<![CDATA[The construction of women in popular media, such as music videos, often reproduces patriarchal values despite being framed within seemingly progressive narratives of empowerment. This complexity indicates that popular media does not merely convey images but also functions as a site of ideological contestation embedded with power relations. This study aims to examine how the visual text and song lyrics in Ariana Grande’s Positions music video interact with discursive practices and the surrounding socio-cultural context. Employing a qualitative approach, this research applies Fairclough’s three-dimensional Critical Discourse Analysis framework with text, discursive practice, and social practice along with a male gaze concept and the liberal feminist perspective to explore how women’s roles are constructed in popular music videos. The findings reveal that women are portrayed as empowered figures capable of multitasking and occupying strategic positions in the public sphere. Nevertheless, the symbolic representations employed remain entangled with patriarchal oppression. This study underscores that media is not a neutral space, but rather an arena of meaning production shaped by power relations and market interests. Keywords: Critical Discourse Analysis, Gender Construction, Liberal Feminism, Male Gaze, Music Video]]>
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