In line with gender roles, women often perform gender and are sexualized and objectified within music videos across different genres, though less often in country music (Aubrey, Stevens, and Frisby, 2011; Wiggins, 2009, 8). Pop music video “Heartbreaker” by Mariah Carey, number three on Billboard’s list of most-aired MTV videos during the same week as “Ready to Run,” sexualizes Carey throughout the video (“Video Monitor,” 1999). In contrast to “Ready to Run,” “Heartbreaker” depicts Carey in a crop top sexily dancing alongside other women, a common theme throughout many MTV videos during the time. Because pop videos were more about the “look” of the video rather than the story (as was central to country music), the focus of the video is on Carey’s body and performance (Tannenbaum and Marks, 2012, 118). Though there are some clips interspersed throughout the video that tell a narrative in line with the lyrics, it is less coherent, wholistic, and central than in country music videos.
Mariah Carey’s Heartbreaker Music Video via Mariah Carey on YouTube
Despite these differences, it is clear that these two videos share similarities. In line with the growing independence of women by the late 20th century, the women in both videos utilize their positions of power to challenge gender roles of submission within relationships. Rather than conforming to expectations, each video showcases women taking control of a relationship and choosing to leave. Furthermore, both videos go beyond a simple performance, adding elements of spectacle and narration. Though remaining distinctly different genres, both videos utilize similar strategies, particularly through appeals to late 20th century culture.