When I think of modern music videos today, my mind automatically goes to Olivia Rodrigo. At just 18 years old, Olivia gives us a glimpse into a new era of music video aesthetics, one that exhibits newer features of popular Gen z culture simultaneously paired with references to past objects of popular culture. The two music videos I have chosen to discuss are my personal favorites: “good for u” and “brutal”.
Let’s start with a dissection of “good for u”. The music video opens with a montage of close ups of Olivia’s face as she applies makeup with several loud and interruptive camera shots of fire woven in, a kind of foreshadowing of something one will understand only at the video’s close. As the music begins, Olivia sits prim and proper, dressed in white and wearing a collared shirt. She maintains a calm appearance highly contrasting the lyrics of the song she is singing. As the video progresses and we begin to enjoy Olivia’s plan of revenge unfold, Olivia’s calm nature begins to slowly transcend into what one could call mania. The video closes with Olivia manically dancing in knee-deep water in what we can assume to be her ex-lover’s bedroom, which also happens to be, as was alluded to in the beginning, engulfed in flames. Her revenge plan has been carried out.
The “brutal” music video can only be described as being, well, brutal. It begins with, not dissimilar to the beginning of “good for u”, an angelic Olivia Rodrigo assuming the role of a petite and content ballet dancer. Until of course, we have the pleasure of seeing her ankle break ten seconds later. Throughout the rest of the video, we see a very emotionally distressed Olivia. She plays an unhappy ballet dancer, an annoyingly perky news reporter, an overwhelmed celebrity, a bored highschool student, a whiny influencer on social media, etc.. You get the point. Here Olivia’s actions and attitude clearly resemble the lyrics of the song and at the end, it is clear that Olivia could care less about what others want her to do or these roles she’s supposed to be embracing.
What interests me about Olivia Rodrigo’s music videos is how she simultaneously explores the new age realm of music video creativity in this day and age, while also making several parallels to past objects of pop culture and aesthetics. Ask any teenager obsessed with Olivia Rodrigo and many will say this obsession stems from the love of her aesthetic. Currently, aesthetics have a stronghold on the Gen z population. Young people are attracted to certain aesthetics, aesthetics similar to that exhibited in Olivia Rodrigo’s music videos. These desired aesthetics are, as one could describe them, cool. In a well known piece on coolhunting, Malcolm Gladwell (1997) comments on what makes kids cool: “the cool kids who started wearing old Dukes and Columbias from thrift shops were innovators'' (p. 83). We are attracted to innovation, to something separate from the norms we see day to day. We consider these kids cool because of their innovation and their natural ability and attraction to go against the crowd. The appeal of vintage and thrifted clothing coincides with the teenage appeal of Olivia’s niche aesthetic, exhibited in these two videos, through her clothing, allusions to popular objects in past culture, overall vintage camera quality, etc.. For example, in “brutal”, the video opens with the 1980’s arcade-style music and visuals. This creates a certain desired aesthetic that draws in her target audience.
Similarly in “good for u”, we see several parallels to the 2009 film Jennifer’s Body. Jennifer’s Body is commonly described as a cult classic that comments on misogyny in a campy and unique way. The film, one of my personal favorites, follows Jennifer, a possessed high school student played by Megan Fox, who seduces and kills several male students before having sex with them. At the heart of Jennifer’s Body is the idea of revenge on misogyny and the male population, not unlike Olivia’s revenge on her ex-lover within “good for u”. Olivia embraces Megan Fox’s self-obsessed mean-girl trope in her music video. Several visual and thematic parallels, such as the long gloves and the final eerie scene of the video, allude to the campy cult classic. These references demonstrate how past items of popular culture largely influence Olivia’s creative process.
