Busy Thinking About Boys? | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Busy Thinking About Boys?

Charli XCX brings you a new “gaze."

720
Busy Thinking About Boys?
Billboard

How many times have you seen half-naked women grinding on men’s bodies in music videos? The number is far greater than what we may care to admit. Though we may watch it for mindless fun, we should deeply look into the problems of this kind of aesthetic.

Music videos have in an essence allowed musicians to play the personas that their music demands. This lets the artist explore the sensations and emotions of the song on the image they are portraying. There are many other cultures that leave their artists in the background, also known as playback artists. For example, in the Bollywood industry, many singers are designated to sing for actors or actresses in movies, and this because the music videos are often times weaved into the film. I am not saying that one way that is correct over the other, but there is more of a direct and tangible freedom given to American musical artists. To an extent, this kind of freedom has been misused. Often times, we see the formulaic representations with women barely clothed and capturing almost every heterosexual man’s dream, and some have referred to this as the “male gaze”.

According to an article in The Conversation, the male gaze suggests how men look at women in a sexualized way for their own empowerment. This piece furthermore explains how the gaze primarily focuses women as the object of attention for a heterosexual male desire. Laura Mulvey, an English director, first proposed this phenomenon. Many of her works investigated this concern and question around the “male gaze”, including "Pentheselia: Queen of the Amazons". In this film, she experimented with the idea of women being placed in the patriarchal system and how this connected with the male fantasy. This insight even extends to the music industry as well. In an article discussed in the Independent, 7-12 percent of music video directors are female. Taking into account a number of music videos released every year, only a small fraction of them are actually directed by a female. This low representation of women restricts the narratives many artists may wish to take with these videos, so the artist Charli XCX took matters into her own hands.

The “female gaze” was missing, and what better to implement that than in a song like “Boys”. For those who do not know, Charli XCX is a pop artist who sang many hits like Fancy alongside Iggy Azalea and Boom Clap from The Fault in Our Stars album, and now she has gifted us all with her new hit “Boys”, in which she experiments with the female gaze. Charli directed this video on her own alongside Sarah McColgan. The video features over 60 male celebrities starting from musicians like Joe Jonas, to Wiz Khalifa, to even YouTubers like Cameron Dallas. Overall the video does just do an exact opposite of what a male gaze would look like, but there are some very true genuine moments. She captures not only the playful sides of men, but we see many of them messing up in the video as well, which provides a more genuine side. There some question as to whether she took the right approach in making this video. Is doing just the opposite of the “male gaze” be enough of an impact to spread the message? Could she have used people other than well-known celebrities to convey the same message, or was this a way for her to humanize the people who are lionized?

Overall, her message has created something revolutionary. The female hand can control the female gaze. Of course, this makes sense, but in order to make an impact in the Hollywood industry, there needs to be more directorial female representation. If this is something that does not generally appeal to you, the music video was meant to be a feel-good one. Just sit back, and enjoy Joe Jonas eating his stack of pancakes!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

123006
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

26918
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Health and Wellness

10 Hygiene Tips For All College Athletes

College athletes, it's time we talk about sports hygiene.

25186
Woman doing pull-ups on bars with sun shining behind her.

I got a request to talk about college athletes hygiene so here it is.

College athletes, I get it, you are busy! From class, to morning workouts, to study table, to practice, and more. But that does not excuse the fact that your hygiene comes first! Here are some tips when it comes to taking care of your self.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments