formation

• who is messy may

  a popular rapper, comedian and youtuber

  
  

  famous in black and LGBT community

  
  

  spoke out on controversial issues: race, sexuality and hurricane Katrina
• what happened to messy mya

  shot dead at a party
• what did the use of messy mya's voice portray


  signifies the genre, the theme of black oppression and discrimination
• what does the shot of Beyonce on a police car show

  loosely framed wide angle - makes her seem independent

  
  

  low angle + face close up - makes her seem confident
• the angles combined with her typically masculine body language does what

  makes her seem powerful and in control

  
  

  challenges gender expectations
• what does Beyonce being on top of the police car suggest

  dominance over the police
• why did some audiences react badly to this

  assumed she was anti law enforcement and therefore anti America
• what does her expensive clothing suggest (Gucci dress)

  connotes wealth and success - common for artists in music videos
• what does the expensive clothing subvert

  subverts typical representations of black people often seen in the media as being poor/less successful

  theorist link - Gilroy
• the juxtaposition of historical setting and black people wearing symbols of wealth highlights?

  the historic way in which black people were enslaved - draws attention to the way its changed

  theorist link - Levi claus, binary opposites
• what does the use of black children signify

  that discrimination is still happening to young black people today
• although, the children smiling faces and dancing connotes?

  that the treatment of black people has changed and there is still hope for the black youth of today
• what does the reference to Martin Luther king draw attention to

  racial discrimination has been going on for a long time
• what's a Jackson 5 nose

  wider noses and large nostrils - common among those with black heritage
• how does the media often represent a Jackson 5 nose

  unattractive
• Beyonce referencing liking a Jackson 5 nose challenges what

  challenges colonist representations on mainstream media of black features being shown as 'other' in comparison to white westernised beauty features

  theory link : Gilroy
• who is big freesia

  gay musician and TV star

  gay male using she/her pronouns
• the use of big freedia's voice attracts who

  engages an audience familiar with the bounce sub genre
• the use of big freedia's voice represents Beyonce as

  an inclusive, progressive artist who is an ally to the LGBT community
• young boy dancing

  what does the low angle shots of the police officers show?


  the angles paired with their uniform makes them seem powerful in contrast to the boy
• what does the eye level shots of the boy dancing show

  encourages the audience to position themselves with the boy who seems confident and unaffected
• how are the police represented

  they do nothing which makes them seem non aggressive

  direct opposition to what audiences may have seen in the media
• what could this illustrate about Beyoncés thoughts

  how she thinks/wishes things should be
• how could you link Levi Strauss to the boy dancing infront of the police

  the binary oppositions between the boy and the police draws attention to the division of race relations evident in the US, and unnecessary moral panic white communities seem to have about black people
• STOP SHOOTING US' on the wall reflects?

  relevant contexts such as the victimisation of black people, BLM movements etc
• the black female dancers show women as being what?

  united
• the song title and use of formation style dance routines show

  women are a tight knit community, working well together

  united and strong
• women in the video are sexualised through the use of costume

  this is ...

  conventional of pop music videos
• whilst the video challenges stereotypical representations of ethnicity...

  there is still some stereotypical representations of women as sexualised/ objectified
• you could argue that the low angle shots and confident body language represent black women as

  confident. strong and powerful