Finally, the common pattern I found that ran throughout both music videos was Olivia's transformation from start in finish. We see Olivia as her angelic personality transfigures into an aggressive and disagreeable personality in both videos. In “good for u”, we follow Olivia’s transformation from a polished and respectable young woman to an emotional unhinged and vengeful ex. In brutal, Olivia assumes several societal ‘feminine’ roles - a graceful ballet dancer, a pretty reporter, a well-behaved student, etc. - and is expected to simply exist in society. But, Olivia, instead of sitting still and looking pretty, displays clear acts of resistance. She lies on the floor writhing in pain instead of dancing, rolls her eyes while on air, is resistant to shopping (an activity considered to be highly feminine in society), and standing on desks in classrooms. Andi Zeisler (2008), a feminist writer, argues that “pop culture...makes us see how something meant as pure entertainment can have everything to do with politics” (p. 7). At first glance, “brutal” and “good for u” seem to exist solely as means of entertainment. However, dissecting the multiple layers, we can see how music videos can serve as a commentary on and resistance to social norms.
Works Cited
Gladwell, Malcolm. (1997). The Coolhunt. The New Yorker, 78- 88.
Zeisler, Andi. (2008). Pop and Circumstance: Why Pop Culture Matters. Feminism and Pop Culture. Seal Studies.
Let’s start with a dissection of “good for u”. The music video opens with a montage of close ups of Olivia’s face as she applies makeup with several loud and interruptive camera shots of fire woven in, a kind of foreshadowing of something one will understand only at the video’s close. As the music begins, Olivia sits prim and proper, dressed in white and wearing a collared shirt. She maintains a calm appearance highly contrasting the lyrics of the song she is singing. As the video progresses and we begin to enjoy Olivia’s plan of revenge unfold, Olivia’s calm nature begins to slowly transcend into what one could call mania. The video closes with Olivia manically dancing in knee-deep water in what we can assume to be her ex-lover’s bedroom, which also happens to be, as was alluded to in the beginning, engulfed in flames. Her revenge plan has been carried out.
The “brutal” music video can only be described as being, well, brutal. It begins with, not dissimilar to the beginning of “good for u”, an angelic Olivia Rodrigo assuming the role of a petite and content ballet dancer. Until of course, we have the pleasure of seeing her ankle break ten seconds later. Throughout the rest of the video, we see a very emotionally distressed Olivia. She plays an unhappy ballet dancer, an annoyingly perky news reporter, an overwhelmed celebrity, a bored highschool student, a whiny influencer on social media, etc.. You get the point. Here Olivia’s actions and attitude clearly resemble the lyrics of the song and at the end, it is clear that Olivia could care less about what others want her to do or these roles she’s supposed to be embracing.
What interests me about Olivia Rodrigo’s music videos is how she simultaneously explores the new age realm of music video creativity in this day and age, while also making several parallels to past objects of pop culture and aesthetics. Ask any teenager obsessed with Olivia Rodrigo and many will say this obsession stems from the love of her aesthetic. Currently, aesthetics have a stronghold on the Gen z population. Young people are attracted to certain aesthetics, aesthetics similar to that exhibited in Olivia Rodrigo’s music videos. These desired aesthetics are, as one could describe them, cool. In a well known piece on coolhunting, Malcolm Gladwell (1997) comments on what makes kids cool: “the cool kids who started wearing old Dukes and Columbias from thrift shops were innovators'' (p. 83). We are attracted to innovation, to something separate from the norms we see day to day. We consider these kids cool because of their innovation and their natural ability and attraction to go against the crowd. The appeal of vintage and thrifted clothing coincides with the teenage appeal of Olivia’s niche aesthetic, exhibited in these two videos, through her clothing, allusions to popular objects in past culture, overall vintage camera quality, etc.. For example, in “brutal”, the video opens with the 1980’s arcade-style music and visuals. This creates a certain desired aesthetic that draws in her target audience.
