Katy Perry – California Gurs ft. Snoop Dog

Georgia Leaper

The music video begins with an image of a board game. This, as well as the pink, candy floss clouds, suggest an element of hyperreality.

The audience are then introduced to featured artist, Snoop Dog, who is dressed in a sweetie patterned suit, portraying him as a “sugar daddy”.

Through MES his clothing can be intextually linked to Gene Wilder’s costume as Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate factory (1971). Audiences will immediately identify the similarities of their sweetie patterned clothes and brown walking cane, associating Snoop Dog with the hyperreality “sweet land”.

By placing him over the game board and CU shots of him putting Katy Perry into the game, a God like status is created for him.

Here the artist is seen to be conforming to Laura Mulvey’s theory of the Male Gaze as she is seductively eating candy floss, lying on a pink cloud naked, and using direct address to the camera.

Again, an element of parody is seen in the music video, as the references to Willy Wonka is reinforced as Snoop Dog is followed by his “gummy bear” workers. These again link to Willy Wonka as the audience can relate the bears to oompa lompas.

Here, the director uses pastiche to self-consciously imitate the “fembot” scene from the film Austin Powers: Inernational Man of Mystery, 1997.

This is reinforced, again, through MES as the artist’s hair is styled in a similar way and she fires whipped cream at the gummy bears from her chest.