Lara Dobson

P!NK – Family PortraitGenre – R&B

CharactersThe characters present are Pink and her younger self. This can be assumed through the fact they are wearing the same outfit and the younger character is singing most of the song on her own to tell the tale of her present rather than the tale of the older ones past. The young child is obviously visibly upset over the events that have been unfolding in the narrative. The other characters are the TV family that is seen as the perfect family. They represent everything that the younger Pink wants for herself as she wants a family. The two pinks represent a broken and realistic family while the family on the television represent a façade and the stereotypical norm that society deems as appropriate.

NarrativePink’s father is getting a divorce from her mother and the younger pink wants them to stay a family. She is a figment of the older Pink’s imagination and she soon immigrates into the television to be with the television family to make the perfect family. This is where the name Family Portrait comes from as the image on the television makes it seem like a family portrait. This is a stereotypical representation of R&B music as it is usually deemed to have a sad tone to the music videos. Pink repeats ‘pretty happy’ as if she herself doesn’t believe the façade that

they play towards others. This is a negative representation of family in the video as families are usually seen as devoted to each other’s well being.

IconographyThe cereal that both interpretations of the families eat is called ‘Pretty Happy’ which is mentioned repeatedly in the song. The way the family on the television eat the cereal links to the lyrics of the song ‘In our family portrait, we look pretty happy’ as they seem like a fake representation of what stereotypical family is like. Another iconic feature in this music video is the fact the younger pink wears the same clothes as the older pink. This makes the events seem like it still effects her in her daily lifestyle which is a stereotype of R&B music to be about family life or misguided relationships.

Lara Dobson

SettingThe whole music video is set in the home of Pink which could be seen as her child hood home. This is due to the fact the song is about Pink’s childhood and how the family separated when she was young. This could be a negative representation of family life as it makes the old stereotypes of the perfect family seem distant. The other setting which is present is the ‘perfect’ setting that is portrayed in the television advertisement. This gives a false impression of perfection which is a stereotypical view society have of the perfect family.

Technical Codes

The lyrics links in to the iconography as it makes the narrative have a deeper meaning. The use of “let’s play pretend as it comes naturally” suggests that the stereotypical view of family is different to that of what is being represented in the video in the beginning. The low key lighting suggests a somber mood throughout the video as it seems to b have a dark meaning to do with her past.