The video begins with a close up of Beyonce's face. She is wearing a bright red lipstick drawing the eye to her lips; lips may be considered a very sexual area of the face and connotes oral sex. This colour red is also featured on Beyonce's nails; Red is often used to express love, lust and passion. Again bringing the ora back to sex and passion. Her hair is well styled to appear messy yet well groomed. Messy hair that once was groomed is also a look connoting sex further exaggerating to the sexual tone of the shot. In the background, as part of the mise en scene, there is an extra in a maids outfit which are notoriously known as sexual outfits used for sexual dress up.
The video is then continued using a medium shot to show Beyonce wearing a tight corset style leotard. The garment accentuates her curves making her waist appear smaller and breasts and hips appear larger. Stereotypically, this is the kind of 'hourglass' figure that most men find attractive. This suggests that beyonce has been dressed in this way to suit the 'male gaze'. Furthermore, the male gaze is portrayed as Beyonce wears a mask. This minimizes her identity making her seem more like an object. There is a mirror placed in the background so that Beyonce's behind can also be viewed. This additionally amplifies the idea of the shot being created to suit a male perspective as the mirror enables the audience to have a full view of beyonce's body.
Next, Beyonce is viewed in a long shot from car headlights.The long shot allows the audience to get a full view of Beyonce's body. Again, this implies that the shot has been set up to please a male audience. The colour red appears once more accentuating a passionate and sexual ora. Beyonce is wearing a black leather coat. Black leather may be considered another veneral outfit as it is largely associated bondage and s&m; further heightening the sexual tone of the ora. Beyonce is wearing a hat that hides part of her face and hair. This adds to the minimizing of Beyonce's identity in the video objectifying her.
Beyonce is then shown in a set of lingerie. She is still wearing a hat, minimizing her identity, and red shoes to connote a sexual mood for the shot. She stands in an open way appearing to be proud of her body and looks. She stands with her hand on her hips pushing out the areas of her body that are stereotypically viewed as attractive by men. This may propose that Beyonce is trying to promote feminist empowerment and challenge feminist hegemonic views by openly expressing herself in a sexual way. However it may also be argued that Beyonce stands in this way to satisfy a male audience by showing off her body.
Here Beyonce can be seen, from behind, in provocative clothing wearing no top. The thong costume she is wearing very much resembles lingerie that may be worn to attract attention or arouse the opposite sex. Beyonce's bottom half is mirrored by the stage on which she is seated. This allows the audience to get a full view of her body suggesting that the shot has been staged to please a male perspective. Again, Beyonce wears a hat. Whilst this may be an innocent accessory, it may also be used to minimize her identity and objectify her. However, it may also be argued that the head wear appears to have an Indian/Asian style to it therefore proposing that Beyonce is attempting to represent women who do not display their bodies for religious and ethical reasons to show her opinion on femininity and women having the power to freely express themselves.
These screen shots display Beyonce along with a small group of dancers in a mens club setting. The women are wearing very similar clothing to the stereotypically expected clothing a woman dancing in a club like this would wear. They are also dancing in a sexual nature, again similar to the way an exotic dancer performing for money would. In the second shot, the group of dancers are using poles, like a pole dancer would. This implies that the girls are being compared to exotic dancers portraying that they are dancing for men watching them. This supports the idea that the shot has been created to suit a 'male gaze' very blatantly. Deconstructing the shots further, the girls legs are in the air. This may associate the shot with sexual intercourse as commonly during sex, girls legs may be up in the air like this.
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