page_title: Pretty Hurts
section_title: Background and release
hierarchical_section_title: Pretty Hurts / Music video / Background and release
caption_attribution_description: English: Looking northwest across Vanderbilt and Greene Avenues on a mostly sunny afternoon at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High.
context_page_description: "Pretty Hurts" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her eponymous fifth studio album. It impacted mainstream radio in the United States on June 10, 2014, as the fourth single from the album. The song was written by Sia, Ammo and Beyoncé and its production was handled by Beyoncé and Ammo. "Pretty Hurts" was initially written for Katy Perry and then offered to Rihanna; both artists failed to record the track and as a result it was sent to Beyoncé instead. It is a power pop and soul ballad, instrumentally complete with a sparse background honed with the use of synths, minor chords and a "booming" drum beat. The track's lyrical content deals with subjects of third-wave feminism, self-empowerment and body image. Additionally, the song's lyrics deal with the consequences of society's high standards of beauty, and in "Pretty Hurts" eating disorders are depicted as one of the subjected results.
  "Pretty Hurts" won in the category for Best Video with a Social Message at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards and was named the best track of 2014 by the Associated Press. Following the release of Beyoncé, the track charted in the lower regions internationally.
context_section_description: The music video for "Pretty Hurts" was directed by Melina Matsoukas. It was filmed at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, between August 11 and August 13, 2013. The filming of the clip saw an extended schedule surface with a variety scenes and concepts being developed during the ongoing shoot. As a result, several members of the crew quit the shoot, leaving Matsoukas with a limited team to work with. The small school in which the video's filming took place was intended to showcase "a small-town kind of pageant". According to Matsoukas, the location created a 1980s atmosphere combined with pin-up themes inspired by Blake Lively's character in the film The Town (2010). Several of the actresses portraying the beauty contestants in the video were models professionally, and shared their expertise for the clip's premise. The visual also sees a cameo appearance from American actor Harvey Keitel. Speaking about Keitel's involvement in an interview with New York Magazine, Matsoukas said that she wanted to use a "greasy, Vegas-type pageant character," and felt Keitel was well-suited for the role.
  Beyoncé stated that she wanted to film the video to showcase the correlation of physical beauty and happiness in life, which serves as one of the song's themes. Speaking to MTV News, the singer mentioned: "It represents all of the things women go through to keep up with the pressure that society puts on us. I wanted to tap into the world of competition. Some of the things young women go through is just really heartbreaking for me." Matsoukas wanted "Pretty Hurts" to follow a premise reminiscent to that of a documentary, with most of its filming occurring organically and unplanned. In an interview with MTV News, Matsoukas commented on the music video's theme:
  "Well I think we definitely wanted to speak to as many women as we could and all the pain and struggle that we go through as women to maintain this impossible standard of beauty. We wanted to give it a darker edge and take it there and not give you the Disney version of that struggle. And Beyoncé was more than willing to go that far with it. And I applaud her for that."
  The music video for "Pretty Hurts" was released on December 13, 2013, to iTunes Stores, as part of the release of Beyoncé. On April 24, 2014, it was made available for viewing on the website of Time, to coincide with Beyoncé's cover feature on their Time 100 issue. To further promote the release, Beyoncé launched a website campaign—"What Is Pretty"—which asked fans to post photos and videos on Instagram, explaining their definition of beauty. The music video was released on Beyoncé's Vevo account on the same day as her Time feature and "What Is Pretty" launch. A behind the scenes segment of the music video was premiered on MTV and Vevo, also on April 24.
caption: The music video was filmed at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School.
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