Britney Spears –
Toxic
Lyrics
The lyrics
in the song are full of sexual interpretations and some can even be alluring to
the use of drugs e.g., “I’m addicted to you”. This shows quite a large
transition from teenager schoolgirl Britney to a more adult and sexual Britney.
The fan base of Britney would largely be teenagers perhaps also looking to find
an identity in their adult selves. The song’s lyrics have a theme of romance
but set in a more sexual way, this can illustrate the stereotype of teenagers
being quite interested in this kind of romance.
Music
Toxic is one
of many high tempo dance pop songs of which is a typical genre that Britney
uses for most of her songs. The fast paced editing and dancing in the video can
also illustrate the pace of the music.
Genre/mise
en scene
The costumes
and settings in the video have a theme of superheroes. In the video, Britney is
portrayed as a superhero in numerous ways. She is shown in a position of
strength and she is using her sexuality as a means to kill the men in the
video. All the costumes in the video emphasise her sexuality majorly, with each
costume being quite revealing even when they do not need to be i.e. the flight
attendant costume is unnecessarily skimpy, however it shows off her adult
sexuality, which is why it was used.
The pace of
the music matches the video the fast paced cuts between each scene matches the
tempo of the song. The song cuts frequently between Britney in the plane, to
the superhero scenes and there are a few cuts to her in a completely white
setting wearing almost no clothing that makes her sexual appeal stand out
massively. This appeals to what is known as the male gaze which is a study by Mulvey,
which, in short, describes that what is being shown, will appeal to the male audience,
as it is sexual.
Camerawork
Britney is
obviously the focus of the entire music video, it is rare for her to be absent
in any shot. Any shot she is presented in tends to be her taking up a large
proportion of it. This emphasises her importance in the video as it also allows her to flaunt her sexuality as that will then be the main focus of much of the video. The background dancers in the video are barely as the focus is more on Britney herself which emphasizes her importance above everyone else in the video. The camera however uses a lot of long shots to show her extravagant dance moves.
Editing
The editing in the video reflects the beat of the music. The fast paced editing between each cut whether they be cuts to different scenes or different places in the same scene, they all reflect the fast paced dance music that accompanies the video.
Intertextuality
Her dance moves and use of costume is similar to that of Holly Valence's music video for 'Kiss Kiss'. Similarities can be drawn from that video and can possibly be what Britney used as inspiration for her own video.
Narrative/Performance
Britney uses both performance and narrative in her video. The parts where she uses performance is mostly her dancing or moving in a sexual way, particularly when she is in the setting of the white background with her clothing being the absolute minimum. Another part where she uses performance is when she is on the plane in her flight attendant outfit, there is no real narrative in that section she is just walking down the aisle and dancing and then 'grinding' on a man in the cubicle which flaunts her sexuality. The parts where it features a narrative is the parts when she is portrayed as a superhero, she uses the power of seduction to get at her targets and seemingly kills them. The narrative is fairly loose but it is there.
Star Image/Brand
Britney was seen as a fairly innocent teenager, that was associated with things like Disney channel which gave her a very innocent theme about her. But when she released toxic it gave her a whole new image. Britney fans would also be around their teenage years, where they may also be transitioning into their teenage years. This can show that Britney's audience will be able to relate to Britney as they will also be seeking their adult persona.
Intertextuality
Her dance moves and use of costume is similar to that of Holly Valence's music video for 'Kiss Kiss'. Similarities can be drawn from that video and can possibly be what Britney used as inspiration for her own video.
Narrative/Performance
Britney uses both performance and narrative in her video. The parts where she uses performance is mostly her dancing or moving in a sexual way, particularly when she is in the setting of the white background with her clothing being the absolute minimum. Another part where she uses performance is when she is on the plane in her flight attendant outfit, there is no real narrative in that section she is just walking down the aisle and dancing and then 'grinding' on a man in the cubicle which flaunts her sexuality. The parts where it features a narrative is the parts when she is portrayed as a superhero, she uses the power of seduction to get at her targets and seemingly kills them. The narrative is fairly loose but it is there.
Star Image/Brand
Britney was seen as a fairly innocent teenager, that was associated with things like Disney channel which gave her a very innocent theme about her. But when she released toxic it gave her a whole new image. Britney fans would also be around their teenage years, where they may also be transitioning into their teenage years. This can show that Britney's audience will be able to relate to Britney as they will also be seeking their adult persona.
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