"Carry Out"

Justin Timberlake and Timberland’s “Carry Out” music video constructs the myth of the playa. Through the jux position of the working class and aristocracy one can see the construction of hyper sexual masculinity and feminization of women. Within the lyrics and music video, Justin and Timberland continuously use the metaphor of the fast food industry and how they "service" an individual to evoke hyper masculinity and the feminization of women.

Watching Justin Timberlake and Timberland’s “Carry Out” video a person can visually see hyper masculinity play out throughout the music video. In the very beginning of the “Carry Out” music video the first scene a person will see is Justin Timberlake and Timberland in a car. This not a minivan or a PT Cruiser it is a Pontiac Firebird. This car is a muscle car, one that a very masculine man would drive.  Throughout the music video Justin Timberlake and Timberland are the center of focus, and always dominating the scenes they are in. This is a classic characteristic of masculinity. Masculinity can be described as someone being very dominant with in a conversation and through actions, also taking up a lot of space. Towards the end of the music video Timberland and one of the dancers are in a scene together. Timberland is behind the dancer putting Dr. Dre Beat’s headphones on her head. The way Timberland puts the headphones on is significant to visual hyper masculinity, because Timberland puts the head phones on in a very sneaky and sexual way. This power gender dynamic shows how aggressive behavior constructs hyper masculinity.

Not only can one see the message of hyper masculinity visually, but looking at the lyrics of the song connects hyper masculinity to the myth of the playa as well. “Have it your, way, foreplay before I feed your appetite”, ‘Take my order cause your body like a Carry out”, “Baby get my order right, no errors”, and “Let me walk into your body until you hear me out” are all examples of hyper masculinity. These lyrics give a notion to the myth of the playa, because they hint towards prostitution. Through these lyrics it is almost as if Justin Timberlake and Timberland are the pimps of the women/dancers/maids/waitresses. Through the characterization of masculinity dominance is a key part. Within these lyrics Justin Timberlake and Timberland seem to never give the women they are ordering around any choice in the matter, as if they control them. These lyrics in the end help construct the myth of the playa by using hyper masculinization.

Visually the women within the “Carry Out” music video by Justin Timberlake and Timberland are feminized. Women tend to be more receptive to taking orders, and wear less clothing that is more form fitting according to Devor in Gender Roles, Behaviors and Attitudes. During the video one can see many different clothing changes from the women in the video. There were women in roller blades with tight revealing pinup outfits, very revealing and tight maid costumes, and outfits that reflected the look of a stripper/porn star. These outfits fit the characterization of femininity that Devor brings up with in Gender Roles, Behaviors and Attitudes. “..Femininity, as a role, is best suited to satisfying a masculine vision of heterosexual attractiveness” (Devor 569).  Throughout the video one can continuously see women attending to Justin Timberlake and Timberland’s every need and are not saying no. Once again this goes back to the notion that feminine people are more willing to take orders rather than give them.

Feminization of women is brought lyrically through Justin Timberlake and Timberland’s lyrics about taking orders. Using the same lyrics that masculinized Justin Timberlake and Timberland, also brings forth feminization of the women with in the music video; “Have it your, way, foreplay before I feed your appetite”, ‘Take my order cause your body like a Carry out”, “Baby get my order right, no errors”, and “Let me walk into your body until you hear me out”. These lyrics feminize the women within this music video because they show the women accepting and taking orders from the two hyper masculine figures in the music video; Justin Timberlake and Timberland.

The working class is visually seen through the scenery and the outfits that the women wear for the duration of the music video. The very first scene a person sees while watching this video is signs and arrows signaling for a diner. A diner is typically associated with the working class because they are very cheap, and workers there make minimum wage or a little higher. The Pontiac Firebird is also associated with the working class of the time, regardless of it being restored. The Firebird was a typical car for the average family. Also, the outfits that the women are wearing while they are at Justin Timberlake and Timberland’s car wear knockoffs of the typical dinner uniform. Conflicting with the views of the working class are views of aristocracy. Aristocracy is a governing body or upper class usually made up of hereditary nobility. Justin Timberlake and Timberland are put in a scene with a chair that one of royalty or very high stature would sit in, and they have a woman dressed in a maid costume by their side. Visually this shows a view of aristocratic life. Not only do their outfits and scenery construct an aristocratic lifestyle, but so does their faces. Justin Timberlake and Timberland’s faces have looks of enjoyment and looks of entitlement to what they are receiving from their “maids”. With aristocracy and the working class viewed within the music video Justin Timberlake and Timberland accurately construct the myth of the playa.

Through the jux position of the working class and aristocracy one can see that the music video “Carry Out” uses the construction of hyper sexual masculinity and feminization of women. Within the lyrics and music video, Justin and Timberland continuously use the metaphor of the fast food industry and how they "service" an individual to evoke hyper masculinity and the feminization of women. Justin Timberlake and Timberland’s “Carry Out” music video constructs the myth of the playa.