Straight Out Of Oz Analysis

There is no official rule book stating how a human being must act. No one issues out a handbook when children are born that dictates exactly what they should and shouldn’t do, but somehow people in today's society act as this type of thing exists. Thus, the media has been subject to scrutiny as they follow these unspoken rules and aid in the socialization of such stereotypes. However, some media texts acknowledge these enforced stereotypes and protest them. Todrick Hall’s Straight Out of Oz portrays his life story as a gay black male, and how that has affected his ambitious attempt to join the world of Hollywood. In this popular culture text, Todrick Hall simultaneously addresses and challenges the stereotypes and binaries that are associated …show more content…
In the song/music video “Over the Rainbow” he recalls what the world expected of him when he was a boy, and how he desired to defy those norms. The very first lines of the song state the rules that he feels society has put upon him, “Little boys don't cry/ Little boys aren't shy/ Little boys are tough/ They do stuff that little girls don't try” (Hall et al.). As these lines are sung, the audience is shown a young Todrick who appears to be struggling to fit in the world around him. Just as Micheal O’Shaughnessy describes in chapter 21, “Ideologies and Discourses of Masculinity,” of his book Media and Identity: Representation, Impact, and Influence, men are taught from a young age to not display their emotions. More specifically, men are taught not to cry, just as the song describes. Because of this, they end up repressing their feelings. The song also makes the point to create a distinction of what’s masculine and feminine, and that boys should not act like girls because “Little boys are kings” (Hall et al.). While this song discusses the pressures put on young boys, it also has a hopeful attitude that there is somewhere where they can be themselves and thrive. The video utilizes color to emphasize how he sees the world around him, using muted colors for the world except for specific things such as the ruby red heels and the ballet dancers. This song …show more content…
He goes back and forth between desiring to open up to a presumed love interest, and wanting to keep feeling “brave.” This is another instance in which this text portrays how difficult it is for men to display feelings without feeling exposed. Instead of feeling exposed and vulnerable, he describes how he hides, “But these old shades/ Make me feel safe/ And these gold chains Make me feel brave, baby” (Hall et al.). The gold chain and shades make him feel safe, and by safe it means that he is going along with the gender norms, therefore not going against the grain and revealing his true self. The glasses and chain represent an identity that he is assuming in order to fit in. Since he hides behind this identity of a tough man he is lying to himself, as the title states. He makes the point that if he wants to be brave, he can’t let anyone “tear [his] walls down” (Hall et al.). In connection with the overall Wizard of Oz theme, bravery is depicted by a lion. A lion is almost always a symbol of strength, power, and they are even referred to as the “king of the jungle” because of these characteristics. Therefore, a lion can be seen as the representation of the ultimate masculine stereotype. With this imagery used in the video, its clear that Hall is giving in to the media expectations that “power is the major attribute that is