Katy Perry - The Appeal Of Pop Videos and Her Private Life

The target audience of pop star Katy Perry would likely mainly be teenagers, primary girls, from the ages of 14 - 17. When she creates videos she creates them for specific meanings to address sometimes controversial topics. She gives herself an image of an older sister/friend, she wants to be a role model for these people and set them on a good path in life. Katy Perry reflects the problems that girls of that age are likely to have, sometimes even providing a solution or just words of encouragement.

As a part of my analysis I will give three examples of Katy Perry videos, the first one of which will be ''Firework''.


 Two major parts of Goodwin's theory are present in this video. Firstly, there were a lot of close ups of Katy's face, which directors demand from artists. She is showcasing her intended position as the person who people can turn to for support and empowerment. The first example of this is when we see the boy that is experiencing an immense amount of stress because his parents are arguing, Katy empowers him and he finds the encouragement to stop his parents from arguing. The second noteworthy scene in this video is of a girl who is not confident in her appearance and as such she is scared to jump in the pool. Katy empowers her and her newfound confidence allows her to get in the pool and no one judges her.

The second video I will be looking is "I Kissed A Girl"
In this video, there are a lot of close up shots which is a part of Goodwin's theory. She succeeds in her branded goal of appealing to mainly teenage girls. She does this through the lyrics and the visuals of the video. They reflect an issue in todays society, which is girls being unsure of their sexuality. the lyrics state that she has a boyfriend but she also kissed a girl. She says she kissed a girl in order to see if it was right for her, but she was not sure if it was or not. This reflects her insecurities, which may appeal to some of her audience, she is also trying to empower them by encouraging them to not worry about other peoples opinions.

The third and final video I will be analysing is ''Wide Awake''
A few of the points raised by Goodwin can be seen in this video. A lot of the message in this video is expressed through emotion and once again there are a lot of close ups of her face. A notable scene in this video is when a firework comes out of her chest, this is a reference the music video ''Firework''. This song is also a portal for her audience to look at her private life.  She talks about being ''in the dark'' which reflects her feelings on her marriage which eventually ended. They were married from October 23, 2010 - December 31, 2011. She also says ''Yeah I'm born again'' which means that she is a different and better person now that she is no longer married. The title of the song ''Wide Awake'' also suggests that she now sees that her marriage was a damaging one and she will be a better person when no longer married to Russell. This video is also a symbol of how she is a free woman again.