Background and development The
music video for "Part of Me" was directed by Ben Mor. Filming began on February 16, 2012, and took place over the course of three days at
USMC Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California. Perry announced the video shortly after the song's release, tweeting, "Holy power of the Grammy's, Part Of Me is already top 10 on itunes! U guys are killing it! NICE! Can't wait to shoot this video! #grateful." Her preparation for the video shoot included vigorous training in military basics, including
firepower,
military etiquette, and
combat training. As filming began, pictures from the video set surfaced online, showing Perry with short hair and dressed in
military clothing. The music video premiered on March 21, 2012 during the program
MTV First: Katy Perry, in which Perry discussed her experiences filming the video and the background of the video's
plot: Well, I actually had the idea, I wrote the story about what it is actually like to be in the Service, and it does take a lot of physical strength, but now that I've been through it – and even just for the three days I was there, [it's] a lot of mental strength. We used only
Marines, no actors or actresses. We used all of the Marine's equipment and they were so lovely to us, I always have fun even though it's a lot of work. Even though I was sore and exhausted, I was so educated on people in the service, who I've always respected but the stuff they go through, and the kind of loyalty they possess, it's very communal, and community. Not to sound weird, but it seems like the heart of America. Seriously, the heart.
Synopsis , signaling her final transformation into a Marine Perry sits in her car outside boyfriend Jason's (Lucas Kerr) workplace and sees him flirting with a woman. Perry confronts him in his office, slams down her heart pendant on the desk, and ends their relationship before Jason can talk to her. Perry storms out the door. The title track begins as we see Perry driving to a gas station, where she buys a can of tea. After paying for her items, she sees a moto-sticker on a notice board which reads, "All women are created equal, then some become Marines". The increasingly emotional Perry gathers her possessions from her car trunk, enters a nearby restroom, and begins her change of identity. She tearfully cuts her hair short, removes her bracelets, flattens her breasts, and changes into a hoodie and jeans. Perry enlists in the
United States Marine Corps, and after a brief scene of recruit training, reports to the School of Infantry for the Marine Corps' rigorous basic combat instruction course. She reminisces over her experiences with her ex-boyfriend, yet remains spiteful towards him. She then burns a love note from him (as opposed to a
Dear John letter) and vents her frustration through the
Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. The remainder of the video depicts Perry's training, and shows her dancing beneath a large
garrison flag. Perry ultimately transforms into a trained warrior, clad in camouflage
marine pattern, body armor and face paint.
Reception The video garnered positive reviews from critics, who praised its self-empowerment theme and its different approach in comparison to Perry's previous music videos. Bruna Nessif of
E! Online compared the video to
Demi Moore's role in
G.I. Jane. Ray Rahman from
Entertainment Weekly echoed the similarity of the
G.I. Jane influence in the video, and called it an "intense ride". MTV's James Montgomery praised the video and Perry's role, saying: "Over the years, Perry has been a California Gurl, a nerdy teenager, an alien and just about everything in between, but up until now, she's never really been an actual person." He went on to praise the video stating: "Part of Me" is unlike any pop video in recent memory.
Rihanna did military chic in her "
Hard" video (she even straddled a tank), and just about every one of Perry's pop contemporaries have ventured down the same path. But they were never really in the military; they were just making it more fabulous. Perry takes the opposite tact: She cuts off her hair, she eschews makeup, she fights, crawls, suffers. It's a commendable level of commitment. Your move, everybody else." Feminist author
Naomi Wolf criticized the video as
propaganda for the Marine Corps, stating "I really want to find out if she was paid by them for making it ..... it is truly shameful. I would suggest a
boycott of this singer whom I really liked if you are as offended at this glorification of violence as I am." Glenn Selig, founder of The Publicity Agency, responded to these claims on
Fox News Live, stating, "In her efforts to boycott the video, Naomi Wolf has
brought more attention to it, without her comments, most people would clearly have seen the military simply as a metaphor and not as an attempt by Katy Perry to glamorize the military or war." Perry told MTV that she chose the military plot because it represented the song, saying, "It's an affirmation of strength, so I wanted to go the strongest route I ever could." ==Live performances==