Similarly in “good for u”, we see several parallels to the 2009 film Jennifer’s Body. Jennifer’s Body is commonly described as a cult classic that comments on misogyny in a campy and unique way. The film, one of my personal favorites, follows Jennifer, a possessed high school student played by Megan Fox, who seduces and kills several male students before having sex with them. At the heart of Jennifer’s Body is the idea of revenge on misogyny and the male population, not unlike Olivia’s revenge on her ex-lover within “good for u”. Olivia embraces Megan Fox’s self-obsessed mean-girl trope in her music video. Several visual and thematic parallels, such as the long gloves and the final eerie scene of the video, allude to the campy cult classic. These references demonstrate how past items of popular culture largely influence Olivia’s creative process.
Finally, the common pattern I found that ran throughout both music videos was Olivia's transformation from start in finish. We see Olivia as her angelic personality transfigures into an aggressive and disagreeable personality in both videos. In “good for u”, we follow Olivia’s transformation from a polished and respectable young woman to an emotional unhinged and vengeful ex. In brutal, Olivia assumes several societal ‘feminine’ roles - a graceful ballet dancer, a pretty reporter, a well-behaved student, etc. - and is expected to simply exist in society. But, Olivia, instead of sitting still and looking pretty, displays clear acts of resistance. She lies on the floor writhing in pain instead of dancing, rolls her eyes while on air, is resistant to shopping (an activity considered to be highly feminine in society), and standing on desks in classrooms. Andi Zeisler (2008), a feminist writer, argues that “pop culture...makes us see how something meant as pure entertainment can have everything to do with politics” (p. 7). At first glance, “brutal” and “good for u” seem to exist solely as means of entertainment. However, dissecting the multiple layers, we can see how music videos can serve as a commentary on and resistance to social norms.
Works Cited
Gladwell, Malcolm. (1997). The Coolhunt. The New Yorker, 78- 88.
Zeisler, Andi. (2008). Pop and Circumstance: Why Pop Culture Matters. Feminism and Pop Culture. Seal Studies.
Hi Isabella,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your analysis of “brutal” and “good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo. Both of these songs have recently become highly popularized in pop culture and have political, feminist undertones. As you mentioned, she breaks gender norms and partakes in clear acts of resistance against what society tells her she is supposed to do. I think Olivia also become a general political figure and leader for our generation, such as when she spoke at the White House about the importance of vaccinations. Not only is she inspiring important political messages, but I find your connection to cool and aesthetics to be a really interesting analysis. Olivia’s aesthetic does follow interesting vintage and cool trends, but I also think part of her aesthetic and popularity draws upon how her style and her music is seemingly a mix between Taylor Swift and Paramore. Olivia has been rising to fame in a similar manner to Taylor Swift through writing on personal experiences and past relationships, and her music has a similar sound to Paramore, relating to punk music trends in the early 2000s. This relates to Walter Benjamin’s idea of the aura, and how Olivia’s aesthetic draws on a connection to the aura of both of these celebrities into something completely unique and her own. There is also a connection to the cult of personality in how the aesthetic that Olivia portrays is seen through each song and each music video, as well as how she acts and dresses on a daily basis. This is highlighted in your analysis, and that even though you draw upon two different songs and two different music videos, both have the same political messages and rebellious aesthetic.
Hi Isabella,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your analysis of Olivia Rodrigo’s music videos. Also being some of my favorite music videos of the year, I really enjoyed seeing how you were able to analyze the cultural connections that make her the icon that she is viewed as today. Specifically, when you note how her art is a form of resistance, it sparked my interest because most of her music is seen as popular and “normal” in a sense. Rodrigo specifically is seen in the shadow of Taylor Swift, who she accredits most of her work to, however, your analysis of her videos and style helped me to understand that she is putting her own style into her art with this newfound emphasis on “vintage” culture. What is unique about an artist like Olivia as you stated, is the fact that she’s “cool” simply because she is able to appeal to Gen Z by borrowing from older generations of fashion. Through her fashion and music videos, you can see how she borrows from eras like the early 2000s, 70s, and 90s and is able to repurpose it for a new generation of people who will never get to experience this. As you said, it’s this type of “innovation” that makes her stand out from other artists. Her “vintage-ness” displays a sense of maturity that is rarely expressed by other artists of this generation. While other artists touch upon samples and fashions from the 90s solely, Rodrigo has fashion influences that reach as far back as the 50s at times. This within itself can be seen as an act of resistance in relation to feminism whereas, at the time that these clothes were made, the women that were wearing them were not allowed to act in the way that Olivia is now(as a woman empowering herself through breakups and heartbreak). Her brand is centered around repurposing things that once held women down and using them to empower themselves and I can say that your analysis of her music videos has helped me to realize this.
