The Male Gaze is when media is shown through the viewpoint and to appeal to an heterosexual male.
The first 43 seconds of the music video are not shot through the male gaze, there are no women in and its just the band talking about the music video. This neither empower or degrades women as there are no women in it at this point. This part of the video is more aimed at both gender as both males and females like the band.
On the 43rd second is when the shots begin to show the Male Gaze. Two women enter barely dressed in clothing that is seen as sexy such as items like garters. This is done for a male audience as the attractive females are there to interest them more. The women are very sexualised in part as they are not wearing much and as they don't say anything and just play the instruments they are being used for their bodies and looks rather than themselves. This part is degrading for women and aimed more male enjoyment. A couple of seconds later two more similarly dressed women join.
Throughout some of the video the women play the instruments and do properly play them and this could be seen as more empowering as now they are not just being used for their physical attributes but also their skill. However while playing the instruments the women are mimicking and copying the men which shows a far more male dominated control. This downgrade women as it shows them as only capable of copying and following the men. All shots of the women playing the instruments always have a shot before for the man.
At 1:12 the location changes while the men stay in the same clothes the women change into still very suggestive and sexualised clothing. This time they are in bikinis which reveal different aspects of their body so the change of clothing was done for the male audience. This also degrades women as it shows they have to always look perfect and change to please the males whereas for the men it is fine for them to stay in the same clothes. This part of the video is also degrading as the women are dancing around the men and dancing for them which shows the males are in control.
At 1:24 the video shows a different perspective to the Male Gaze as here it looks like the women is more in control as she is staring at the man. You can also only see from the neck up of the women and while she is still quite sexualised by her makeup she is wearing a jacket and the rest of her body is not on show. This is one of the least sexualised image of women in the whole video. Although the roles do switch so the man is now staring at the women it is still not very degrading as it just shows the roles as equal.
The music video continues switching between the 2 settings until 2:00 when the girls are shown in different outfits. One of them is wearing a pink long dress and the other is in a short black dress, they are only in the background of this shot however the male gaze is still evident. One of the girls has half fallen out of the car which shows how they are not in control.
