How are women represented in Riptide?
Supernatural and spooky! A stereotypical representation of women as witches and as dangerous. A patriarchal society is one where men are in charge, and the idea of women exuding power is potentially terrifying
Beautiful and fascinating and objects of obsession
Objectified and sexually objectified
Vulnerable and powerless
Victims
Exploited
Sexualised
Objectified
Scared and vulnerable
Hegemonically attractive
Audience positioning in Riptide
Throughout Riptide, the audience are positioned not only as an audience, but as a stalker. A number of POV (point of view) are used to position the audience in an uncomfortable mode of address. This is anchored through the voyeurism of the montage that suggests that the audience are watching these models in secret. In many cases, women are situated in an isolated setting, which positions the audience as an aggressive and intimidating stalking. Additionally, the MES of women frantically running away for the audience heightens this unpleasant positing. Slow zoom on the scopophilic shot of the model undressing matches the speed of her disrobing. This slow and deliberate combination of elements constructs a highly obsessive and voyeuristic mode of address, and is even fetishistic in its approach.
In Riptide, the audience are positioned in the highly problematic position of a stalker, and a threat to women. This is reinforced through the highly voyeuristic cinematography, that frequently positions women with their backs to the audience, forcing the audience to view these women in an often highly sexual manner.
In the video to Riptide, women are consistently and repeatedly represented as objects to be looked at by the target audiences. In effect, it is the audience who are objectifying women, which positions them in an uncomfortable mode of address
In the swimsuit shot, a slow zoom constructs a highly voyeuristic and seductive mode of address. This is reinforced through her apparently deductive performance of slowly removing her swimsuit. However, a clear contradiction is constructed through the fact that she clearly has no one to seduce . This reinforces the voyeuristic elements of this video.
The model’s physique, tanned skin and blonde hair are all highly and stereotypically hegemonically attractive, much like every other woman in this music video. This clearly reflects the hegemonic ideology of the producer
A later shot of another hegemonically attractive woman wearing revealing clothing as she struggles to remove ropes is framed through a mid shot. The shaking camera connotes several things. It functions as a symbolic code, anchoring the anxiety of the model. It also positions the audience as the aggressor and the abuser, as it is clearly handheld cinematography. It is clearly shot with a telephoto lens, which positions the audience in a highly creepy and upsetting mode of address.
 |
| This shot constructs a highly contradictory and problematic mode of address where the model is simultaneously victimised, and yet also sexually objectified |
An analysis of the mastershot
In which a woman apparently lip syncs to the lyrics of the song Riptide by Vance Joy. This recurring master shot is the only element of performance in the entire video. However, it is highly unconventional. The model is not directly addressing the audience as is typical in a music video, but instead appears to be singing to someone else directly off camera. Additionally, she is clearly singing the song, but lip syncing, which constructs a strange and confusing binary opposition between the masculine voice of the singer and the feminine appearance of the performer. The model has striking and well defined features, including very prominent cheekbones. The selection of this model reinforces these notions of fascination and obsession. However, on closer analysis, the model is not addressing, but merely staring at nothing in particular. Her eyes are unfocused, and as the master shots progress, the MES of her dazed expression becomes ever more vacant. While this is never explained, the audience are encouraged to make their own interpretation. However, a popular interpretation is that she is being slowly tortured over a long period of time. Each time the editor cuts away, there is the inference that a long period of time has passed. As the women appears more and more distressed and with more and more wounds and potential bruises, the audience must fill in the gaps on a horrifying and atypical narrative. Yet nothing in this video is ever made clear.
An unconventional use of close up is utilised on the master shot of the woman performing. We are positioned right next to her. The use of high key lighting shines a powerful and painful spotlight in her face. Her lack of direct address with the audience constructs her as being distant, which heightens the voyeuristic, problematic. Initially, the model’s makeup is very precise and put together. The model has very well defined cheekbones, which connotes confidence and power. However, as the narrative progresses, the model’s makeup becomes smudged, and wounds appear and disappear. As her expression becomes ever more blank and tortured, the audience are forced to acknowledge that events beyond the narrative are happening out of shot, suggesting attacks, abuse and torture. This highly fragmentary and confusing montage completely disrupts the audience's desire for a satisfactory narrative. There is no narrative conclusion or resolution.
Is the video to Riptide a feminist masterpiece or is it misogynist trash?
By deliberately withholding any preferred reading, Riptide presents an alarmingly polysemic mode of address to its target audiences.
It can be argued that Riptide is simultaneously feminist and misogynist, which positions the audience in a guilty and confusing mode of address.
Riptide presents a montage of highly symbolically sexualised and violent sexual imagery.
However, due to the lack of information, there is no explicit inference that it is actually men committing the stalking and violence.
There are a number of potentially empowering moments, such as images of women dancing, searching, and in one particularly powerful shot, breaking free from a tree in close up, which subverts stereotypical representations of the vulnerable. Women never give up: they just keep trying
The violent, sexual, creepy and unpleasant imagery could be drawing attention to the very real issue of the hypersexualision of women in horror films in particular