Turn if Off!

Introduction

In this blog I will discuss David Guetta and Nicki Minaj’s new music video called “Turn Me On”. The music video was released on YouTube January 31 2012 and has already reached over 20 million views! The video is also receiving attention in countless other places (ex. Much Music, MTV, etc…). I will draw on the work of feminist scholars discussed in “Women & the Media”, as well as my own insights, to discuss four of the major themes in the video: the glamorization of plastic surgery, male gaze as the norm, the fetishism of the female body, and female dependency on males/males as the ultimate reward.

The Glamorization of Plastic Surgery

Nicki Minaj is portrayed as the ideal woman in the video. Her features fit the common ideal standard discussed by Perry: large bottom, very small waist, large breasts, shapely legs and arms, light complexion, and long straight hair. The breasts of all females in the video are not only very large compared to the rest of their bodies, but the shape is actually more similar to implants than to natural breasts (this is especially obvious around 3:14).  Minaj and the other dolls are able to match this "ideal" and be perfect, because they are plastic creations made by a male doctor.

The lyrics of the song make reference to Minaj’s love and infatuation with this doctor, “Docta docta, need you back home baby. Docta, docta, where you at?” As well, when the females break into the man’s workshop one lies down on the long chair where Minaj was originally created (2:11) and it looks like a chair you might see in a plastic surgeon’s office. Apparently the female was desperate to be in the surgeon's chair.

In the video, the line between plastic and human become blurred. While some of the females have shiny plastic bodies and faces similar to Barbie, others have plastic bodies but faces that look completely human (ex. the women at 2:27 and 2:38). Minaj also initially starts off with a plastic exterior, but then it turns into soft looking skin.

Ironically, Minaj looks trapped in a plastic barbie boxs.

The Male Gaze as the Norm

Mulvey points out that many texts have a split between the male/active and the female/passive, and the male gaze projects its fantasy onto the female figure. The females either do not notice that they are being looked at, or they enjoy the male attention. There are many examples of this in the music video. Around 1:10 the man’s eyes are focused on, then the camera flips to a part of Minaj’s body, then back to the male’s eyes. This happens several times. The man is also shown looking at Minaj’s body in a variety of ways; he looks at her normally and with a machine similar to a microscope. When the women break into the man’s workshop they rip off their clothes and he stares at them calmly, then a smile creeps across his face.

In contrast, Minaj’s gaze is never emphasized. When Minaj’s eyes are focused she is looking up, down, or around the room, allowing people to still look at her without her noticing. Looking down reinforces her passivity. While the man’s gaze is steady and he does not blink, she blinks frequently. The effect of blinking is three fold: it does not seem like she’s staring at anyone (which might make some males uncomfortable), it gives others the opportunity to look at her, and it showcases her extremely long and feminine lashes.

It is not just the male doctor who gazes at Minaj, as she walks down the street males turn their heads to follow her movements. When one male stares after her, his female partner grabs his chin and moves his face to look at her. She wants to be looked at.

Perry states that most music videos are “male centred” meaning they assume that the heterosexual male is the norm, which is why there is so many sexual available young females. Unfortunately, "Turn Me On" is the same way, not only does it emphasize that males in the video are gazing at the females, but males actually watching the video are assumed to want to do the same thing.

A still shot of Nicki Minaj from the video.

The Fetishism of the Female Body

Fetishism is the obsession and objectification of one body part. Through out the video particular body parts are focused on. This is similar to how Balsamo describes the physician’s gaze stating that the female body is fragmented into parts which are inherently flawed and need fixing.  In the doctor's workshop spare hands are on display. There is a fabric mannequin of just a woman’s chest and waist. The doctor is shown looking at sketches of an eye before he puts in Minaj’s eye. The male creator or “doctor” makes each part of Minaj’s body exactly how he wants it to be.

The camera angle also zooms in on particular parts of Minaj's body. Perry stated that this focus happens because in western culture seeing a particular body part has become infused with meaning. The camera moves slowly down Minaj’s body (0:58) lingering only her breasts, next only her flat stomach, then legs etc. Minaj is not seen as a whole but as the combination of perfect parts.

 Perry mentions that women who are under the male gaze are often seen as “two-dimensional and robbed of personality”. This is very applicable to these doll-like creations. While we know that the man is very intelligent (he did build these robot women at a time when light bulbs hadn’t been invented yet!), we know virtually nothing about the intelligence of these dolls. Their intelligence and other qualities are seen as irrelevant, all that needs to be known about them is that they are attractive and they lust after their male creator.

Female Dependence/Man as the Ultimate Reward

In the video the lead female (Minaj) is literally made by her male counterpart; she would not be alive without him. The lyrics support this, “you’ve got my life in the palm of your hands.” Minaj says that she is so dependent on this man’s affection that she will literally die without it, “Touch me, save my life. Come on and turn me on. I’m too young to die.” Not only did he “turn her on” and give her life, but he also supports her by giving her clothing that she puts on after being created.

Jean Kilbourne stated that “the culture, both urges girls to adopt a false self, to bury alive their real selves, to become “feminine” which means to be nice and sweet, to compete with other girls for the attention of boys, and to value romantic relationships with boys above all else.” The lyrics of “Turn Me On” certainly provide evidence for this “I just want you to father my young/ I just want you to be my doctor/ I know you can save me and make me feel alive.” Minaj has no other goals than being with the man whom she is singing to, and she does not feel she can be strong without him.

All the female dolls are competing for the same man. They get an axe to break down his door, and then rip off their clothes; they are so focused on the man that they don’t seem to notice anyone else who might look at them. Next, the male doctor towers over a female who is on her knees and kissing his hands (perhaps this is also a reference to skills as a plastic surgery), admiration and lust register on her face. Another female simultaneously hugs his back and rest her head on his upper back, but he does not hug her in return. Unlike the females, the male’s life is not focused on any one female.

Conclusion

In conclusion, David Guetta and Nicki Minaj’s music video “Turn Me On” has four central themes: the glamorization of plastic surgery, the male gaze as the norm, the fetishism of the female body, and female dependence on males/males being the ultimate reward. Becoming aware of some of these subconscious messages can be an incredibly disheartening and overwhelming experience. However, it is important to remember that there are solutions. The record companies who produce these videos do so, because similar models have been successful in the past, but if people choose not to support these types of images, they will change.