SH: Music video deconstruction - Media language & Representation

Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball

• The dominant ideological discourse of the video is the representation of women in a sexual way. The video meets many of the findings in the studies by Goffman et al, predominantly by the way women are depicted in a subordinate, male pleasing role. This video also reinforces their findings that post modern music videos generally portray sexism in a positive way in terms of the way that the audience view women.

• The artificial look is present in this video, the clothes that the artist wears show off her slim physique, the studio lighting also helps to give her a glow that is a part of her artificial make up. This is used to enhance Miley Cyrus as someone who is pleasing to look at to the male audience.
• Dismemberment is also a very dominant representation in the video, particularly the artists lips. Many close ups are used to include just her mouth/lips to represent them as being linked to another of Goffman et al's representations of the feminine touch. The lips and tongue are used to be portrayed as gently and soft and as one of women's sexual features.

• In terms of presenting the star image, both of Dyer's two paradoxes are relatable to this video. Miley Cyrus repeatedly breaks the fourth wall and sings directly to the audience, this portrays her in a present view. However at times throughout the video she is also shown to be walking away from the camera and audience which makes her seem more absent to the audience. Both of the paradoxes are used because if she seems present the audience feel a sense of para-social intimacy with her as if the are friends, but by also having her as an absent figure at the same time it makes the audience want to learn more about her.