Visual Texts are found within every aspect of media and work to bring relatable experiences and background knowledge to life. Visual texts are composed of various elements that work together to convey specific messages within either written work or visual displays such as a video or film. These filmic elements are used to attract an audience while promoting, educating or persuading the audience. The “hypodermic needle theory” suggests that media messages are injected directly into the brains of a passive audience. In this example, this theory is used to establish depth to the narrative which develops the back story in relation to the present and future of the narrative. Beyoncé’s music video “Pretty Hurts” is composed of three parts that build the narrative of a woman who is coming to terms with the challenges of the standards of beauty. 

  The opening scene of the “Pretty Hurts” depicts Beyoncé about to go on stage and compete in a beauty pageant. She presents herself in such a formal and elegant manner, it isn’t until the scene unfolds that the audience gets an inside look as to what it took to get to make her into that person. The contrasting music sets a somber tone that is not typically associated with the backstage of a pageant, which is what grabs the attention of the audience and “sets the stage” as to what message is being conveyed of the reality of pageants and maintaining a societal type of beauty. These harsh realities of beauty standards are portrayed through the scenes of Beyoncé struggling with an eating disorder and a drug addiction. The use of a birds’ eye shot showing Beyoncé purging herself over a toilet calls attention to the realities of eating disorders. The next scene shows Beyoncé exercising and seemingly living a healthy lifestyle. However, the dark lighting creates a somber mood that is juxtaposed by the bright colors seen through Beyoncé and the various characters wardrobe. By the end of this short film, Beyoncé is asked by the judges what she aspires to be in life, to which she replies “happy”. In a way this is her breaking free from the confines of beauty standards as she is seen smashing her trophies in an empowering scene that closes the narrative on a positive note. 

In this video Beyoncé is a notorious female who is appeals mostly to a young audience of girls dealing with the challenges associated with beauty standards. The eye catching use of images in this video creates a relatable scene for the majority of Beyoncé’s audience to connect to and understand what her character is going through and potentially how to get out of the negative situation. The dominant visual feature is Beyoncé’s use of beauty pageants and the standards of beauty to challenge the representations of women within the pageant world. The beginning of the song creates the setting of the video, a pageant backstage with Beyoncé as the main character being represented and narrated. The song goes on to Beyoncé singing about how her mother always told her that beauty is all that matters in this world: “Mama said, "You're a pretty girl, what's in your head, it doesn't matter.” The chorus of the song contradicts what her mother tells her because the chorus sings about how women struggle to be perfect to fit society’s standard of beauty. 

Beyoncé’s character is portrayed completely different in the video to her typical star image of being associated as a strong feminist woman that does not conform to beauty standards. Although she is playing the character of a beauty pageant contestant, I think that she has a part of her true self shown through the character and her celebrity identity that has affected who she is as a person. Beyoncé’s past experiences helped develop the images depicted in the video and she is representative as a woman who is struggling with her body image and the pressure she is under to look a certain way. Although Beyoncé is not a beauty pageant contestant in real life she still spends her life on camera and on stage dealing with the pressures of the media and norms of society. ( ). A range of close up and long shots are used to capture a multitude of facial expressions that emphasize the mental and physical pain Beyoncé goes through while being involved in the beauty pageants. With long shots the audience can get a feel of how the setting and other characters contribute to Beyoncé’s negative self-image, such as her dancing coach slapping her thighs or the way her waist trainer judges her. Furthermore, long takes allow the audience to relate to Beyoncé and other women in the pageant industry and beyond.  The audience and myself are able to begin to understand the powerful message that is being conveyed and are promoted to start questioning the standards that have been impressed upon women.  

The direct and powerful the message was presented in a realistic way that allowed Beyoncé to form a connection with her audience while accepting that beauty is pain and the standards can be rejected. Beyoncé’s video targeted the audience in such a direct way that portrayed a very strong issue that is not often spoken about and inspired young women, such as herself, to reject societies standard of beauty. Self-empowerment and the message of loving yourself is illustrated in an artistic manner through visual texts that allows Beyoncé to portray the reality behind the standards of beauty and the challenges women face regarding body image today. 
