . The location is in what looks like a dressing room. There are hair and make-up products all over the room as well as mirrors, which emphasises the need to force women to make themselves ‘pretty’.  Throughout the video there is imagery of all the women getting ready in the changing room. It shows them taking diet pills, pulling at their bodies, making themselves sick, doing hair and makeup, choosing outfits as well as having Botox and spray tans. These show everything women put themselves through to make themselves feel they fit into society’s idea of being ‘perfect’. This all fits with the lyrics, it all shows the message about how society’s idea of being perfect can make people feel. Throughout the whole first minute and a half, Beyonce’s facial expressions are blank and sad. This shows the title of the song clearly ‘pretty hurts’ as it relates to the emotional pain of society’s beauty standards rather than physical pain. However physical pain is still shown in some parts of the video such as towards the end, one scene shows her in a doctor’s office with the doctor holding a needle and lines on Beyonce’s face. This shows the idea of women feeling they have to physically change their appearance to be accepted in society. By Beyonce having blank facial expressions, it juxtaposes with the costumes she is wearing. It shows that she still isn’t happy with herself which is the theme behind the video. This also shows that beauty pageants aren’t as fun as they are made out to be. As in one scene she is wearing a tiara and a sash, suggesting she won one of them. But because her facial expressions are blank it suggests she still isn’t happy.  Throughout the video, Beyonce is constantly given dirty look by the other girls in the pageant. This again relates to the title of the song ‘pretty hurts’ as they are judging her by the way she looks. All the other girls act the same and do the same thing, where as Beyonce decides to step away from this pageant life which makes her stand out, and shows young girls that they don’t have to follow everyone else. The message Beyonce is trying to get across in the video is self-empowerment. The video shows clearly society’s beauty standards and also includes the idea of a patriarchy, as throughout the video, the ‘host’ is a male and he’s presented as showing off the women and showing them as an object to be looked at through the male gaze. Another example of this is shown in the video when a male is measuring and weighing Beyonce and he gives a disapproving look and gestures her away, showing he is superior and she is not ‘worthy’ enough.