Project 3

Hotel Room -Pitbull

Cultural Code analysis

The basis of the video

Released in 2009, this hit song by Pitbull known as "Hotel Room Service" is definitely a severely sexualized music video with lots of pornographic themes and as well as sexual innuendos and implicit and explicit. Some could argue that since that it is a Latin song, it is naturally sexual and that this themes are more out there in the Latin culture than in the typical American culture. The beginning of the video begins by "Make some noise if you have someone to take to the hotel!" So, that gives a sneak peek to the music.

Sexualizing Women

Throughout the entirety of the video, the women in the video are all wearing all very revealing clothing and random women he meets are throwing themselves at him in a matter of seconds. See figure 1. The is representing that in the society and culture as a whole are that we believe ore assume in fact, that women are sex-crazed creatures. According to Mr. Worldwide

Screenshot from "Hotel Room Service" (FIgure 1)

Screenshot from "Hotel Room Service" (Figure 2)

Pornographic themes

Displayed in Figure 2, is the scene of where Pitbull sings "Tonight I'm gonna be the plumber and check all your pipes" This most definitely is a call to the role plays of pornos that are nothing like real life and all they succeed in doing is giving men unrealistic expectations of women as Kilbourne would agree.

Racism/Colorism

In this figure, it goes without saying that the ladies who are supposed to be of color are lacking it some. All the ladies are of lighter skin tone, and some of them even have blonde hair which is naturally uncommon for African American women. So, in videos, music, and other platforms people of color are altered or specifically chosen to resemble the appearance of a Caucasian or white people. Kilbourne also mentions this deduction in "Killing Us Softly 4".

Screenshot from "Hotel Room Service" (Figure 3)

Screenshot from "Hotel Room Service" (Figure 4)

Infidelity

One lyric in the song that repeats over and over again is "Forget about your boyfriend and meet me at the hotel" which is sending the message to men and perhaps some women as well that cheating is acceptable. In Figure 4, in this scene the music video is from the point of view of what seems to be his girlfriend who is going to catch him cheating.

Unrealistic Standards

In the video, and as shown in figure 5, all the women presented are tall, skinny, with long hair, big boobs that don't fit their frame and round butts. Which, is not a realistic or possible body shape and figure that most girls and women can achieve. And, this leads to making women feel insecure, and can fork off into becoming conditions such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders and more in them attempting to "look like the girls in the videos" as some would say. Jean Kilbourne visits this topic multiple times in "Killing Us Softly 4".

Screenshot from "Hotel Room Service" (Figure 5)

If you want to see this all for yourself, or if you just want to listen to a pop Latin song and pretend you are "Mr.Worldwide" here's the video. Enjoy!

Work Cited

Killing Us Softly 4. Directed by Sut Jhally, performance by Jean Kilbourne, Media Education Foundation, 2010,

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