How To Be a Heartbreaker. Group Two
Marina and the Diamonds: How To Be a Heartbreaker - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKNcuTWzTVw
Marina Diamandis creates a music video that emcompasses two of Doty’s definitions of queer: figures going against hetero-normativity, and also non-normative gender performance. Marina portrays men the way women would typically be portrayed in American society - as playful, carefree sex objects. She also portrays herself in a way that would usually be regarded positively for men, but in her case because of double standards, people view her as promiscuous (a “slut”). The video received a lot of backlash, typically for the way she portrays herself and objectifies men, yet she sings about not giving away sex to these men. However, there are hundreds of music videos that portray women as objects and glorify men for having their way with them sexually, yet they receive very little attention or scrutiny.
The definition of queer that deals with non-normative gender performance can be seen throughout the video. The men in the background are playful with Marina, but it is more noticeable when they are playful with one another. It is not often seen in media where men are playfully hitting each other in a shower. If the men are playing with one another than they are typically doing things that are perceived as more masculine. Rubbing up on each others bodies also defies normative gender. Society does not usually see men rubbing up on each other as what is considered normal. By filling the role that would be reserved for women, the video is displaying non-normative gender performance.
Rather than being praised as a strong, independent woman, she is being viewed as a hypocrite. In the comments of the Youtube video, many people have commented saying that if a man had this video they would be criticized and frowned upon, but when a woman makes a video like this one, instead of being viewed as empowering and enlightening, they are looked at as a fake feminist and are using feminism as a way to receive special treatment and to avoid backlash and criticism.
Marina’s video may be looked down upon by some feminists, men, and women because of its obvious role-reversal. In our modern society women are meant to be viewed as symbols of purity, selflessness, and an overall embodiment of motherly nature. Marina shows us that women are so much more than just these titles, and their pleasure is their own, not subject only to the desires of men. Marina makes the statement, “Girls, we don’t want our hearts to break in two, so its better to be fake…” She seems to be saying that the only way to get noticed as beyond the titles placed upon women is to be eccentric, to be over the top, and to break the mold: whether they feel comfortable or not. She seems to say that women must ask as “men” in order to not get hurt in the traditional ways that womens’ roles allow them to be.
- Do you think that Marina is taking a feminist stance by exploiting men, and portraying relationships and breakups this way? Or do you think that Marina is being hypocritical and is using feminism as a way to avoid backlash from the heteronormative standards?
- Is it right to objectify men, as society objectifies women? Why or why not? What ramifications might this have?
- In some of the YouTube comments, the commenters say that women in the media and in music videos objectify themselves. Can it be seen as self objectification? Or could we argue that the way women perform in media as forms of self-empowerment and choosing to express themselves in a different way from what is considered the norm?
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ReplyDeleteLast semester I took the TV criticism class for my second writing course and we spent a decent amount of time talking about the portrayal of women in the media. One of our focuses was music videos and what we noticed is that most women are objectified in some manner. Most of the time, women are turned into sexual objects who are subservient to men. Even in the videos where women have a predominate role and reside in a power position, they are barely clothed or act provocatively.
ReplyDeleteI argue that women in the media, especially in music videos, have to subject themselves to self objectification in order to be seen and be popular. I believe that the culture of the media industry does not allow alternative views of women because all they know is that sex sells. They refuse to take risks and pursue alternative portrayals of women because their main focus is making money, not how they are going about it.
Some could argue that female artists are taking charge of their sexuality and using their bodies in a way of self empowerment. While this may be a valid argument, I believe that the very fact that they must resort to such measure in order to garner attention is evidence enough that this is only an illusion of empowerment. In the music video provided for the blog discussion, you do see some type of role reversal with the girl being a “heart breaker” and the boys being almost naked and playful. This does allow for some interpretation of feminism, where a women assumes a more powerful role, which is admirable. However, both the song and music video hinge upon women needing men and having to adapt to the male perspective. So while there is an element of female empowerment in the song, the singer relies on the attention of men to be happy and must still preform in a sensual manner for their attention. So, despite any effort made by the artist to appear empowered or to promote a feminist message, the reality is that her song and video still adhere to the predetermined culture prescribed by the media industries.
Marina is taking a feminist stance in this video that is similar to Nicki Minaj’s in her video for Anaconda. She is approaching men on her own terms and the one deciding exactly when where and how the relationship ends.
