A2 Media Studies: Postmodernism: Case Study TaskBy Kim Nunn and Leanne Millward

Introduction•Our text is a music video by Pink, called ‘Stupid Girls’.

•The likely audience of our text is young teenage girls who like mainstream music. Other artists for example, would include: Lady GaGa or Katy Perry.

•We selected this text as we felt it was a perfect example of a postmodernist text. This is due to it’s many intertextual references and fragmented identities, which are played out in a light hearted way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA9w4voK9YY

An Outline of the Music VideoIn the Dave Meyers-directed clip for "Stupid Girls”, Pink is

surrounded by superficiality, and includes references to Paris Hilton's sex tape, Jessica Simpson's music videos, Mary-Kate

Olsen's boho shopping sprees and Lindsay Lohan's car crashes.

Pink re-enacts them all as parody, falling off the hood of a soaped-up car and later crashing into pedestrians while on her cell phone, bothered only by the fact that it distracts her from applying more lip gloss. She shops at Fred Segal, buys a little accessory dog (touted to "stay younger longer") and tries to

throw up in the restroom after boasting how few calories she can subsist on.

Post-Modern Features

BricolageThis text is a bricolage of styles, which are mainly formed by the

stereotypical ‘airhead’ representations of young female celebrities.

For example, the television programme showing a 1950s finishing school class, is contrasted to the more modern scenes. For example,

the characters going to the designer shops – Fred Segal.

This shows a mixture of different styles from different eras.

PasticheThis text is more of a parody than a pastiche. However, the artist herself can be seen as a ‘copy’ of an 1980s punk, due

to her overall style and dress – for example, her haircut.

Fragmented Identities

The adoption of different roles and identities, plays a large part in the music video. These fragmented identities are all

taken by the artist herself.

All of the characters represented are of two opposite groups; characters which represent the “stupid girls” and

the characters that are completely opposite to this – ambitious and intelligent.

Fragmented Identities of the Artist

Pink is shown in numerous roles, some of which include:

• A dancer in a 50 Cent video - This is also an intertextual reference to the objectification of women through the male gaze, which can be typically seen in nearly all rap music videos.

• A girl in a tanning salon.

• A girl on an operating table, reading to be anaesthetised in order to have cosmetic surgery.

• A girl attempting to attract the attention of a handsome gym instructor.

Fragmented IdentitiesAll of these characters fit into the “stupid girl” title and are portrayed

negatively through the parodies of young female celebrities.

Contrasting of Fragmented IdentitiesIn contrast to the representations of the ambitious, intelligent females, is positive.

These are characters such as:

•A female president.•A finishing school teacher.•A girl winning a game of football.

Surface Over Content

There is a great deal of focus on the way the text looks. However, this is appropriate for the text as it reflects the lack

of depth of the young female celebrity – a “stupid girl”.

The outfits worn are stereotypical of young girls and celebrities. A lot of pink, glitter and fluffy items are used to

reflect the immature and girly representation of a “stupid girl”.

The young teenage audience will be more interested in the way the music video looks, as well as the latest controversial act of

the artist.

IntertextualityIntertextuality is an incredibly important part of this music video. Without these references to other media texts and celebrities, the artist would not be able to create a funny music video in order to attract the young target audience.

Intertextuality

Throughout the text there are many intertexual references. To the left, the

first snap shot shows the artist rein acting the famous sex tape of Paris

Hilton – ‘A Night In Paris’.

Fred Segal is an upscale and trendy Los Angeles, California based clothing retailer. There is reference

to this store, in the song.

Intertextuality

Hipster is a slang term often used to describe types of young, urban middle class adults and older teenagers with interests in non-mainstream fashion and culture, particularly alternative music, indie rock and independent

film.

Our priorities are askew, our ambitions misplaced. "What

happened to the dream of a girl president? She's dancing in the

video next to 50 Cent," Pink sings, as she dances next to a man who looks a lot like (but

isn't really) 50 Cent.

Self-ReferentialityWhen in the female president role, the artist looks directly into the camera, at the audience. This is both to us as the viewer, but also the young girl who is watching the TV of

which the music video is being played.

The fact that the music video is seen on a TV, reminds the viewer that they are watching a music video.

Lack Of Depth• There are deeper meanings in the text, yet there is still a

great deal of focus on exaggerating stereotypes through the use of the media language.

• Camera angles and editing – Close ups are used to emphasise certain points and criticisms of celebrities. High and low angles are also used in order to demonstrate the powerful in comparison to the weak.

Modernist Features

Pink is saying something fairly profound about what our society values in women. Pink’s song asks precisely the

right question – are we going forward or back? – and spots the single most important detail in what seems to be no

more than the latest pop style for girls.

Celebrity and the Future of Feminism

• ‘Stupid Girls’ can be seen as an intervention against our celebrity-driven culture that infantilizes women. Looking at it as a cultural criticism, it does not force us to ask tougher questions about why smart girls spend entire lifetimes running away from their intellect.

• The conundrum though, is that intelligent women are supposed to hate airheads. It is supposed to be feminist position to hate airheads because they ‘let the side down’.

Parodic Features• ‘Stupid Girls’ can be seen as just a parody of pop sex symbols,

from Jessica Simpson to Paris Hilton, to the anonymous interchangeable lustily dressed models of various mainstream music videos.

• It is a complaint that having to compete with these women for men’s attentions drags women down enough, dumbs them down enough, to render them powerless and ineffective. For example, there’s the lyric, “What happened to the dream of a girl President? She’s dancing in the video next to fifty Cent.”

Role Models

Pink is made to look like a role model of some sort, for young girls. When listening carefully to the lyrics of ‘Stupid Girls’, you may think differently.

“Pretty will you fuck me girl, silly as a lucky girlPull my head and suck it girl, stupid girl!

Pretty will you fuck me girl, silly as a lucky girlPull my head and suck it girl, stupid girl!”

A Shocking Role Model• This angry, misogynistic message is what her target

audience of 13 year old, impressionable girls would listen to. Pink can be criticised for being hypocritical as she herself talks about purchasing a stripper pole and poses half-naked. We have to question whether she is really a good role model for young children in today’s society.

• The spoiled, narcissistic, amoral image Paris Hilton projects is disturbing as so many young women look upto it. However, it can be absolutely shocking that Pink is now looked to as being a role model.

Aiming For Change - Lyrics

• The lyrics are intended to be reflected exactly in the video.

• The music video follows the lyrics of the songs precisely as this is to emphasise and reinforce the criticisms of celebrity culture.

• The lyrics have been inspired by the lack of good role models for young girls, while encouraging them to be more independent and individual. As well as striving to change young girl’s role models, the lyrics help to highlight points such as, the culture’s relentless and unrealistic pursuit of thinness and unattainable drive for physical beauty.

‘Stupid Girls’ Ending

Throughout the vignettes, a little girl sits holding her Barbie doll and channel surfs between TV shows on etiquette lessons and a political campaign (with Pink at the lectern). A Pink angel and a Pink devil appear on either side of her shoulders, planting thoughts in the girl's head to pull her in different directions, causing her to wonder along to Pink's lyrics, "Maybe if I act like that? ... Push up my bra like that?“

Ultimately she decides, "I don't want to be a stupid girl," and forgoes her Barbie doll to play with a football instead.

Conclusion – Is This a Postmodernist Text?

In conclusion, we have decided that this is a postmodern text as it contains all the features of post-modernity.