riptide vs the man essay

analyse the representation of gender in the music videos for "The Man " by Taylor Swift and 
"Riptide " by Vance Joy 

In both of the music videos 'The Man' by Taylor Swift and 'Riptide' by Vance Joy, we see many similar representations however one of the biggest representations which differs between them both is the representation of gender. Gender has always been one of the biggest problems known in the media. This is due to the stereotypes towards both men and woman. Overtime, these stereotypes have improved however sometimes men and woman are still often portrayed differently from one another. Two key examples of this are in the music videos for The Man by Taylor Swift and Riptide by Vance Joy. In both of these music videos, the representation focuses on different genders however, both of these live up to the expectation of what our society stereotypes these genders to be.

The first example is in The Man by Taylor Swift. In this music video, Taylor Swift is in fact the central character however, she is dressed up as a rich, wealthy, middle aged man. She does this with the intention to express her feelings on how she believes men behave and act and what privilege she thinks men, like the one she's portraying, get in this society. During this music video, we see this 'man' living up to the expectations of male stereotypes. For example, one of the first scenes we see is the 'man' as a boss of a company, practically demanding people what to do. Already, this is showing connotations of a man being more superior to women, basically bullying them in the work place. However, shortly after demanding them all, he is being praised for something which also shows him as predominant. Another scene which lives up to the stereotypical expectation of men, is on the train. On this train the man is spread out, which shows a stereotypical image on how men can't be configured to small spaces and no matter where men are they will 'man spread.' Alongside this throughout the music video the man can often be seen doing things where he gets praised for doing simple things such as being a father. This could connote them men may not be stereotypically good as being a father in this society today. Overall, in the music video, there is a wide range of stereotypes which live up to male expectations for society.

In riptide however, the main focus for representation is in the gender of women. Women in the riptide music video are represented in a way which objectifies and victimises them. For example, one of the first shots we see is a woman at a dentist in pain, which shows that representation of victimisation. There is also many other parts in the music video where women are victimised. For example, there is a shot of a woman trying to escape from a tree. In the next shot she does escape however, which could connote maybe there is a sense of empowerment somewhere in the music video. This empowerment gives us hope for our society and the rest of the music video. Alongside women being represented in a way which victimises them, women are also seen in a way which objectifies them. For example, there is many scenes in the music video which shows the women facing away from the camera which could dehumanise them as a person. Overall, this music video shows gender representation in a rather negative view.