F * King Perfect Analysis

It has been seven years since Pink’s “F**king Perfect” music video was released, but her message remains: No matter your flaws, you are perfect. Whether you are dealing with anorexia, bullying, or self-harm, Pink wants her audience to know that there is a way to overcome it all and see the light at the end of the tunnel. She does not shy away from the actuality of self-harming nor does she hide drug use. In fact, she stuffs her video with all these terrible situations but to what end? A fairytale one. Her video had good intentions to reach out to those feeling less than perfect and is generally a moving piece thanks to its use of pathos, but it has one flaw: It lacks the inclusiveness and realness she likely aimed towards. From an objective standpoint, the plot works well, telling a recognizable underdog-to-winner story from start to finish while keeping the audience interested. The opening sex scene is graphic enough to raise eyebrows, but it is the look of discomfort from the woman when the couple finished that raises questions. Now

By saying “They don’t like my jeans/ They don’t get my hair” she acknowledges that she does not appeal to everyone. (PinkVEVO 2:28-2:42) How could she not then take this opportunity to embrace and support people and topics that are also not accepted by everyone? Christina Aguilera did in her “Beautiful” music video by showing a gay couple and transgender person and that was eight years before “Perfect” came out. Pink was already taking a risk by showing a bloody cutting scene, so why did she stop there? Had she included situations that covered topics relatable to a broader audience, the song would have kept its weight and not been buried in the “Sad Songs About Feeling Bad About Yourself”