ReplyDeleteIt is not possible to objectify men in the same way society objectifies women just as it is not possible for people of color to be “racist against white people” or “reverse racist.” When one is part of the racial group that is oppressed, they cannot turn around and oppress those with white privilege because they lack the social power to do so. A white person may feel attacked when a person of color makes a statement about their race, but that does not make them oppressed, rather simply aware of the feelings of hurt, resentment and frustration that come with their intended or unintended oppression of people of color. So yes, it is right to try and turn the tables, instill these feelings of objectification in men through imagery. It just might create the understanding of the issue that words alone cannot.
First off, thanks Jenna for pointing out the oddity of the indian headdress in the video. I couldn't figure out the purpose for the male model wearing it in relation to the song itself and was a bit thrown off when I saw it.
ReplyDeleteNow that I've got that off my chest; on to the video. My first glance of the video and listening to the lyrics, I feel the messages inferred were empowering. Here is a woman, who understands that because she is a object of desire in this society, that the men she will encounter have the potential to break her heart. So to counter this act, she will be doing the heartbreaking as a way to protect herself. As I reflect back on this message, its a bit problematic for me, as it leads us to believe that women will somehow become victims when they are involved with men.
Key images that stood out in the video for me that make a case for empowerment are when she is scrolling through her phone, hardly focused on the male who is trying to be affectionate with her. This act supports the message that she is taking control of her feelings by not focusing on his needs or desires, but attending to her own by being more captivated by who(what)ever is on the cell phone. I also was captivated by the nearly naked men in the shower. Outside of a few random male to male touches, I didn't see anything overtly queer about their wet, semi nude bodies. Their actions, when not directed towards Marina, seemed more focus on self preening, than being subjects of a female gaze.
The more I think about the images in conjunction with the lyrics, I do find it interesting as Z Jeffers commented, that in order for women to be empowered, they must yet portray themselves as some sort of sexual object for men, through their sensual actions and style of dress. I am conflicted as to how I feel about this, as women should be able to play up whatever attributes they possess to attract the type of men that they desire. But at the same time, if women do so, then they are considered to be upholding the ideas that their desires and self expression can only exist within the confines of patriarchy and heteronormativity.
So I say all of the above to say, that I do see where the artist is making a case for female empowerment through flipping the role of who is to become a heartbreaker in relationships. I also see how by choosing self objectification, then she can focus her attentions to whatever man she desires while subscribing to and perhaps undermining notions of normativity.
First, I think I found the reason for the headdress. In that scene it mirrors other music videos where there is a quick cut of a woman wearing nearly nothing and then one prop, usually a racist one.
ReplyDeleteThis is another example of gender reversal between this and other music videos.
Other gender reversals are as follows:
As mentioned by Jenna, the shower scene is a complete reversal of women sensually dancing behind the male singer. G M Dixon mentions how Marina completely ignores the affection of the men that she is "playing". The multiple close ups of different parts of the men's bodies mirror how many mainstream music videos will jump around between similar close ups of women's bodies.
I feel these secure this music video as queer due to the queer gender performance.
For starters I like this song it's pretty groovy, I hadn't ever heard it before now! I do see gender as performance here. Marina ' s music video does play to alternative messages that are not normally seen on a regular basis in more "mainstream" videos. We more typically see the women in the showers with the guys flaunting their bodies in a more seemingly masculine way versus splashing around in the shower. The role reversal here of Marina being the one going from man to man is what makes this a non normative video. Is it exploiting men? I'd have to say not. I don't see much difference between them being in the shower in boxers or in boxers lathered in oil to make their body look more tone, which is what we normally see. I don't believe if this were to be exploiting men it would be ok. Just because women are exploited doesn't mean men should be. Like we've learned since we were practically born; two wrongs don't make a right! ;)
ReplyDeleteP.S I'd have to agree with Jenna in regard to her quote about "rule number four", her lyrics here play directly into the patriarchal system, I noticed that also! Happy blogging!
First off, the song is catchy and I like it. I had never heard of Marina and the Diamonds prior to reading this blog post. In regards to the music video, I feel, as Jenna mentioned above, that calling it queer is a stretch. The role reversal of a female going from man to man rather than vice versa is something that is definitely different than what is common, but the men in the video playing around seems normal to me. We may not see it in music videos or media often, but it still happens. I think the phrase that fits this best is "boys will be boys" - I have played sports most of my life and there is nothing abnormal about boys fooling around, pushing, shoving, and laughing in the shower. Therefore, to me, that part of the video is definitely not queer. The video definitely can be tied to heteronormativity and I would also concur that some of the lyrics can be viewed as playing into patriarchy.
