Riptide: symbolic readings and the representation of women

Riptide: symbolic readings and the representation of women

Symbolism and the representation of women

Task - Slowly watch the video to Riptide, and make a screenshot EVERY time a woman is on screen

within this video the main character is a woman, has long blonde hair and when ever her face is shown she is always wearing makeup, she is also slim, all of the characteristics fit with hegemonic beauty standards. in all scenes she is there fore presented in a way to highlight her beauty or sexuality, this is most clearly shown in the scene where she takes her swimsuit off highlighting her sexuality. this could be an intertextual reference to films such as Baywatch, where the women are highly sexualised in tight swimsuits, her long blond hair also supports this reference and further reinforces hegemonic beauty standards. this repeated representation of these characteristics and beauty then reinforces stereotypes within the audience, especially when making the same references over time, such as in Baywatch and now in riptide. in most cases according to stuart hall this would be perceived as the preferred reading, as the representations would be agreed by the dominant- hegemonic view as it has been reinforced so many times.

Even when she is later shown to have smudged makeup she pulled back hair and high key lighting on her face directs the audiences attention to her beauty, focusing on the black round her eyes and red on her lips. these too features are symbols of her feminine and previous shots of the same scene show her to be hegemonic 'perfect'. within the dentist scene the brace is slightly to the side in her mouth and does not cover her teeth, which are hegemonic 'perfect' being straight and white, this then questions the point of the braces and dentist, if not to reflect the fears of the narrator, but also reinforces the dream idealist beauty of the narrator, possibly showing what they hope to look like and gain through suffering at the dentist in an aim to achieve beauty.

representations- stuart hall

• How are women represented in this video?

they are not always sexualised, however do play a main role in the video as they do within the song.

• What is the symbolism of the mise en scene of the rope and the dental brace?

its shows the woman in a vulnerable situation, showing the woman in the dentists to be scared through her facial expressiuons 

• In what ways are we positioned as an audience?
• What links all the women in this video?
• What message about women is constructed in this video, and what hegemonic expectations does this reinforce?

Task - watch the trailer to Suspiria (1977), and then rewatch the video to Riptide. Make notes of all the similarities between the two videos

But it is making reference to this style of european horror cinema, as well as italian crime films

Postmodernism

Riptide combines a range of startling images, including images that are symbolically violent and sexual.

Task - Click this link, and read all about postmodernism. Make notes under the different aspects of postmodernism, and give one example for each from Riptide

'style over substance'- offers a deliberately meaningless experience for the audience, and instead combines a range of visually interesting and confusing images.

ken from Vance Joy's debut album 'Dream Your Life Away'