Critical Review

In Dua Lipa’s official music video “New Rules” she conveys several different ideas to the audience using different forms of movements. This song was first published in the UK but then was a big hit in the United states. From an overall viewing of the video you do not think too much of it other than a group of girls thinking about a boy, but one of the first things I noticed was the switch between the group of girls dancing around the lead artist shifting to dancing around and doing the same routine around one of the girls that was an extra to begin with. As again most of the time these female artists are being held to a different pedestal as other artist but “Classifying rap as political, misogynist, or profit oriented has enormous consequences for fans, artists and promoters”(Lena 4). Which is one big thing that these artists run into with the difference in popular exposure. That leads to my argument that the song is about the artist’s experience with how men treat women. This would not have been my argument if the video did not switch perspectives to the friend of the artist, the soul premise of switching the view point over to her being one of the supporting girls was to show that other women have had the same experience with men that she has, almost trying to bring to light the problem and almost trying to create a rebellion in a sense, but also appealing to younger women by creating the sleepover slumber party type of setting. Now around the tie this artist was very expressive about sexuality in whole as “Did not receive the same love, however, however when she commented on her own sexuality.” (Durham 728). So following her song she was able to use it for her gain. Also with the change in character you now get the sense from the artist that when this issue is happening to yourself you act and think differently than if it was your friend and you at looking at it from the outside. The scene seems to be in like a hotel but that is not message as I think it is just something for show, but all of the background dancers are women that are in pajama type clothes to convey that message of slumber party but through the video there is a progression of apparel from the lounge type clothes to more of a party fit, which then changes your idea of it being more of a slumber party to being a group of girls going out. As well I think the video is sending a message to stick together as women because there is as scene where all the girls are locking arms almost a 6-way arm wrestling match, and the way that they are aligned it’s like when a sports team “brings it in” for a “break” and puts their hand in the middle to symbolize their unity as women.                The pool scene backs up my argument as well, as for when they are all standing in front of the pool and the camera moves under the pool to the same scene but with flamingos in their spot. Using these images to display a bigger meaning is something that Lipa is trying to do as  “Popular music is almost inherently something that disidentified with now” (Weisbard 3). In which people can take this imagery as just a show for this song but really she is trying to portray a hidden message. When watching the video, you do not understand the meaning of the flamingos, but with deeper consideration you find that the artist is trying to convey that all of them are like the flamingos for example when you go to the zoo and you see flamingos you just consider how beautiful they are and don’t really look at anything else besides their beauty, exactly with the case how the artist feels, she just feels like men just look at her for her beauty and nothing else. Backing up the argument of the experience with men as she would not be able to make this video the way it is without any bad experiences with men, and to back it up even the lyrics from the song like “he’s just drunk and alone… don’t pick up the phone” so overall you do not get this tone from the song just listening to it but after watching the video it creates that set of imagery.