ReplyDeleteMoving onward, is it right to objectify men as society objectifies women? No. Humans as a whole should never be objectified regardless of gender. However, you really can't even compare the two. Jenna said it better than I ever could when she mentioned that they don't exist in vacuum and can't be judged as if they are. Objectification of women is much more of an issue within society than the objectification of men could ever be. In conclusion, I will say that I believe Marina is making a feminist stance with her video and that this can be gleaned from the title of the song alone - it's like saying "if men have the power to break our hearts, let us have the power to break theirs as well" This is meant to be empowerment to females.
I really agree with Tansi's comment saying, "it is not possible to objectify men in the same way society objectifies women." I had never really thought about this before but it is very true. Just because one feels treated unfairly or is being judged does not mean that he/she can just switch the roles. So although Marina may be trying to objectify men just like women are commonly objectified in society, it cannot truly be accomplished. With this being said I think the video can be read in two different ways. Some may think that the boys messing around in the shower is queer and is going against the hetero norm. However, I also think one could make and argument that the men are just goofing around,being boys, and that it is in fact just a "normal" thing for men to do.
ReplyDeleteI really did enjoy this video and find it to be very entertaining to see how Marina portrays a sense of power over the men. She definitely shows that she has a strong feminist viewpoint. The song can be very empowering to women because it shows that although society thinks women have "weak hearts" that is not the case. This song is great for everyone to hear and watch the video for because it sheds some light on the true power of women.
Going along with what Hannah and Tansi have stated, I agree that men cannot be objectified in the same way as women. This is not to say that men can't be objectified at all. It is important however to point out that their is variance in ill treatment. For example it is hard to say that African Americans are more oppressed than Indigenous peoples. They have been oppressed and mistreated but it is very difficult to assert they they were treated worse than the other or even the same.
ReplyDeleteI would also argue that while many women in mainstream entertainment do objectify themselves, they do not see it as self-objectification. They may be willingly wearing certain attire or performing in some ways we might say contribute to the objectification of women. However, if you think about it, who wakes up and says, "Let me objectify myself today"? Through their eyes they may see themselves as simply fulfilling a norm or acting in a way they find pleasing. Personal motives are generally more complex in order to justify our actions. So I wouldn't reduce them by saying they are self-objectifying themselves without further investigation.
Okay, so. I have to say that Marina is definitely taking a feminist stance with her music video, or at least attempting to do so. Marina is totally a bubblegum pop star, and that’s what you expect when you engage in her music and her music videos, so her attempt at tackling an issue as complex as feminism through her music is going to have its limitations.
ReplyDeleteThe entire point of the music video for “How to be a Heartbreaker” is to convince the viewer to see the men in the video as sex objects, with Marina as the person objectifying them and holding power over them. Not necessarily the most progressive standpoint to take, but one that certainly could call for a closer examination of how a woman could view a man in a sexually exploitative way. I think that Marina definitely brushes against feminist ideals by doing this because if a person takes issue with way the men are being objectified, in the same EXACT way that male performers objectify women on a much more consistent basis, this could open the door for serious discussion about how women are viewed in pop culture and society as a whole.
I think it is entirely unfair to argue that Marina shouldn’t be allowed to still be sexual in the video, though, because if her way to feel empowered is through feeling sexually desirable, it isn’t my place to disagree with her. To each their own, you know?
As far as women “self objectifying”… Being a pop star is a career, and to some extent, the more hype the better. We’ve seen how people had an absolute fit over the “Anaconda” music video, but how much publicity did that bring Nicki Minaj? How much attention did Miley get for “Wrecking Ball?” These women know exactly what they’re doing, and this attention brings them more fame, and by proxy more money. Plus, like I said above, it isn’t up for me to decide what makes another person feel empowered.
I have mixed feelings about this video; I see both sides to the queer reading argument. I agree with Jenna that the way Marina portrays herself in the video is as an object to men. She talks about how to make men want you and the way you must keep them wanting more of you. I believe the men in the video aren’t meant to be seen in a queer way; we rarely see them touch one another, they are mostly showing off their muscles and tattoos and paying attention to Marina. This is in fact objectification of men though. Though not in a queer way, I believe they are being used as objects, and in my opinion, not in an inappropriate way. Media does use objectification of the bodies of men and women but I don’t think that’s a bad thing, that is just what society wants to see and if people are willing to be the object of sexual desire I don’t see anything wrong with it. I don’t see Marina taking a feminist stance because she is still playing the object of these men’s desire.
ReplyDeleteI don't necessarily think that this video could be constituted as queer. The lyrics to the song follow heteronormative standards, and while Marina does have male back up singers, they are there for her to interact with. Also, there are countless other female artists that have male back up dancers, and I wouldn't go as far as to say that makes it a queer space. Alone from the choice of outfits (black speedos), I fail to see how the men are objectified in my definition of the word. I would barely count the shower scene in which the males are pushing each other, as we have all seen heterosexual men do this with their friends. I see a lot more of the men as they are close to Marina's face and sexually interact with her.
