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Analyzing Lady Gaga´s Telephone Music Video Essay

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Every day millions of telephone calls are made all over the world. In the 1980’s, a teenager would ask their parents for a telephone in their bedroom. Today, more of the American population has telephones than do not. It is a concept that we take for granted and probably always will. In prisons, you get one telephone call. Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” music video starring herself and Beyonc֢é Knowles takes an extreme take on prison life, sexuality, and the importance of that one telephone call. It debuted in 2010 as one of the most controversial music videos of all time and is compared to movies because of the way it was directed and it’s length [9:32 minutes].

The video starts with Gaga being taken to a prison cell at the "Prison for …show more content…

They have somewhat of a sensual conversation before leaving the prison about the recent behavior of Gaga. The video uses numerous stereotypes about women and their behavior both in public scenarios as well as their sexuality. This includes the lesbian kissing scene, and the apparent love relationship that builds between Gaga and Knowles in the second half of the story. Another is the general misleading view that women who are in prison are large and strong women. This is often not the case. One label that is broken in an attempt of feminism is a pretty simple stereotype about women. The vehicle that they leave the prison in is a large Chevrolet pickup truck that says ‘Pussy Wagon’ on the back. This argues that not only men drive big trucks. Olivia Smith of the New York Daily News wrote “Beyonce - who else - sporting black lips, has come to rescue her…in a souped-up fire engine red and yellow pick-up truck with a flame motif seared into the paint.”

After leaving the jail, they commute to a middle-of-nowhere diner and kill the man that they meet. Though it is not said, it is implicit that they knew him before Gaga was arrested. The American identity is one that cannot be confused with any other. They killed a man; in fact, they killed everyone at the diner after Gaga poisoned the food in the kitchen. Things like murder are almost enjoyed, because they are so interesting to Americans. It goes unsaid why they killed the

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