An "American" Girl

On the surface, Mitski’s “Your Best American Girl” video is about a girl failing to impress a guy who was ultimately interested with someone else. However, upon further analysis it is revealed that the artist is really trying to display the isolation and displacement she feels as a person of non-American descent in America. She shows this in context of a romantic encounter, but ultimately the sentiment is felt across all parts of her life. She uses a clash of culture, symbolism, and set design to tell her story.

       Mitski is a Japanese American woman who grew up outside the US. Her life in America has been a struggle. In her words she describes it as, “wanting to just fit into this very American person’s life and simply not being able to” (Gaca). Her video encapsulates this wish of hers. In the opening scene, Mitski sees a good looking man across the room and they lock eyes. She is interested but he immediately diverts his attention to a different girl. This girl symbolizes an American. She has on Americana and indie clothing in neutral colors. Needless to say, both the guy and girl were white. Mitski, on the other hand, is shown in a bright red suit which in addition to her Japanese looks sets her apart from the others. 

While this scene is meant to function as purely romantic, the dichotomy between Mitski and the symbolic Americans can be taken much further. Ultimately, what Mitski is showing us the way she feels witnessing Americans interact and not being able to join in because of the way she looks and her cultural background. While outside cultural rejection is an only underlying part of American ideology it is still there and people of all races have suffered because of it. Her lyric “Don’t wait for me, I can’t come” (Mitski) sums this up perfectly. While she wants to join in American culture and be an accepted member of society she can’t because she is different and knows it.

       Later in the video, Mitski makes a clothing change from the bright red suit to a light gold dress. This change is accompanied with her picking up and playing her white guitar. Extending the juxtaposition from above, this could signify Mitski realizing that trying to fit into American culture simply will not work. She has learned to embrace her identity and culture. “Your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me/ But I do, I finally do” (Mitski). Even though the rejection from American culture may still be there, it doesn’t bother her as much. She has learned that she is worth more.

The set design works to enhance and corroborate the ideas mentioned above. Throughout the video the background is a blank, white backdrop. This in itself represents the whiteness in America, but also forces the viewer to focus on the subjects of the video, framing the cultural dichotomy created by clothing color and ethnicity of the actors. Without the background the juxtaposition between Mitski and the American couple would not be as pronounced and thus not function as strongly. From the beginning of the video the American couple blend in perfectly with the background. When Mitski changes into the gold dress she blends into the white background which could symbolize her accepting her identity and finding a place she feels like herself in American society. Additionally, at the end of the video Mitski simply walks off the set. The live set footage makes it seem that this encounter was not an act at all, but a real incident that the audience accidentally saw. This works to show how real the issue of rejection has been for Mitski. It’s not a staged production it’s a part of her actual life.

Mitski utilizes set design and symbolism to create a comprehensive display of the struggle she has had finding acceptance in American society. Her transformation throughout the video shows how she very much wanted to fit in and be like everyone else, but she soon realized that was not realistic and learned to embrace herself and cultural background. The use of a symbolic American couple aids in creating a dichotomy that showcases the rejection that Mitski has felt throughout her life. In its entirety, the “Your Best American Girl”, video serves as platform to demonstrate the identity crises that minorities face in America.

Citations: 

Gaca, Anna. "Mitski’s New ‘Your Best American Girl’ Video Features Quite the Lana Del Rey Lookalike." Spin. Spin, 14 Apr. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

"Mitski – Your Best American Girl." Genius. Genius, 01 Mar. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.