Music and Cats / Book of Abstracts - Catalog - Page 48
Abstracts
Panel 7: Gender
18:00 – 18:15
Between Agency and
Objectification
The “Feral Feminine Feline” in Ariana Grande’s 2024
Music Video for the Song “The Boy Is Mine”
Lara May, Fynn Wörth / Hanover University of Music, Drama and
Media, Leibniz University Hanover
In her 2024 music video for the song “The Boy Is
Mine,” pop star Ariana Grande plays the role of a
seductive cat burglar, drawing clear inspiration
from the DC Comic Character Catwoman—
especially Michelle Pfeiffer’s rendition of the
character in the 1992 film “Batman Returns.”
However, Grande’s portrayal is by far not the only
pop cultural echo of the iconic comic character, as
can be seen from the range of celebrity or
Halloween costumes in films or TV shows
throughout the years. But besides clear references,
other forms of female cat imagery can also
frequently be found in the performances or
branding of female artists, reaching from names
(e.g., Doja Cat, The Pussycat Dolls), to the
symbolic use of (wild-)cat animal prints on
clothing or stage outfits as well as the posing with
(wild-)cats for photo shoots or music videos,
highlighting a culturally established link between
felines and femininity.
This link, especially as a symbol for female
eroticism, shall be the focus point of this
presentation. Drawing on the field of
human-animal
studies
and
ecofeminist
theories (e. g., Adams/Donovan 1995, Merskin
2018), the presentation intends to focus on
gender-specific associations between cats and
perceived female erotica, beginning with a
brief overview of the historically evolved
connection between them in western culture.
This overview also addresses the female
gender coding of specific “weak” livestock
animals and a few chosen “strong” predators
(namely cats, vixens or snakes). The second
half of the presentation will offer a brief
analysis of the music video for “The Boy Is
Mine” in relation to the previously outlined
theoretical framework. Grande’s music video
is an interesting example for this topic,
showcasing the complex dichotomy between a
female artist’s self-chosen staging of sexual
self-empowerment
and
the
possible
reproduction of male fantasies of “taming”
female power, independence, wildness and
sexuality.
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