Mabel feat. Shygirl "Look At My Body Pt. II"

2024

BUCK had the pleasure of collaborating with director David Wilson to create the music video for Mabel feat. Shygirl "Look At My Body Pt. II." Our vision of mighty Mother Nature celebrates her anatomy without objectifying it — challenging the male gaze and historic sexual objectification of women. The result is a 2D-animated sequence that combines feminist values with classic craft — a psychedelic romp showcasing the power of womanhood in a sequence that is fluid, dynamic, and filled with BUCK flair.

Reclaiming Female Sexuality

Mabel confronts and reclaims her sexuality in the song, pointing out different areas where women have long been objectified like classical art, religion, and pornography.

Following the lead of the live-action segments of the video — which parody the “original sin” by showing Mabel and Shygirl biting into a forbidden apple — we kick off the animated segment by sending the duo on a psychedelic trip into female enlightenment. We used a retro style to match the aesthetic of the live-action video, which satirizes the historic objectification of women.

A Psychedelic, Religious Experience

We used upward camera angles throughout the sequence to emphasize the character’s power over the viewer, as one would worship a goddess. Though often portrayed as weaknesses in women, her visible organs and lifeblood celebrate her anatomy while her overflowing breast milk emphasizes her fertility.

The complicated cel animation used in the sequence is rare in modern commercial animation, posing an exciting challenge for BUCK’s team. Most of the shots were animated straight on the page with little previsualization in order to provide more fluidity and motion to the character.