riptide (vance joy)

Question 1

main themes of riptide

Answer 1

• objectification and victimhood
• male gaze
• depictions of masculinity
• gender roles
• performance
• interpersonal relationships

Question 2

key theorists for riptide

Answer 2

• levi strauss- binary oppositions
• barthes- semiotics
• neale- genre theory of repetition and difference
• laura mulvey- male gaze theory
• todorov- narrative resolution
• van zoonen- feminist theory
• judith butler- gender performativity
• bell hooks- feminst theory
• gauntlett- theory of identities

Question 3

Judith Butler- performative gender

Answer 3

• roles are taken on in order to be percieved as a certain gender, gender is constructed through performance
• this is done by acting in ways which are percieved as masculine or feminine, such as men drinking beer, women wearing makeup
• media tells us what we have to do in order to construct ourselves as male/female because they make up/reinforce roles and stereotypes
• the people around us do this too

Question 4

how can performative gender be applied to riptide?
add more detail

Answer 4

• in riptide, versions of femininity in which women are the victim or weak are challenged
• in certiain instances, the woman is presented as stronger than the man
• toxic masculinity is also challenged, through the man showing weakness at various points
• the gender binary opposites are challenged

Question 5

Laura Mulvey- male gaze theory (1970)

Answer 5

• we see things in media through the male gaze, they are made by men for men
• this puts men in a position of power
• this reinforces patriarchy because it pushes the idea that women should be seen as objects and passive

Question 6

Van Zoonen- feminist theory

Answer 6

• ideas about gender come from the media
• our ideas about gender change depending on social and cultural context
• women are often seen as objects in the media, their bodies are a commodity
• this illustrates the fact that our culture is patriarchal
• women are often represented domestically while men are represented as professional and suitable for the workplace

Question 7

applying Van Zoonen to riptide: objectification and victimhood

Answer 7

• microphone mini narrative- the costume and makeup constructs a sexualised image through traditional western female beauty standards
• this detiriorates throughout the mv, suggesting that objectified femininity is a problematic and dangerous prescence in the media
• the detirioration is shown via collapsing gesture codes and the dark frame enveloping her, she is unable to escape the abuse caused by her objectification

Question 8

applying Van Zoonen to riptide: the male gaze

Answer 8

• inclusion of women as objects of violence supports van zoonen’s view that they are objectified and seen as different spectacles to males (this is done through the intertextual references to the horror genre)
• routine depictions of women as an erotic spectacle reinforces patriarchal power, such as the beach scene, which follows a male watching the unsuspecting female subject

Question 9

applying Van Zoonen to riptide: depictions of masculinity

Answer 9

• riptide grants men the power to look and act
• the male characters hold guns and drive sports cars while the female is restricted by unknown forces- ‘the dark side’
• this constructs men as strong and women as weak
  (use of traditional male/female performative actions)