Analysis of Lady GaGa's 'Telephone' Video

'I cannot text you with a drink in my hand, eh'
The video for 'Telephone' sees GaGa being admitted into the 'Prison for Bitches', the derogatory yet feminine name a clear reference to GaGa's womanhood, targeting rumours in the press.

This is not the only reference to this in the video, so it seems that it was an intentional way of tackling the news stories. The narrative continues on from GaGa's video for 'Paparazzi', where she kills her boyfriend. We watch GaGa entering the prison, and after a number of costume changes even in the first two minutes (the video is a 9 minute long short film, essentially), she uses the payphone to call Beyonce to bail her out.

They drive off in the car together and stop off at a diner, where they proceed a mass-homicide, poisoning the food in the diner and killing all who eat it- including the boyfriend of Beyonce. The video concludes with the two women driving off in the 'Pussy Wagon', a directly taken object from the Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill, who also assisted the production of the video.
Other Tarantino references include Beyonce's nickname 'Honey Bee', similar to 'Honey Bunny' in Pulp Fiction, the use of 'to be continued', and a similar yellow and red font to the one used for Jackie Brown.

Consumerism is seen throughout the video, and product placement is featured heavily. A total of 9 products are presented in the video, including Diet Coke, Virgin Mobile, and GaGa's own designed HeartBeat headphones. These items are focused on long enough to hint at a consumer theme, but not enough to be classified as an advertisement. 

Throughout the video, GaGa is shown in a number of costumes and varying appearances, from her Madonna style studded leather jacket and heavy makeup, to hers and Beyonce's American flag costumes at the conclusion. GaGa is shown to retain a 'glamorous' image throughout her time in prison, providing the image that appearance is priority and highly important to women.

Voyeurism can be applied to many aspects of the video, GaGa is seen in many revealing outfits, and some camera shots focus entirely on Beyonce's chest. However, in some way, 'Telephone' reverses the theory of the male 'gaze', as the women are presented in a powerful, dangerous way, in an entirely female environment where there are no men to look upon them. Both the prisoners and prison guards are women, showing equal positions of power.

There are also 45 pop-culture and inter-textual references in the music video, ranging from Beyonce's Wonder Woman-esque costume, to a Michael Jackson shuffle from GaGa after breaking out from jail, to the undeniable 'Thelma and Louise' style relationship between GaGa and Beyonce.