Next her fairy godmother tells Nicki that “these” moments tend to be “fleeting” but she believes that Nicki might “have this moment for life”. This is a very empowering message targeted exclusively to her audience of young women. She suggests that leaders do not need to solely possess masculine qualities, but rather female leaders can retain their feminine qualities and still be successful. Nicki’s appreciation of these sparkly heels she is given suggests that women can still have feminine qualities while occupying leadership roles as well. A common stereotype is that for women to be successful they must become more masculine and hence be forced to lose their femininity. The inclusion of a symbol of femininity in combination with a “king” figure further explores the issues of gender norms and addresses the role of women within society. Typically high heels are viewed as a symbol of femininity. In the beginning of the video Nicki meets her fairy godmother who magically presents her with silver sparkly high heels. These positive feelings will only continue throughout the course of the video and leave the audience feeling satisfied and nostalgic. Many young women will have fond memories of learning the story of Cinderella and by simply hinting at a connection to Cinderella within her video, Nicki Minaj instantly inspires warm feelings within her audience. To strengthen the message of her music video, Nicki Minaj parallels the story in her video with the timeless story of Cinderella. Playing dress-up further provokes girls into developing a desire to be overly feminine and princess-like. Dress-up typically involves tiaras and Disney princess attire. Newborn girls are surrounded by pink and as they grow older they are encouraged to participate in “girly” activities such as playing with dolls and playing dress-up. Since Nicki Minaj’s main audience is teenage and young adult women, we can infer that the rest of the video will contain a message of empowerment targeted specifically at this audience.įrom birth our society brainwashes young girls into a specific gender “norm”. It is through this opening scene that Nicki Minaj sets the stage for an argument challenging common-held gender norms. In our current society there is an emphasis on gender equality and therefore this video is very timely. The first line reads, “Once upon a time there lived a king named Nicki.” From this first line the video manages to grab the viewer’s attention by defying the gender norm that only men can be kings. The video opens with the view of a fairy tale story opened to the first page. Men will be drawn to Drake’s lyrical skill while women may be drawn to both his lyrical skill and physical appearance. Furthermore Drake carries an appeal to both men and women due to his popularity. Her outfits are not overly promiscuous, but she does carry a certain sex appeal. The video is aimed primarily at teenage and young adult women however, Nicki Minaj does appeal to men as well. It is through her use of Drake that Nicki Minaj not only improves the ethos of her track, but also appeals to a wider audience. People who know who Drake is and know of his accomplishments and popularity will be inclined to listen to this song even if they are unfamiliar with Nicki Minaj. Drake’s name alone carries a quality of ethos that is difficult to replicate. Simply having Drake feature on this track improves the ethos of Nicki Minaj’s song. Anyone who is remotely into music, listens to the radio, or has a general sense of popular media will understand that Drake is a fairly famous artist. It would be a very good idea to place this video on the front page of your website for it hooks its viewers from the first few seconds and traps them in a fairy tale experience that sparks their fascination for Nicki Minaj.īefore the viewer even starts watching the video they will notice that Drake is featured on this track. She even juxtaposes her video with a popular fairy tale to entice her viewers. She discusses ideas on gender equality and the thrill of “living in the moment” as well as features Drake to appeal to a wider audience. Nicki Minaj uses several techniques to captivate her audience and draw them into a fantasy throughout the course of her music video. Nicki Minaj’s song “Moment 4 Life” featuring Drake is the perfect piece to put on the front page of a music website.
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