ReplyDeleteTo talk more about the lyrics, they focus, as most other pop songs do, about heterosexual love and relationships. In my opinion, it would be more queer to pick a different subject choice. I feel as if this video plays into the notion that a woman's top concern is a relationship with a man, love, etc. Even though Marina's desire is to break the men's hearts, the idea still monopolizes her mind. God forbid women think of anything else.
I will admit though, the music is catchy.
When an audience claims that women in the media, especially music videos, objectify themselves they are moving to place blame and responsibility on women for the appetites of the male gaze. When artists such as Marina and the Diamonds reverses the expectations of objectification and that same audience becomes upset because “if a man had made this video they would be criticized and frowned upon,” that audience is again moving away from critiquing a male powered entertainment industry and seeks to invalidate the women who draw attention to the power imbalances that exist without holding that industry responsible for perpetuating misogyny.
ReplyDeleteAlthough at first glance this video does seem to defy heteronormativity, I don't think it does and I do not personally see it as being queer, but I see where you are coming from. She seems too invested in gaining men's attention to even have feminism on her mind. She blatantly says that she is being fake and "looking pure" so that he will fall for her. But, I do think that by going after guys, similarly to how guys go after girls, she is trying to appear to be a feminist.
ReplyDeleteI don't really think the men were objectified in this video. I actually think she was more objectified. Even though almost all of the men are not fully clothed, the scenes that are more sexual and intimate focus more on her. To me, the playfulness of the men really detracted a lot from what was probably intended to be objectification, Marina on the other hand was fully dressed but her behavior drew more attention to her in a way that lead to more objectification.
I think that what we read through the lyric “Girls, we don’t want our hearts to break in two, so it’s better to be fake…” seems like to be similar to one of the reasons why we are using the word queer now. The modern media is so full of heteronormativity and stereotypes about gender roles that if we don’t pay attention we would very likely to miss them because it’s “normal”. Sometimes we just need a little bit stimuli to get us into the discussion. A video like this could be considered as a stimuli and when people get attracted to it and start to talk about it, the topics would develop beyond the video or the singer self. The singer or those who shot this video might not intend to make it queer and they might don’t even think it is feminism while they are making it. After all this is an age of information, what a singer really wanted to say doesn’t matter, what really matters is what the customers think she is talking about. We could still queer it just like we have done it before, no matter whether Marina intended to make it queer or feminism or not. Also I think calling her a hypocrite is somehow unfair, because we could not assume that what we read from the video is what she really wants to express.
ReplyDeleteI think that Marina is taking a feminist stance by reversing the usual gender roles. Because of her objectifying the men and talking blatantly about sexuality she is defying the "norm" of women and most music videos and other forms of media. I don't think that objectifying anyone is the right thing to do, but reversing it and objectifying men does help raise awareness to the every day objectification of women. A lot of people get angry when men are objectified by media, but don't realize how normal it is for women to experience the same treatment without anyone commenting on it. Sometimes it is necessary to be radically different from what is normal in order to show people how messed up the current way of things actually are. If people keep doing things exactly the same, nothing will ever change.
ReplyDeleteI don't think reversing objectification is an inherently feminist argument. I think it reveals something interesting about the institutionalized gender conformity we have within society. It can be seen as a feminist argument but I don't think simply reversing gender roles around can be thought of as a feminist argument. You're illuminating a problem but not giving a way to fix it or saying exactly what's wrong with it. By reversing gender roles, you're just creating a new minority and another group of subjected and objectified individuals.
ReplyDeleteWhile I would agree that the subject of this song does involve the role reversal of men and women, we are still presented with many of the society standards of how men should be. We see them mostly naked and underneath the shower heads, but its not a very diverse range of body type. Not only that, but they are what society would label as attractive. They are made into sexual objects for the pleasure of Marina, which definitely does exemplify the roll reversal. Now whether or not this type of behavior can be seen as feminism is arguable, though I feel as though her behavior would be more of the extreme version where the patriarchy needs to be crushed and women are better than men. This attitude is contrary to what many others think of feminism, where both men and women (in basic terms) are equal. Therefore I would see the use of classifying this video as feminist would be more of a protection from backlash. Objectification of either women OR men is not the way to fight for feminism and equality.
