The video begins with an establishing shot of the ‘ideal’ American home, in all it’s grandeur with the lush green lawn and the all American white fence. The establishing shot is quite deceptive as it leads the audience to believe that the video will be about perfection. The house could be a metaphor for what people aspire have like (big breasts).However, it could be argued that the house can represent an inner perfection as it houses all the things that make India Arie different for example: her guitar and her writing material.
Close up’s couple with worms eye’s shots are used to connote the different things that have great importance in her life such as the guitar, pen, and lyrics. Her hand written lyrics in conjunction with then guitar further reaffirms the importance of music in her life. In addition, the hand written lyrics shows that music is something intimate for her, she needs to feel every word and melody. Her music is degetic and unshaved by modern technology which links in beautifully with her theme of natural beauty. The sound of her guitar is natural and doesn’t need to be computerised for it to be beautiful its fine as it is.
Moreover, the close ups of the many spools and wires of her guitar could imply that music is part of her mechanics and therefore intrinsic to her being. Alternatively, the different spools could represent the diverse range of things that culminate to make a beautiful melody and the different aspects of beauty. The message that she is trying to convey is that if one spool were to be taken away then he instrument would not sound the same. This applies to human beings in the respects that if a part of you were removed you would not be the same. Humans like guitars are a result of great craftsman ship. She states “my creator ...mistakes on me” showing that in mocking your appearance you are effectively making a mockery out of God’s work.
India’s red bike takes her on her journey through self-discovery and expression. We are presented with a close up of her rear end adorned with the words “love yourself”. This shows the beautiful side of a part of the female anatomy she presents bums in a classy way that contrasts the degrading manner that they are often portrayed. In having “love yourself” presented before she mounts the bike India implies that self-love is the foundation needed when people embarking on a journey of self-discovery.
Her guitar has a personal touch, each cord is colour coded with the colours that always appear on her: orange, yellow and green. This is used to show the different types of expressions that can co-exist within one being. Moreover, the pattern on the guitar is also on her clothes. Mis en scene is used to connote: warmth, new beginnings and nature. The colours associated with India are very demure which helps the audience warm to her. This is greatly contrasted by the clothing worn by the video girls. Mis en scene is cleverly used to highlight that despite the girls being form different cultures they are all dressed the very similarly. This shows that conformity reaches everyone .India is very carefree her appearance unlike the video girls who take every given opportunity to look at themselves, even using a window as a mirror. Even the way they look at themselves is different. India look’s into the mirror with pride relishing in her blemishes as she acknowledge that they make up who she is. She understands that every wrinkle tells a story, the video girls on the other hand uses mirror as an opportunity for them to flaunt about their sexuality.
The video girls appear conceited and are wearing dark clothes like red and black which connote sexuality. For India her image is not about being sexy but about what feels comfortable to her, she doesn’t dress to impress her style is exclusively for her. The use of red and black could connote that the girls obsession with their appearance could be causing them emotional and psychological damage as they are always trying to fit in.
Contrasting the video girls India is different. Everything associated with her from the guitar to the flowers is ‘different’. No two flowers grow the same, or smell the same or even have the same number of petals. She is not a carbon copy like the video girls who go to great lengths to achieve the supposedly desirable look only to look the same as everyone else.
Furthermore, the mid shot of India with her harms spread wide between two pillars shows that she is happy with her life. It looks as though she is flying which illustrates the liberation and sense of fulfilment that comes with self acceptance. It shows the empowerment and strength that women in today’s society fail to show because they are so deeply caught up in exaggerated portrayals of beauty. Conversely, it could be that she is holding of the opposition that are willing her to conform, but she is indomitable and sticks her morals and values. This is supported by the close up of her tying her hair and distorting her face. She doesn’t care what she looks like and is not afraid of making herself look a little silly. She is not afraid to show her strength which is a sign that she is happy within herself.
It is in this shot that we see her freckles .she makes no attempt to cover them up with make up or airbrush which shows that she is contented with who she is and does not need to put on a facade. The audience are drawn in by her honest nature and I believe that this shot conveys the overall message of the video the best as you don’t need make up or airbrush to be happy.
India is shown holding an upside down number three; the number three is as a symbolic number linked with perfection in Christianity and is commonly associated with the Holy trinity (the father, the son and the Holy Spirit).she holds the number upside down showing that she does not fit in which is also conveyed through her awkward facial expression. She knows she’s different but embraces her differences as opposed to aspiring to be exactly like someone else.
Her orange scarf and guitar go through her journey with her although she wants to sell her music she always carries a part of home with her to remind her of who she is. She wants to sell her music but not at the expense of her dignity. In the last shot she is dressed in white, behind her is a billboard stating “locally grown” which shows that she has not lost her roots and remains grounded despite her fame. She knows where she is from and refuses to allow conformity to alter who she is. Nevertheless, “locally grown” could imply that the responsibility to educate children about self worth and beauty lies with the parents.
Moreover, her being dressed in white not only symbolises the purity of her appearance and how ‘real’ she is but it also symbolises the purity of the music that is so integral to her being. India never allows her music to be tainted by deprecating terms or demeaned by scantily clad models. She preserves the old saying beauty is in the eye of the beholder and campaigns for natural beauty in an industry that is littered with falseness. India Aries video encourages people to look beyond the superficial fake breasts and the air brushed images that delude people into want to strive for an unrealistic goal at the price of their self-worth.
