Binary opposites, modern mythic embodiment, and male gaze

Claude Levi-Strauss came up with the idea that films contain binary opposites, for example good vs evil, hero vs villain etc. This links to a statement made by Sven E Carlsson, who said that "One of the most common methods of analysis is to break up the music video into black and white boxes. Almost everything is then perceived as opposites - trash or art, commerce or creativity, male or female, naturalism or antirealism etc."

Carlsson believes that there are two main categories that music videos are able to fall into:

• Performance videos - when the audience are able to see the artist(s) singing and dancing throughout the video
• Conceptual videos - when the audience watch something other than the artist throughout the video

Carlsson also created the theory that most performance movies make the performer more like a product, and said that "He or she is a materialization of the commercial exhibitionist. He or she is a monger of their own body image, selling everything to be in the spotlight - selling voice, face, lifestyle, records, and so on." Artists such as Rihanna and Beyonce are perfect examples, as they are at the forefront of their music videos and use them to sell all the things that Carlsson mentioned in his theory, as well as representing the idealized myth of assertive, powerful young black women. Artists such as Mumford & Sons and Adele are marketable, but also represent the myth that people can look and be 'normal' to be successful in an industry where the majority of people are 'good looking'.

A lot of mainstream music videos also fall into the 'male gaze' cliche, where the camera is perceived to be from the viewpoint of a man. Michael Shore also concluded that music videos contain views of adolescent male fantasies and contain elements of power, girls and wealth e.g the video for Kanye West's Gold Digger below.


I believe that the male gaze cliche also boosts the popularity of female performers as males who share these fantasies will keep going back to their videos, and women may idolize and look up to them.