Male Representation

Masculine Identity

Using four different clips, I investigated the different portrayals of the masuline identity in music videos. In broad terms, the most obvious split is between the top images and the bottom images, as the bottom two images present men in the traditional dominant male role, whereas the top images show vulnerability.

In Misery by Maroon 5, the lead singer is shown to be the literal punchbag of his love interest. Throughout the video, she subjects him to physical torture, yet he still comes back for more, which is an amplification of the lyrics, which centre around a troubled relationship. The woman is clearly shown to be the figure with more power, which is somewhat unusual in music videos.
A significant lack of confidence and control is portrayed by the lead singer in Coldplay's Yellow music video, as he is presented as walking alone down a beach, getting gradually drenched by the sea spray. This is slightly unusual as male artists do not usually give a strong emotional performance in their videos.
Although The Lonely Island are a comedy band, their video for 'I'm on a Boat' features many of the conventions of male rap music. For example, there are lots of dramatic wideshots that make the singer look empowered, and the men featured are all wearing smart suits, connotating that they are wealthy.
In Starstrukk, 3OH!3 play on the idea of male artists being able to instantly attract women, as by the end it becomes an issue for the singers, as they are pushed into the pond. Like The Lonely Island, they wear black suits, which again suggests that they 'have it all'. This perhaps is in order to make the male audience idolise their lifestyles.