Echendu Sonia - 23BE032990 Question 1 - Assignment

 

Who Owns Her Image? Male Gaze vs. Oppositional Gaze in Tiwa Savage’s Koroba

In the stunning visual music video for Tiwa Savage’s Koroba, we see a showpiece that is politically layered as it is visually captivating. Directed by Clarence Peters, the video presents Savage as both an alluring symbol of modern femininity and a conscious observer on power, gender, and society hypocrisy. But who controls this image? Using Laura Mulvey’s concept of the “male gaze” and bell hooks ‘of the “oppositional gaze,” this essay examines the representation of Tiwa Savage’s body, voice, and space in the music video, and how these layers are seen differently and interpreted by Black women.

The Male Gaze in Koroba: Aesthetic Objectified

Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze, first expressed in her 1975 essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” shows how mainstream media often place women as sexualized figures. Through framing, camera angles, and narrative positioning, women become bodies are framed for consumption by men view on media. In Koroba, we see clear visual plans that could support this reading.

The video unveils with a slow pan across Savage’s body as she sits elegant in a luxurious room, surrounded by embellished rich furniture. Throughout the video, the camera lingers on her curves such as her hips, legs, cleavage and while she moves with sensual confidence. These shots are not just accidental; they are stylized, polished, and major on her physical beauty. The glamorization of her body, and the absence of male co-stars, might see it as a female empowerment narrative at first view. However, Mulvey’s framework show us that camera work itself can objectify and fragment the female body, even when no male characters are physically present.

Most importantly, the narrative in Koroba is conceptual. Tiwa Savage isn’t playing a character - she is the image. This lack of narrative agency emphasizes on Mulvey’s point: the woman is there to be looked at. Savage’s role centers on being visually and consumed commercially.

Additionally, the use of traditional African aesthetics such as head wraps, prints, jewellery match cultural authenticity with sexualization. While these styles could signal pride in African heritage. Thus, within the male gaze lens, Koroba could be read as reinforcing the commodification of the Black female body, a body that is glamorous, desirable, but ultimately visual property.

The Oppositional Gaze: Reclaiming her Image and Meaning

bell hooks’ concept of the “oppositional gaze,” however, offers reinterpreting Koroba. In her 1992 work Black Looks: Race and Representation, hooks describe the oppositional gaze as a critical, resistant look for Black women. For hooks, looking is political. When Black women look with intention, they challenge the power of dominant narratives and reclaim agency.

Applying this lens to Koroba, we begin to see how the same images that appear sexualized under the male gaze can be read differently by a Black feminist spectator. Instead of seeing Savage as sexually objectified, this viewer may see her as a woman who is fully aware of how her body is being framed and who intentionally manipulates that framing for her own gain.

Take, for instance, the lyrics of Koroba. Tiwa Savage sings: “I no come this life to suffer...If I follow politician...You go hear am for paper.” Here, she honestly critiques the moral double standards put on women’s choices, especially on wealth and sexuality. While the visual narrative is seen with sensuality and luxury, the lyrical narrative critiques societal judgment. This empowers a Black female viewer not to identified with Savage’s objectification but with her subversion.

Moreover, the absence of male characters shifts the power dynamics. Savage occupies every frame. In this sense, Koroba can be read as Savage’s own stage. The camera may linger on her body, but she controls the rhythm, the lyrics, and the gaze. Her self-fashioning challenges the notion that sexuality and agency are mutually exclusive.

In the context of Nigeria, where male norms still heavily influence gender roles and public morality, Savage’s unapologetic display of female pleasure, wealth, and visibility can be viewed as a radical act. To the oppositional gaze, she is not just a spectacle a symbol of resistance.

 A Delicate Balance between Empowerment and Objectification:

The line between empowerment and commodification remains blurry. hooks warns that the appearance of agency does not always equate to freedom. Even when women control their image, their performance is still shaped by the demands of capitalist and male media systems. In Tiwa Savage’s case, her brand and that of many female pop artists relies on sexual appeal to some extent. The risk here is that empowerment becomes aesthetic rather than structural.

The production value of Koroba, its alignment with global pop standards, and its consumption across YouTube and social media platforms, mean that it is not just an artistic statement but a product. The tension lies in whether the video challenges or complies with the commercial logics that objectify Black women.

However, one must consider the context in which Koroba exists. Unlike in Western pop videos where Black women are often peripheral side characters, we see here Savage is the central figure. She is not filtered through a white gaze. While the male gaze may still operate through the camera lens and the pop genre, the oppositional gaze can see that a Black Nigerian woman is shaping the narrative of her own image.

Conclusion

In examining Koroba through the two lenses of Mulvey’s male gaze and hooks’ oppositional gaze, we see the video is as complex as it is colourful. On one hand, the visual grammar of the music video conforms to lingering camera shots, luxurious sets, and emphasis on physical allure. On the other hand, Tiwa Savage’s lyrical agency, visual dominance, and cultural context allow for an oppositional reading.

Thus, the question, “Who owns her image?” is not answered simply. The male gaze might claim ownership through its framing and consumer appeal. But the oppositional gaze challenges that claim, offering a reading that sees Savage as an author of her own story. It is in this space of tension that Koroba becomes more than a music video. It becomes a site of ideological struggle over Black femininity.