When looking at a visual text it has the possibility to draw you in and make you pay attention. Whether it be a music video, comic book, or painting visual texts can take on many forms. They can be used to send a message or make a point. These messages are communicated to the viewer in a multitude of channels. Whether it be how the cameraman works the angles or zoom, or how the color scheme is enabled there are a number of ways the visual text can make you feel. While reading and analyzing the music video for “Tumblr Girls” by G-Eazy I came across how the camerawork is used to get the meaning of the video across. Camera angles and shots are used to portray a fast paced yet carefree lifestyle for attractive girls. The camerawork also is used in a way that draws the viewer in making them interested in what they are watching. G-Eazy also uses specific elements from the texts like nudity, drugs, and alcohol to further the carefree lifestyle these girls live. G-Eazy develops an argument as a whole that these so called Tumblr Girls get to live the so called ideal life of a young adult just spending their time partying and relaxing. This sends a message to the females of Americas youth and is this really the message we want to be sending?

To understand G-Eazy’s argument you first have to come to grips with what the idea of a Tumblr girl is. Generally speaking she is a type of model. Not your average covered in makeup doing photoshoot model but more of a sensitive yet rebellious type. This feel of rebelliousness is first portrayed by some of the camerawork in the video. The quick change in between different pictures and fast videos to start the music video shows glimpses of drugs and alcohol. By the camera changing so quickly it leaves the viewer wondering what they are going to do with all of these illicit items and why do they even have them? The close up is also utilized to showcase their carefree style. By smoking cigarettes, a widely known awful for you activity they are just living with no regard. The close up is also utilized to try and show the emotion on the girls faces. This is kind of ironic as in multiple scenes throughout the video they do not have emotion on their face, they are just there for the ride again showing their easy-going lifestyle. Towards the last couple minutes of the video continuous shots of random places show up. A building at night, a table with some items on it, a train, a phone booth (etc). These pictures show up in a filter employed by G-Eazy to give it a vintage feel, almost kind of blurry but still clear. Another aspect of most of these pictures is that they are at night or if not they are dark like all of the used cigarettes or darkness surrounding the table. This creates a feeling of almost desolateness as these girls are nearing the end of the video and it sets up a good exit scene. The rest of the colors used in the video are mostly bland ones, not super inviting but more intriguing and asking you to look in more to analyze how the color makes you feel and react. These colors just give off a relaxing and calm vibe again finding its way back to these girls living a carefree lifestyle.

Another way to analyze G-Eazy’s argument of these girls living the perfect lifestyle for a young and attractive female is to analyze the recurring themes throughout the video. Nudity can be seen clearly during the video. Girls can be seen taking their clothes off or already being exposed. Normally when someone is nude they are anxious to become covered up especially in public but these girls do not have a care in the world as they just live their life too how they see fit. Another recurring image is the presence of alcohol and other drugs. Depending on the viewer this can be viewed in multiple ways. Some kids would look at this like the ideal life just getting to party and relax all the time. Or is this meant to provoke the viewer into thinking why do the girls need these vices? Is it too relax, unwind, or just because they want too? Either way alcohol and drugs give the viewer a feel of the rebelliousness these girls have as well as their carefree lifestyle. Is this the message we want to be sending to young females who may watch the video? When they watched this video would they think this is the ideal life? I do not think that this is G-Eazy’s purpose for this video but he unintentionally raises this question through the actions in the video.

Whether it be the angles used in the video or the types of shots used it obviously draws people in as the video has over 10.5 million views. You feel as if you begin to know the girls in the video as they seem so intimate and relaxed but, through the rapid mix of close ups and quickly changing pictures it creates a disconnect almost insinuating the viewer cannot keep up with their fast paced lifestyle. The concerns in life for these girls are not much as G-Eazy’s argument that these girls live a carefree lifestyle proves true.

 