Hi Isabella,
ReplyDeleteIt was so interesting to read your analysis of Olivia Rodrigo's music videos. I had never watched them, but because of your post I did, and it made me think about them in depth which I appreciate. I thought it was fascinating that you found a pattern in two music videos that were made by the same artist in the same time period. Normally, I feel like artists try to make videos in the same album different, and while these two videos definitely did differ, I agree with the similarities you were able to draw from them. Your connections to the reading made a lot of sense, and I thought the Coolhunt one was especially strong. You do a great job of first explaining how Rodrigo's videos are "cool" in her fan's eyes, and how she achieves this "cool" status, and then tying in Gladwell which gives an explanation for why Rodrigo's techniques work. I also saw other connections to readings in your piece such as when you talk about camp (Sontag's "Notes on Camp") and the concept of intertextuality when you made a connection from the "good for u" video to Jennifer's Body. I think it would have been interesting to bring this concept in and reference Stuart Hall. This connection was a great way to explain how Rodrigo uses pop culture from the past in her videos to appeal to an audience that appreciates this particular aesthetic. I think you did a great job with this blog post and I really enjoyed the topic!
Hi Isabella!
ReplyDeleteI loved your blog post as I am also a huge fan of those two songs. I also love how detail-oriented you are in your analysis! I especially liked how you named her an "aesthetic," as this vintage and punk culture combined with personal experience are what really draw people to her. Your last note of how entertainment can also serve as feminist resistance to the social norms reminded me of Sara Banet-Weiser's “Popular Misogyny: a zeitgeist.” Although Olivia's song is in response to her personal experience with men, she commodifies women's empowerment with her videos. I found this ironic considering her music video, "Brutal," is a rejection of our capitalistic society. With a quick google search, I was able to dive deeper into the lyrics of Brutal, noting the verse, "And I'm so tired that I might quit my job, start a new life. And they'd all be so disappointed. 'Cause who am I if not exploited?." This lyric alludes to Marxist feminist theory, which dictates that women cannot be free as long as capitalism exploits them. She is clearly feeling this exploitation herself, as her image and feminist notions are being commodified into a trend. This relates to Adorno and Horkhiemer’s Neo-Marxist theories on the symbiotic relationship between the superstructure and the base. As authentic as Olivia is trying to be, she cannot escape the system of capitalism. This reminds me of another classmate's blog post on the trend of thrifting and how it has also capitalized on this “woke” culture. I really enjoyed this topic, well done!
My name didn't show up weirdly. From Hannah Kaufman.
DeleteHi Isabella,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your piece on Olivia Rodrigo’s “brutal” and “good for u” music videos. I have always found her a particularly interesting celebrity figure, given that she is heavily influenced by Gen Z politics and practice, as you noted. I know she is extremely inspired by Taylor Swift, and I can see that manifested in her displays of feminism. As stated, in “brutal,” Rodrigo adopts the feminist spirit of going against societal expectations to account for your own desires and needs. The transformation from “polished” to “unhinged” in “good for u” speaks to Jilly Boyce and Sarah Banet-Weiser work in “Feminsit anger and feminsit respair:” though constricted by misogyny and sexism, women are expected to suppress their emotions to satisfy the norms of the public sphere. Rodrigo’s video seemingly seems to counter such affective injustice and instead, encourages active resistance to such ideas.
