Photo shot by David Lee and downloaded from Wikimedia Commons.
Written for my Media Theory and Criticism class in May 2024, here I examine Mitski’s music video for “Happy” through the lens of psychoanalytic criticism.
Before completing this paper, I hadn’t written using Freud’s ideology in years. It was really interesting to return to theories I studied briefly in high school, now with a more intricate understanding.
This course was one of my favorites in university; I felt I had the opportunity to take what I had been learning in Media Studies and actually apply it. I was given the tools to put into action everything I had learned in previous semesters.
At my professor’s recommendation, I submitted this essay for consideration for the Goodwin Popular Culture Award. While not selected as the winner, I am proud of my work on the piece, and I can see my growth as a writer.