Candyman: Christina Aguilera Reflection
Christina Aguilera portrays many different characters in her music video, “Candyman,” which depicts life during World War II. Each character she portrays dresses and behaves increasingly more seductive as the video progresses. The music video begins and Christina is dressed conservatively as a naval woman. Here, she fits into the “Good Girl” category. Christina moves on through the categories to an amalgamation of the “Good Girl” category and the following grouping, “Temptress.” She is dressed in a shorter pink dress, and instead of dancing alongside two other versions of herself as she was before, she is surrounded by men, where she is the object of their affections. Her next character, a more sexualized version of Rosie the Riveter, fits into the category of “Temptress,” however, with feminist connotations. As Rosie, Christina is owning her sexuality as a feminist icon. She is dressed more provocatively as a military woman, portraying a “Temptress” when dancing in very little clothing
Christina shifts between the different characters throughout the video, which symbolizes that she does not fit into just one category, and as a woman she is multi-faceted and refuses to be controlled by the male-dominated society. Another explanation for her dressing increasingly more seductively could be meant to emulate the increasingly liberal tone of the time period. There was a social change during World War II, women were awarded more opportunities and rights.
The sexualized tone of the music video corresponds with her very provocative lyrics. She sings about being “bothered and hot,” about her “cherry pop,” and “letting out a yell.” Her content places an emphasis on the taboo topic of female sexuality among young girls. While the objectification of women in the media may be harmful to some vulnerable young girls, Christina encourages female empowerment by means of embracing one’s own sexuality. Christina’s videos support the idea that women should not be ashamed of their sexuality or degraded for it.
On the other hand, Taylor Swift’s media persona has remained mostly in the “Good Girl” category during her career, with very few vacillations into the “Temptress” and “Provocateur” categories. Her fan base is comprised mostly of young and teenage girls, so to appeal to them, she works hard to maintain her innocent, girl-next-door persona. She has many romantic relationships, but they are often short and non-sexualized in the media. She taps into her inner teenager and instead of acting provocatively after a breakup, she turns to her music and writes about her heartbreak. Her appeal is in part due to the fact that she is relatable, and also that she perfectly embodies the character of the “Girl Next Door.” She is rarely sexualized by the media, and while there are whispers of her being a diva, she either avoids the media, or acts composed and put together in the public eye (except for when she was exposed by Kanye)! She embodies the woman who every young girl aspires to be and the woman that every boy dreams of marrying. Her public relations team has boxed her into this one category, and she has built her career around it, which is why her fan base is strong and unwavering. Her early videos emphasize her “Girl Next Door” persona, specifically her music video for “You Belong with Me,” where she sings a ballad to the boy-next-door. She, like Christina, embodies female empowerment and in her “Bad Blood” music video, she is dressed more provocatively than usual, which shows her growth as a woman and an artist. In this video, she is seemingly unafraid of disrupting her image in order to portray her strength. She and her army of supermodel friends embody femme fatale archetypal characters, which encourages female friendship and empowerment.
