Pretty Hurts Analysis

I have always been drawn to strong, independent women and all that they stand for. People like Gloria Steinem, Rosa Parks, and Margaret Sanger are the reason women can live as freely as we do today. Despite this, however, women are still expected to look and act a certain way. Nowadays, people in the music industry use their prominence to recognize social and political injustices going on in our everyday lives, and in turn educates people on important issues that they otherwise may not have known or cared about. Now I am not saying that a song with powerful lyrics is comparable to leading the feminist movement, or standing up against racial inequality, or creating what would eventually become Planned Parenthood, but it opens peoples’ eyes to
It shows multiple girls who are basically skin and bones, trying to squeeze themselves into even tinier dresses. This scene portrays how detrimental eating disorders can be, because even after you reach your “goal weight”, your reflection in the mirror has become so distorted that you cannot see how small you are, or why your family and friends are worried about you. One woman who stuck out to me in the music video had an eating disorder, but it was not just her ribcage that caught my attention. This woman was clearly African American, yet her skin had been lightened. Skin lightening has recently become popular among African American women because lighter skin is considered “prettier”. This, as well as diet pills, weigh ins, and vigorous exercise regimens were shown throughout the video to portray the lengths women go to in order to be considered beautiful. The music video truly adds to the song’s message because it depicts just how extreme societal expectations can be, and the effect it has on women. There is only so much you can gather from the lyrics alone, but when paired with the video, it becomes a powerful message about self-confidence and