I also really loved how you connected her to Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Coolhunt” essay. Your observation of our generation’s tendency to hyperfocus on aesthetics speaks to why coolhunting is especially imperative nowadays. The idea that we seek innovation in old aesthetics is so interesting to me, and I think that is what makes Olivia Rodrigo’s work so fascinating—she captures the mind of a generation in her creative direction and artistry. Another example, aside from her videos, is the way her song titles are all lowercase. That is a very Gen Z-ish style of texting and it is primarily for aesthetics, noting their importance in our every day.
Your analysis of her works has made me interested in her artistry. I think she thrives as an artist not only as a modern day Gen Z Taylor Swift, but also in her ability to really tap into nostalgic and relatable emotions in all facets of her work as an artist. Thank you for this!
Hi Isabella,
ReplyDeleteAs an Olivia Rodrigo fan myself, I really enjoyed reading your analysis on her music videos for “good 4 u” and “brutal.” I recall watching these music videos for the first time myself, only to replay them again and again because I was in love with the cinematography and the aesthetics – as most others were as well. Rodrigo is a trend-setter, but she’s also a trend-follower. She pushes for the rise of new trends, but she also brings old trends from the past back to the surface. Essentially, she can be described as “cool” — hence why I thoroughly enjoyed how you incorporated Gladwell’s piece on coolhunting into your analysis. Olivia is my age, and in mine and many others’ minds, she’s an inspiration for teenage fashion; her presence on social media and her consistent aesthetic through her music allows for Gen Zers to actively follow the trends she sets because she is “cool.” Especially in an age where young women are vying for an independent persona that goes against the demure female norm, I enjoyed how you touched on how Rodrigo uses her aesthetic to go against societal norm and contribute to the notion of popular feminism. Wonderful job on this blog post!
- Rachel Ker
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post, good job! I, myself, absolutely adore Emma Chamberlain, so reading a lot of what you had to say and analyze about her and her videos made a lot of sense to me. I wanted to touch on a point you mentioned, however, about her being a micro-celebrity. Despite her stemming from a role of a social media influencer — as she is evidently an active Youtuber and posts regularly on Instagram — she is now heavily associated with not only actual celebrities such as Hailey Bieber, Karlie Kloss, etc. but also high culture itself. She’s a brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton. It’s interesting to me how a person can embody high culture, popular culture, and even Gladwell’s concept of coolhunting all in one. Her presence at the Met Gala, at Paris fashion shows, New York fashion shows, and many more demonstrate her already heavy immersion in high culture — thus placing her on the same level as a celebrity, rather than merely someone from social media. Afterall, she is a face for Louis Vuitton now. However, her origins in social media and her still constant relatability that you did a wonderful job mentioning in your post makes her still a star of popular culture. Especially with Gladwell’s definition of “cool” — those who go against the crowd, who have a sense of innovation that attracts the masses to follow — Chamberlain is also an embodiment of such as she is known for setting multiple trends these past few years. Her mannerisms and fashion are “cool” yet relatable. She’s a paradox within herself. All in all, I enjoyed reading what you had to say!
- Rachel Ker
Hi Isabella!
