Analysis of music video no.3 - the male gaze

Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne

This video clearly displays both Laura Mulvey's theory of the male gaze and aspects of Goodwin's theory about the voyeuristic treatment of the female body. Despite being made and released in 2003, many of the same features of sexualisation that are predominant in modern videos can be seen here. Even the song itself conveys an idea about the narrator observing and fantasising about the titular character.

There are two elements to this music video: the narrative involving the characters, and the performance involving the members of the band (which is typical of pop punk music videos). Not only this, but the comedic and 'goofy' portrayal of the characters and the situation that they are in is another genre characteristic of pop punk videos, especially one where the accompanying music is just as laughable and doesn't take itself too seriously. There are plenty of shots in the video of the band performing with their instruments and lip-syncing, but has been edited so as to appear as if this performance is part of the narrative as well, such as the band members being on posters or the TV that the characters are watching. It is a clever and interesting way of linking the two elements of the video together. The bright pink makes the shots stand out as the colour is in stark contrast to the mostly neutral colours of the setting, and immediately alerts the audience to what they should be focusing on in those shots. All of these features link to Goodwin's theory about the demands of a music video in showing genre conventions and artist identity.

The music itself is illustrated throughout with direct relation between the lyrics and the visuals, so much so that often sequences of shots are repeated to amplify the meaning behind them. For example, in the first verse the lyrics "we can hang around by the pool" are sung just as the shot cuts to a wide angle of a swimming pool, establishing a scene change that parallels the story conveyed in the lyrics. The second verse does the same, cutting to a garden when the lyrics "do you remember when I mowed your lawn" are heard.

The relationship between the visuals and the music is less obvious than that of the lyrics, as it mostly doesn't cut on beat apart from specific occasions where the beat is particularly strong. However, at the begninng the opening shot is of somebody's feet which are tapping to the rhythm of the guitar strums. It is an effective opening shot and builds anticipation as well as connects the music and the video. One of the only times that cutting on beat is particularly noticeable is when the song is transitioning into another verse and there are three percussive hits that go along with three quick shot changes. The shots themselves mimic the the look of a telescope as they are focusing on one detail in a circle surrounded by black. This is just one of many elements that come together to create a very voyeuristic video that has numerous and repeated references to 'watching' and the male gaze.

Before her face is even show we are shown several shots of
her body

The whole point of both the song and the video is to show how the woman who is the focus of both of these- Stacy's Mom- is being observed and her actions commented on by the narrator (who in the video is represented by a young boy). In both cases she has little to no power to prevent this, and often her actions are interpreted by the narrator as deliberately sexual or flirtatious when there isn't a way for her to dispute this, particularly as it appears that she doesn't even know she is being watched. Laura Mulvey's theory about the male gaze suggests that the audience is being put in the mindset of a heterosexual male and that we are now forced to objectify and view this woman in the same way as the narrator due to his version of events being the only one that is presented to us. The camera shots enforce this as there are many lingering shots on parts of the woman's body (such as her legs and chest) and even scenes where she is in a bikini/underwear and it isn't clear if the scene is happening in real life or part of the fantasies of the narrator. The bikini is also red, connoting desire and passion, which again enforces the 'sex object' role that she has been place into. Red appears throughout the video, with the car she arrives in being and a same colour. The use of visual innuendo such as a bottle of fizzy drink spilling over show how the sexualisation of this woman happens on many different layers, as does the suggestive shot of her holding the gear stick in the car. The main criteria for the male gaze theory to be put into effect are all present in this video: she only exists in context of the male narrator reacting to her, there are editing techniques such as slow motion and cut-aways to the narrator's reactions, and the camera makes a point of lingering on her body, sometimes more so than her actual face.

Nearly all the characters (or at least all the male characters in the video) at some point are shown to be observing and appreciating the woman, often in a sexual way. An example is in the opening of the song/video when Stacy (the daughter) is picked up by her mum while the boys in her class watch. Another example is in the second verse when a man is giving the mum a massage and looks under her towel (and then smirks) when she turns over. This makes her vulnerable and at the mercy of his gaze and thoughts.

There is a scene towards the end of the video where the boy's fantasies cause him to hallucinate the mum dancing provocatively in the kitchen. The lighting of this scene is much harsher and high-key than the generally soft and orangey tone of the rest of the video and creates dramatic shadows, especially with the use of the back light. This immediately creates more of a sexual and raunchy atmosphere, especially with the props and costumes including a pole and leather corset. This scene more explicitly takes place in the mind of the boy, showing how the deeper the fantasy, the more sexualised the woman becomes. This again reinforces Mulvey's male gaze theory.


This video has intertextuality in the way that the story unfolds and is filmed, which is reminiscent of 90s films like American Pie and other coming-of-age comedies. As well as this, some shots seem to be direct references to other films, such as the shot of the woman coming out of the swimming pool in slow motion which plays out very similarly to the scene in the James Bond film Die Another Day where Giacinta 'Jinx' Johnson (Halle Berry) emerges from the sea as Bond watches.