Katy Perry's target audience is predominantly young girls between the ages of 14 - 17. In order to capture this audience she is portrayed as being the older sister/friend of which younger girls can look up to and help. Many of her videos reflect problems girls of that age group are experiencing such as relationships and through these videos she offers a solution for these problems for her audience. Because of this she is painted as a role model for girls. She makes herself look appealing but not in an overtly sexual or threatening way. As part of my analysis of Katy Perry i am going to apply Goodwin's theory to some of her music videos I am going to looking at 54examples of Katy Perry's music videos and will be using Andrew Goodwin's theory in order to show how particular videos appeal to the audience and how they express her private life.
Hot And Cold (2009)
Goodwin's theory can be applied to this video as it is a typical pop video. It contains vivid colours a narrative about a relationship and well choreographed dance routines. There is also frequent use of close ups of the artist which meets the demands of the record label. This video addresses an issue that her fans may face in the future if they get married. In the video, Katy Perry is about to marry but when it comes to saying i do he appears to not reply. Then he appears to just run off. Katy is devastated but chases after him to find out why.Throughout the video, she is shown to be the dominant one. Her superiority implies women can be in control and don't always have to be dominated by men. Towards the end of the video, there's a shot that shows him lying on the floor, with Katy stood in front of him with a zebra. The zebra not only adds a comedy element to the video but it also adds to the effect of it being a dream. We find out at the end of the video that he was just imagining it and they happily get married. Overall the message she is trying to put across to her young female audience is that don't allow guys to mess you around in relationships and stand up for yourself.
I Kissed A Girl (2008)
In this video, Katy Perry addresses the issue of sexuality is a common issue that is faced within society especially with teens. She does this by using lyrics and visuals. This appeals to her target audience as they are between the ages of 14-17. Throughout this video many close ups are used which promotes the artist and complies with Goodwin's theory. Colour is also a key element in this video. The colours pink and red are used quite frequently which are quite feminine colours which again appeals to her audience as a large percentage of them are female. This use of colour also complies with Goodwin's Theory as the use of bright colours are common in pop videos. This video expresses Katy's insecurity over her sexuality as she states that she "kissed a girl just to try it i hope my boyfriend don't mind it". By stating that she has a boyfriend she is expressing her insecurity over her sexual orientation. Throughout this video Katy is trying to empower her female audience not to be scared of your sexuality and do whatever feels natural to you, without worrying about what others think,
Firework (2010)
Katy Perry's music video to "firework" complies with some of the major points of Goodwin's theory, This video contains many close ups of Katy which not only appeals to her label but also conveys emotion and creates a connection between her and the audience of her video as she frequently looks directly into the camera. This appeals to her target audience as her audience are mostly young and influential and by singing directly into the camera its almost like she is empowering them to not let their problems get them down. Similarly to her other videos she sings about some of the problems young people often face. An example of this is when during the video a boy is seen to be stressed about his parents arguing. When Katy sets the fireworks off he stops his parents from arguing, This suggests that Katy is empowering him to solve his problem. Throughout this video there is also a direct link between the lyrics and visuals, when Katy sings about fireworks there are fireworks in the background.
Wide Awake (2012)
Goodwin's theory is also evident in Katy Perry's video to "Wide awake". As well as using close ups to appease record labels and show emotion the notion of repetition is also evident. For example a shot of a firework coming out of her body is amplified throughout the video and it also links to her video for "firework". Many of the lines in the song also reflect her private life; particularly her failed relationship with Russell Brand. Lines such as "yeah i was in the dark" suggest that her time with Brand wasn't particularly great. Also by stating "I am born again, Katy is suggesting that she has learnt from her failed marriage and wants a fresh start. It also hints that she is after forgiveness from her fans. She also uses this video to tell the world that she is free and that she doesn't need a man in her life. This is evident by her punching a man who could be interpreted to be Russell Brand.
Overall it is clear that Katy Perry uses her videos to inspire young people and reflect her private life. Her videos are also a good example of Goodwins Theory.
In conclusion, Katy Perry has made lots of music videos which have different meanings and have different ways of reflecting her private life.
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