The best way to describe Ariana Grande’s music video for her song, “thank u, next” is a visually cacophonous, cinematographic clusterf*ck. It is full of pop culture references that are somehow both cliches and vague at the same time. There’s the classic motif of a California high school, where all the students are 30 years old and unimaginably wealthy. There are also cameos by a variety of famous people, notably Kris Jenner, that I feel add little of substance to the video. The plot is all but unintelligible save for references to the movies: 13 Going On 30, Mean Girls, Bring It On, and Legally Blonde, and as expected devoid of any deeper meaning.
- Are there any feminist messages in the music video?
- What could the cultural significance of recreating various movie scenes be in context with the song?
- What message is Ariana Grande trying to convey through the cinematography?
- Would any messages contained within be more evident if the video was less “busy”.