Music Videos Imagery and Lyrics

One contemporary music video that certainly challenges gender roles is the music video for Lady Gaga's song "Poker Face." The song lyrics also serve to challenge gender roles. In the beginning of the video, while emerging from a swimming pool fully clothed, she tosses what appears to be a bra out of the water. This action reminded me of a feminist symbol protesting gender inequality and masculine domination. Also towards the beginning of the music video, Lady Gaga lounges on a chair while she is attended to (by a robot); this is usually conventional of a music video in which a male bachelor is at the center of the action and attention. Throughout the video, numerous men are all over the singer, touching her lustfully and vying for her attention. We commonly see this phenomenon the other way around in many music videos, with women crawling over the male musician. The lyrics of this song mostly consist of Lady Gaga speaking of how she will control the relationship between her and an unnamed man, definitely challenging what we may define as gender roles in romantic or intimate relationships: "After he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart." In addition, "I won't tell you that I love you, kiss or hug you" defies the notion that women should always be willing to do what men want or say what they want to hear. The most repeated line of the song, "can't read my poker face," has been thought to imply Lady Gaga's bisexuality, which would certainly be defying stereotypical gender ideologies of what is and is not generally accepted. 

Another song and video that I believe challenges some gender roles is the song "The Boys" by Nicki Minaj and Cassie. From the very beginning of the music video we see a harem of men following Nicki Minaj as she strolls down the street, toiling to keep her covered by their umbrellas. As Nicki Minaj and Cassie make their way through the bright town, men painting buildings and working near the road stop and stare at the women. We commonly see occurrences of women hungrily staring at handsome men in music videos before throwing themselves at them. Nicki Minaj spends some time in an expensive sports car, taking the place of the privileged men we usually see inside such vehicles in music videos. The two singers dance a bit provocatively together, which defies heterosexual ideologies that are prevalent in pop music culture. The hook of the song takes a straight hit at male dominance in our society: 
"You get high, fuck a whole bunch of girls,
And then cry on top of the world
I hope you have the time of your life
I hope, I don't lose it tonight"

Here the two musicians are discussing the unfair truth of how many men behave in our society and how they get whatever they want no matter what or even if they do not deserve it. This is a very bold statement by these two famous women. It may sound vulgar or perhaps a little exaggerated, but it captures the essence of the unjust gender roles that exist in our society. The resentment felt by Nicki and Cassie is clear with the sarcastic line "I hope you have the time of your life."