After searching for days, I finally came to the conclusion that “Stuck like Glue” by Sugarland was the perfect song and video for me to pick to analyze. This video not only makes fun of women being obsessed with their men, but it plays on race, sexuality and class. Norms and unmarked identities are played upon so well in this video. Representations are also a big part of this video.
When I decided that this would be the song for me to analyze, I looked at the lyrics (see below). The lyrics are about someone who is deeply in love with another person. She is “stuck on (him)” and although there are times when is upset with him, she always forgives him and they are right back together and happier than before. I expected the video to be a sappy, romantic “Taylor Swift-like” video, but I was wrong. The video displayed an alternative interpretation to the lyrics. Jennifer Nettles, the lead singer of Sugarland, displays so much affection for her ex-lover in the video. She shows her obvious denial that they are no longer together anymore. She also attempts numerous outrageous acts to remain close with her ex-lover, but none of the acts are wanted, nor are there mutual feelings between the pair. In the end of the video, she becomes enraged when another female calls the male's phone and punches him in the face.
While watching the video for the first time I couldn't help but laugh at the all of the satire it contained. The typical overprotective, obsessive woman, the man who wants nothing to do with her and feels threatened by her presence, the typical drug-addicted prostitute, the angry black man, and the crazed elderly. This video touches on every type of stereotype that it possibly could, representing many lights of people. The characters of the video are interpretations of everyday cultural norms that the producer visualized.
In the article by Judith Mayne, she mentioned that women are often shown in two different lights, "one representing impossible perfection, the other equally impossible evil" (Mayne). One thing that we've all heard before is that women are crazy. This video is showing the exact representation of a crazy woman. She kidnaps her ex-lover and has a collage of all of his photos. The way that Jennifer is represented in this video could have a few consequences. As I stated before, everyone has heard that women are crazy before, but this video reaffirms that thought. The background to their love story was never told, yet she is portrayed as an obsessive woman. Representations are "interpretations of dreams and experiences" (Mayne). This video was an obvious interpretation of a person who had seen or experienced the things that Jennifer does. The other people in this video are also represented negatively. The black woman is moving around sexually, which represents the thought that black women are very sexual beings. The white woman is a drug-addicted prostitute and represents the opposite of the typical "white woman." If women are continuously represented this way in the media, it can lead to the continuous disrespect and less appreciation from males. Although this video is made to be funny, it can still be interpreted in a different way by viewers and that is something that we all should think closely about. As much as they wanted the video to represent multiculturalism, it did not. Representations influence our thoughts and opinions of one another and mainstream media plays a huge role in that.
Men still have privilege over women in this video, although Jennifer is the main character. Her ex-lover held a bit of privilege because of his unmarked identity of being a male living in the middle class (Powerpoint). The slight advantage that men have over women is something that, although everyone know that it is true, people do not like to admit to it. Just as "Stuck like Glue" played on representations, it also plays on marked and unmarked identities. The person who is seen as good in this video contains the majority of the unmarked identities. Those of which include male, white, middle class, heterosexual, physically able, and between 30-55 years of age. Those who are not seen as typically good all have marked identities, they're either female, a person of color, working class, disabled, and elderly. Each of the marked and unmarked identities that are played out in this video are blatantly stated (Powerpoint).
This video showed so many different representations of different people in society. It also showed that although we don't instantly recognize the different identities and norms, they are always there. I believe that this video was made to make fun of the stereotypes that it contained, but it also was made to show people exactly how ignorant stereotypes are.
While watching the video for the first time I couldn't help but laugh at the all of the satire it contained. The typical overprotective, obsessive woman, the man who wants nothing to do with her and feels threatened by her presence, the typical drug-addicted prostitute, the angry black man, and the crazed elderly. This video touches on every type of stereotype that it possibly could, representing many lights of people. The characters of the video are interpretations of everyday cultural norms that the producer visualized.
