The male gaze

 

 

Throughout this video there are scenes with Demi Lovato looking sexual and intimate.

 

3 seconds in to the video you see her sliding down the wall looking at the ground with her face towards the camera. This makes her look mysterious and interesting as you can only see half her face. She has her back flat against the wall and the rest of her body pushed forwards so there is emphasis on her chest. This gives her an invitational look.

 

In the video there are scenes that we see repeated such as Demi in the water and against the wall. You see her again at 0.05 against the wall with an 'invitational' look at the camera. It is a very dark scene but there seems to be emphasis on her eyes and lips as she is wearing neon lipstick and dark eye makeup.

At 0.09 you see her lying on the floor and her image mirrored across the screen. She looks like she is wearing very little if anything and you assume she is looking at the camera in a sexual way. She moves her hands down her body which you associate with pleasure and sex.

At 0.12 you see her in the water again but you see her face this time. She has her hands out in front of her and moves in a circular motion looking at the camera in quite a sexual way. From the very beginning of the video you see her in the water moving her arms around and submerging herself partially in the water but never letting any more than her shoulders out of the water. She doesn't appear to be wearing anything and this is emphasised by her staying in the water so you cant see the rest of her body.

 

 

17 seconds in you see a close up of her mirrored on the screen again. The close up shows her looking at the camera and running her hands, which look wet, up her face. This links to the scenes of her in the water and the sexual look she uses makes you think

 

19 seconds in you see the first glimpse of the male dancers and though it is out of focus you can instantly tell her is topless. After this you get a few millisecond clips of the male dancers mixed in with others scenes of Demi in the water and against the wall. There is emphasis on his body as he has fluorescent paint on his arms and chest. There is also emphasis on Demi as the camera is focused on her. Her lips stand out because of the bright fluorescent lipstick. This gives an invitational or sexual feel to this shot. Even though the shot is focused on her the male in the background gives females something to look at. This shows that in this video both male and female are objectified.

At 0.29 you again see her in the water and this time you see her face close up. She is turned away from the camera but is looking over her shoulder which is shown as an invitational look towards the viewer. Her makeup is less prominent in this shot and she has her lips slightly parted which suggests a 'chocolate box' look.
 

 

36 seconds in she is shown in between 2 walls giving the camera a sexual look. She is mirrored on the walls which puts emphasis on her especially her face which is shown half in light and half in shadow. Later on at 1.42 there is also emphasis on her face as she is shown to have wet slightly messy hair which the viewer associates with sex. In this scene she gives the camera a very sexual look and runs her hand down her cheek. You can see she is at a party or a club which is associated with sexual dancing which is what she is hinting. There is emphasis on her face and her hand moving down her face as her nails are neon so stand out in the UV light.

 

1.49 shows her with the male dancers behind her. She is shown running her hands through her hair which suggests a sexual atmosphere along with the hint of sexual dancing. Just before this shot she is shown pulling her hands across her chest in a very sexual way which also links to the sexual dancing. The male behind her is shown to be topless which again is showing how they are being objectified for the female viewers. You can see he is dancing with a girl and she doesn't seem to be wearing much. This suggests that the dancers are being objectified for the audience so they have something to look at.

At 1.54 you are shown an invitational view of her back with her looking over her shoulder. This suggests she is mysterious and enticing the viewers. She is also shown to have none or little clothing. She is not looking directly at the camera but there is still emphasis on her eyes and mouth as her fluorescent makeup is showing very brightly n the UV light.

 

3.16 shows her again lying on her back and she appears to have no clothes on again. She is not looking at the camera but the scene is very sexual as she is arching her back upwards which is associated with sex and pleasure. She doesn't look like she is wearing any clothing which suggests she is being objectified for the male audience.

Finally at the end of the video she is shown in the water and  then against the wall looking at the camera in a very sexual and invitational way. She is shown in both shots to be looking directly at the camera with an invitational look as her eyes are partially closed and her lips are not parted.