ReplyDeleteIt was so great getting the opportunity to read your blog post on Olivia Rodrigo and her two music videos for “good 4 u” and “brutal.” I found both the topic and your analysis to be very captivating, as I have never really known much about Olivia Rodrigo as an artist. One thing I’d like to note that I think is very thoughtful is the style of your writing. Rather than a typical essay, you achieve an accurate blog post type of writing that allows the reader to feel as though you are directly speaking to them. For instance, using phrases such as “you get the point” or “ask any teenager obsessed with Olivia Rodrigo” makes the writing more informal, but in the exact way a blog post should be. This especially stood out to me because that was definitely something I found difficult to nail. Additionally, I specifically think that your connection to Malcom Gladwell’s coolhunting theory is a great connection to the topic, as Rodrigo’s distinct music videos really do capture what is considered to be cool. I would have liked to see you discuss Susan Sontag’s idea of Camp, as the connection you made to coolhunting reminded me of this. In class, we discussed how Camp is a center for love of the unnatural and how it is important for Camp to somehow be resistant to the mainstream (Sontag, 1964). When discussing Rodrigo’s unique aesthetic, I immediately thought about how her music videos symbolize what Camp means. Additionally, I really appreciate the relationship you address between Rodrigo’s “good 4 u” music video and the movie Jennifer’s Body. Right away it made me think about how the theory of intertextuality plays into this, as it is clear that the movie shaped some of the meaning behind the “good 4 u” music video. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your blog post and I think you did a wonderful job!
My name didn't show up but from Charlotte Krevitt
DeleteHi Isabella,
ReplyDeleteThis was a really interesting post! I’ve never seen these music videos before reading your post, so I took a moment to watch them. One thing that really stood out to me were her fashion choices in each of the videos. In “good 4 u” she uses it to show her changing emotional state, and in “brutal” she uses it to fit into the norms of each of the roles she is playing. This reminds me of Pham’s writing about asian fashion bloggers, who are aware of stereotypes and play into them through their work. In her lyrics, it’s clear that she’s aware of how she’s expected to act, and the stereotypes around the “crazy ex-girlfriend” but she still chooses to play into them with her actions in the “good 4 u” music video, as one example.
This also reminds me of the Fiske reading about jeans, especially with the punk fashion and music influence in the “brutal” music video. Many lectures this semester have emphasized that popular culture reflects power relations, and Fiske focuses especially on how consumer choices play into power dynamics while also allowing for self-expression based on style. Her fashion choices and the filters and editing that have gone into the video allow her to express her point more clearly and position herself as a character within a certain structure.
One last thing I wanted to note is that her aesthetics and coolness would certainly be admired and strived for by her target audience, so by her fashion/aesthetic choices she is making herself more relatable. That, in addition to the fact that her audience can engage with the video through social media or by posting a comment on the YouTube video, may contribute to her fame as fans have gotten a sense of perceived interconnectedness. They may see themselves as having had similar experiences to what she expresses in her music videos, and because she is also an empowering voice, she then empowers her fans who see themselves in her work. This is a very interesting topic that could go a lot of different directions; great blog post!
****Jesse Zhang's response****
ReplyDeleteHi Isabella,
I really enjoyed reading your interpretation and analysis of Olivia Rodrigo’s music videos. The intimate perspective you took gave me renewed opportunity to consider her videos not just as entertainment but as cultural artifacts. I believe she is popular not as an ephemeral sensation but as a trendsetting artist. Similar to when you alluded to the campiness of her videos, I think her music videos, especially “good 4 u ”, are campy due to their artificiality and love for the exaggerated. Sontag wrote that the essence of camp is its love for the unnatural, of artifice and of exaggeration. The opening scene of “good 4 u”, as you described and in my view, have a certain sense of the unnatural and intentionality attached to it, giving me the feeling of a Tiffany lamp standing in the middle of a florescent-lit office space or a styrofoam cup on the floor of the Versailles.
Rodrigo’s sense of style and aesthetic is consistent yet certainly not mainstream throughout her videos which is likely why people are drawn to her: for the novelty and strangeness. The public hunts her coolness, subsequently adopting and commercializing it. As Gladwell pointed out, that coolness then becomes mainstream and not so cool anymore. However, in the case of Rodrigo, she is constantly refining and redefining her aesthetic, making it almost impossible to adopt her style completely. In short, she is a cool person, and one of the keys to coolhunting is to look for the person rather than coolness itself as coolness fluctuates and is a trend to be followed by the public.
It was very interesting to read about Olivia Rodrigo in tandem with two pieces of literature from the 20th century!