In the article by Judith Mayne, she mentioned that women are often shown in two different lights, "one representing impossible perfection, the other equally impossible evil" (Mayne). One thing that we've all heard before is that women are crazy. This video is showing the exact representation of a crazy woman. She kidnaps her ex-lover and has a collage of all of his photos. The way that Jennifer is represented in this video could have a few consequences. As I stated before, everyone has heard that women are crazy before, but this video reaffirms that thought. The background to their love story was never told, yet she is portrayed as an obsessive woman. Representations are "interpretations of dreams and experiences" (Mayne). This video was an obvious interpretation of a person who had seen or experienced the things that Jennifer does. The other people in this video are also represented negatively. The black woman is moving around sexually, which represents the thought that black women are very sexual beings. The white woman is a drug-addicted prostitute and represents the opposite of the typical "white woman." If women are continuously represented this way in the media, it can lead to the continuous disrespect and less appreciation from males. Although this video is made to be funny, it can still be interpreted in a different way by viewers and that is something that we all should think closely about. As much as they wanted the video to represent multiculturalism, it did not. Representations influence our thoughts and opinions of one another and mainstream media plays a huge role in that.
Men still have privilege over women in this video, although Jennifer is the main character. Her ex-lover held a bit of privilege because of his unmarked identity of being a male living in the middle class (Powerpoint). The slight advantage that men have over women is something that, although everyone know that it is true, people do not like to admit to it. Just as "Stuck like Glue" played on representations, it also plays on marked and unmarked identities. The person who is seen as good in this video contains the majority of the unmarked identities. Those of which include male, white, middle class, heterosexual, physically able, and between 30-55 years of age. Those who are not seen as typically good all have marked identities, they're either female, a person of color, working class, disabled, and elderly. Each of the marked and unmarked identities that are played out in this video are blatantly stated (Powerpoint).
This video showed so many different representations of different people in society. It also showed that although we don't instantly recognize the different identities and norms, they are always there. I believe that this video was made to make fun of the stereotypes that it contained, but it also was made to show people exactly how ignorant stereotypes are.
STUCK LIKE GLUE LYRICS
Absolutely no one that knows me better
No one that can make me feel so good
How did we stay so long together?
Everybody, everybody said we never would
And just when I, I start to think they're right
That love has died
[Chorus]
There you go making my heart beat again,
Heart beat again
Heart beat again
There you go making me feel like a kid
Won't you do it and do it one time?
There you go pulling me right back in
Right back in
Right back in
And I know, I'm never letting this go
I'm stuck on you
Stuck like glue
You and me baby we're stuck like glue
Stuck like glue
You and me baby we're stuck like glue
Some days I don't feel like trying
Some days you know I wanna just give up
When it doesn't matter who's right, fight about it all night
Had enough
You give me that look
"I'm sorry baby let's make up"
You do that thing that makes me laugh
And just like that
[Chorus]
You almost stay out, too stuck together from the ATL
Feeling kinda sick?
Just a spoon full of sugar make it better real quick
I say
Whatcha gonna do with that?
Come on over here with that
Sugar sticky sweet stuff
Come on give me that stuff
Everybody wants some
Melodies that get stuck
Up in your head (X3)
Stuck like glue
You and me together, say, it's all I wanna do
I said
[Chorus]
There you go making my heart beat again,
Heart beat again
Heart beat again
There you go making me feel like a kid
Won't you do it and do it one time
There you go pulling me right back in
Right back in
Right back in
And I know, I'm never letting this go
There you go making my heart beat again
Heart beat again
Heart beat again
There you go making me feel like a kid
Won't you do it and do it one time
There you go pulling me right back in
Right back in
Right back in
And I know, I'm never letting this go
I'm stuck on you
Stuck like glue
You and me baby we're stuck like glue
Stuck like glue
You and me baby were stuck like glue
Stuck like glue
You and me baby we're stuck like glue
You and me baby we're stuck like glue
Sources:
"Racializing Masculinity in the Media" by Adrianne Brown, PowerPoint
“Women, Representation and Culture” by Judith Mayne, pages 161-164.