ReplyDeleteAs several people have stated in their comments, and in far better terms than I ever could, I find it difficult to view this video or this song in any sort of queer light, besides the fact that it’s a women using men to her advantage and being the one in charge, which is more of a feminist take than anything. There’s no deviance from heteronormativity or the like, as we still see a traditional female to male structure when it comes to love and sex, and just because we see men wearing skimpy speedos in the background and playing around doesn’t mean that it’s automatically queer either. As to whether or not the video objectifies men, yes it does. Is this objectification right? No I don’t think it does. In an ideal world, no one would be given value and status based solely on how they look in underwear and whether they have a pretty face, but unfortunately we don’t live in an ideal world. But to say that this is just as bad as the objectification that women constantly face is laughable and wrong. Women are constantly being judged and viewed as pieces of meat, so the objectification of males versus the objectification of females can’t even be compared.
ReplyDeleteI think this video does stand out as different in the way the woman is the one objectifying the man. The difference in who is being objectified does draw more attention from people who are not used to the role reversal. I think that in itself makes a big statement in how used to seeing women objectified as we are that many people don't think much of it now, but once men are objectified it causes a stir. This video does objectify men. Although it is wrong to objectify anyone I think videos like these do spark more conversation about the topic than anything else.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone who said that this song was really catchy. I'm surprised that I've never heard it before. As far as the video is concerned, I do think that it objectifies men. I don't see the men rubbing up against each other as queer, implying sexual orientation, but rather queer as in a way that shows men in a non masculine form. To me, the men are mimicking the way that women are typically shown in music videos. When music videos seek to objectify women, they are typically hanging off of the male artist and "playing" with other female video girls. I understand that Marina is trying to reverse the roles and show that "women can do it too". I will never feel that it is ok to objectify any group of people. I'm sure that many women view this type of role reversal as empowering, but I think that objectifying men will have no positive outcome for women. This type of reaction only leads to more men hating feminism.
ReplyDeleteI will have to agree with the other readers who have said that this video cannot be read as queer. Although there are some elements of gender role-reversal (the seminude boys caressing Marina and each other in the shower), most of the imagery and lyrical content in this video is explicitly heteronormative. Jenna already mentioned the Madonna/Whore dichotomy which Marina is definitely playing into here; the idea that in order to get men to fall for you you have to be "pure" or that "playing hard to get" is the only way to snag a man's attention is patriarchal in the utmost not only because it requires chastity (or at least the illusion of it) from women, but also because it puts the onus on women to behave in a certain way in order to hold a man's interest and gain his attention and presumably status and resources. Furthermore, the title itself and refrain of "heartbreaker" plays into another trope of patriarchal/heteronormative feminine identity. The "heartbreaker" functions in our society for women much as the "player" does for men--both represent a person who baits potential sexual partners with feigned emotional attachment and then ends both the pretense of affection and the relationship once his or her sexual desires have been met. I don't want to say that this type of person does not exist, because it certainly does, or that the type itself is heteronormative, because emotionally manipulative people can have any sexual orientation, but the employment of the "heartbreaker/player" archetype in popular culture is generally associated with heterosexuality and even heterosexuality of a specific type--one that both mandates emotional involvement as a prerequisite for sexual involvement, and shames those who pursue casual sexual relations. This may be a little different for men because "players" are often glorified rather than shamed, but let's be real, society as a whole is definitely not glorifying Marina's role as a heartbreaker--for women, that is something generally scored.
ReplyDeleteAlso... those headdresses... just, no.
I agree that this video shouldn't be read quite as queer, but perhaps a feminist reading is what this group is looking for. This again is mere role reversal, which can be interesting when looking at the male gaze, but I wouldn't count it as queer. The song and video still follow along lines of heteronormativity and don't really seek to break those boundaries in any big way. It could be argued that the touching of the background dancers reads as queer but I disagree. That's not what the video is trying to do. It's working within the male female binary.
ReplyDeleteMy view of what is queer in this video is simply the portrayal of the men within it. Having sexually objectified men in the background carelessly playing in the shower together is definitely queer interaction. It is not common for men to partake in such activities as it will generally be viewed as "gay" to onlookers regardless of if sexual interest is present or not. The simple interaction in the background is attempting to deconstruct what has been built up by society for how straight men SHOULD act.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I can see the song being viewed as empowering in some way, but not necessarily queer. Excuse my use of language and I apologize for it, but slut shaming is a common thing in today's society and a view I hold is that it's pretty messed up to do. I'm not entirely sure if she's trying to prove that slut shaming is only holding up the patriarchal ideal that only men have the right to be sexual beings and women don't, but it comes across in the video and lyrics to an extent. However she somewhat backtracks with her own objectification of women as simply an object of men's affection within her lyrics. I'm not entirely sure what she's going for in the end, but it's kind of a give and take. One step forward, one step back essentially.