Blog #2

Prompt 1: My cultural artifact is Katy Perry’s Part of Me Music Video which is from the Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection album.

Katy Perry Part Of Me Music Video

Prompt 2:

Katy Perry would be the main creator of this message however many other people helped including; Lukasz Gottwald, Bonnie Mckee, Max Martin, Ben Mor, Tony McGarry, Danny Lockwood, etc.  The “text” is a music video about a girl whose boyfriend cheated on her but instead of being the typical weak heart-broken girl who cries all day and cannot function joins the military and shows lots of strength physically and mentally. I think for the most part this music video is unlike most of the pop songs at the time because it challenges typical gender stereotypes.

The camera follows the main protagonist, Katy Perry, on her military journey after being cheated on. It shows the tough conditions she and her fellow marines are put into when training which many people can only imagine is like. The scenes look very real to what military training would be like however I have never experienced it, so I cannot be certain. I can only infer from what I have seen from movies and heard about from others. I personally know many people in the military, so the video grabbed my emotional appeal very quickly. The video also includes many females in the military doing the same physical labor as men which is very empowering for me.

 I have never experienced any part of this myself. This media text has taught me that no one can ever take away my strength and who I am as a person. It reminds me that my life does not revolve around a single person, that I can be a powerful independent person on my own. However other people may understand this message very differently from me because they have experienced what it is like and how damaging it can be to be in these tough situations.

The music video could send an unintentional message that all men are cheaters. It also does not consider how a man would feel in the same situation. Some conflicting messages can come into mind when thinking about doing something as drastic as joining the military after a break up. It seems that the protagonist does not consider all the aspects in her life that would be affected such as their relationships with friends and family.

The media controls the creation and transmission of this message. The song will only be heard if it makes it to the top billboard/hit list. Although some listeners/viewers would benefit from the message of the music video we must also remember that this was created mainly to profit the investors and artist.