Textual analysis of After School- Ah

The music video is a mixture of a performance , narrative and concept.

In the opening of the music video there is the instrumental playing and a tracking shot of the bands members inn a school classroom wearing typical school uniform of a pleated skirt, blouse and a jumper. You can see the various members doing different activities such as doing ballet, teaching someone how to dance and studying which some of these stereotypical for females to do in a feminist reading of the text.

As the song starts there is a mid shot of the girls performing part of their dance routine in different outfits such as vest tops, blazers, dance trousers which are bright vibrant colours and are dancing against a white plain background. This is stereotypical for girl groups in music videos as their videos consist of half of their dance routine and the rest based on a theme or concept.

There is then a close up on the male teacher who enters the classroom. He is dressed in a orange top , shirt, trousers and glasses with messy hair. This is not stereotypical in music videos as the guys are usually portrayed as visually stunning. The girls are all sat behind classroom desks staring at the board in front of them. There is a close up when Kahi enters and it switches to a long shot of her running her hand up her thigh and lifting her leg up demonstrating her sex appeal to gratify a male audience. There is a close up on one of the girls winking at the teacher and n response he drops his book that she bends down to help pick up as a means of flirting. As the teacher is conducting the lesson Kahi rebels by dancing sexually on a chair standing up so she is centre attention. The sound matches in time with the girls singing and can be evidently seen throughout.

As the second verse is sung the background changes to a girls locker room where all the members are standing by lockers in gym clothes doing their hair and various other things. There are towels with the groups logo and name on promoting the group as well in the video. They are all dressed in gym clothes and the scenes switch between the locker room and the underground basement. In the underground basement where the girls are performing their dance routine they are seen wearing shorts, short tops that reveal their stomachs, long socks and trainers as they are dancing to enhance their sex appeal. The male teacher accidentally walks into the changing room and tries to back out however the girls all grab him and start adjusting his looks and style so he is more appealing to grab the female gaze.

As Beckah and Kahi rap the girls are seen kicking down doors and sitting on top of cars and having fun showing their strength and dominance and flaunting their sexuality. At the end of the music video the instrumental is replayed and the girls all hurry to sit back down in their desks and adopt the good school girl image. However as the teacher walks in this time he is dressed in a suit and looks visually stunning and starts dancing about a tiny bit as the girls study showing a role reversal.

In a feminist reading of this text they would note how the girls are made to portray stereotypical female jobs activities such as doing ballet and would be against how they are made to flaunt their body and use their sexuality as the only way to sell their music.

However in a post feminist reading they would praise this music video as the girls show their dominance over men and show their sexual empowerment and are in control of 'the gaze'

they are seen as sassy sexy icons which challenge the traditional assumptions that females are passive and just dancers in videos.