Music Videos
Music videos are visual representations of popular songs designed to entertain audiences while conveying the artist's message. They can feature elaborate choreography, special effects, and performances from actors, dancers, and models. Music videos can be used to promote an album, advertise a concert tour, or create hype for upcoming releases.
Queer Visibility
Queerness is a broad term that refers to non-heteronormative gender identities and sexual orientations. In recent years, music videos have become more inclusive, representing various queer identities through storylines, characters, costumes, and imagery.
Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" video features a diverse cast of performers who embrace their differences without shame or apology. Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" shows a pregnant teenage girl facing judgment from her parents but ultimately asserting control over her own life choices.
Mainstream Appeal
Many artists aim to appeal to mainstream audiences through their music videos, which may include themes of romance, partying, and self-expression. These narratives often depict heterosexual relationships between men and women with little mention of LGBTQ+ individuals.
Some musicians challenge these norms by including same-sex couples in their videos or subverting traditional stereotypes about masculinity and femininity. Miley Cyrus's "Wrecking Ball" shows her nude on a swing before kissing a woman, while Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" explores the fluidity of attraction and desire.
Subversive Narrative Strategies
Some music videos incorporate dark humor, irony, or satire to critique societal norms and power structures. Lil Nas X's "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" presents a fantastical world where gender is fluid, while Childish Gambino's "This Is America" exposes gun violence and racism in American culture. Others use surrealist imagery or unexpected twists to subvert viewer expectations and force them to reconsider preconceived notions. Björk's "All Is Full Of Love" features an android lover who falls apart, while Beyoncé's "Formation" addresses police brutality against African Americans.
How do music videos function as complex cultural texts that negotiate queer visibility, mainstream appeal, and subversive narrative strategies?
Music videos have become an integral part of popular culture since the 1980s, serving as powerful tools for communication and storytelling. They can be seen as complex cultural texts that negotiate multiple layers of meaning related to gender, sexuality, identity, and social norms. One such layer is queer visibility, which refers to the representation of queer individuals and communities in popular media.