5.5.4

Representation

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Representation

The 'Good as Hell' music video offers various representations of women.

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Stereotypical

  • At the start of the video, the representations of the female characters are stereotypical:
    • Women are depressed from breakups.
    • Women are being looked down on.
    • Women are unable to enter male spaces.
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Subversive

  • By the end of the video, the stereotypical representations of women are subverted.
  • There are a number of reasons why the video focuses on women's issues:
    • The rise in female empowerment in society.
    • The increasing focus on female body image and body shaming in the age of online media.
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Confidence

  • Lizzo’s star persona is represented as an immensely confident person.
    • Lizzo's direct address to the camera connotes her confidence.
    • Lizzo's hair flick connotes her confidence.
  • Lizzo is positioned as a role model for women who are struggling.
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Lyrics

  • In the Lizzo music video, the female characters are stereotypically stressed.
    • The women find their situations difficult to begin with.
  • Lizzo sings ‘walk your fine ass out the door’ and ‘feeling good as hell’.
    • These lyrics make the female characters become subversive and confident.
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Ex-boyfriend

  • At the end of the music video, Lizzo winks at one of the students.
    • This student is an ex-boyfriend of one of the three, main female characters.
  • The ex-boyfriend looks ashamed.
    • This subverts the idea that men do not get emotional over break-ups.

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