Monday
Contemporary ad #3 - Diet Coke "Hunk" advert
In this text the women are seen to be challenging stereotypes such as the male gaze through the way they behave and stare at this one man acting premiscuously (female gaze), when usually this is the other way round.
Historical ad #1 -Cadbury's Flake advert - 1985
The fact that the woman is seen running freely by herself through a field of flowers could suggest a zeitgeist of independence for women in the 80's, and a new start leaving behind days of being discriminated. This sort of ideology may attract women to the Flake advert as they're being made to believe through the representation that they are dominant and powerful. However, the use of the chocolate bar as a phallic symbol could be to support views of a patriarchal male dominant society.
Historical ad #3 - Shake n' Vac
The shake n' vac advertisement is trying to sell a household cleaning product in a way which promotes and represents ideologies of a stereotypical housewife role, through the main female character. The conventions of this role are highlighted through activities such as the woman cleaning her house and staying at home. The advert seems to imply that the role of being a housewife in the 20th century was very important as the woman is seen to be singing about the cleaning product.
3 Ways the number of female directors could be improved
1. Industry could be set specific targets which must be met, allowing there to be an equal amount of men and women directors, therefore preventing gender discrimination.
2. Giving men longer paternity leave, therefore allowing women more time dedicated towards work.
3. Encouraging women to break into the industry through introducing more relevant courses in girl schools/colleges.
2. Giving men longer paternity leave, therefore allowing women more time dedicated towards work.
3. Encouraging women to break into the industry through introducing more relevant courses in girl schools/colleges.
5 Female Directors
1. Jana Bennett
BBC's director of television
2. Sofia Coppola
1996: Bed Bath and Beyond
1998: Lick the Star
1999: The Virgin Suicide
2003: Lost in Translation
2006:Mary Antoinette
3. Phyllida Lloyd
1998 : Lucia
2008:Mama Mia
4. Gurinder Chadha:
1992: Acting Our Age
1993: Bhaji on the Beach
1994: What do you can an Indian women whos funny?
1994: Nice Arrangement
2000: Whats Cooking
2002: Bend it like Beckham
2004: Bride and Prejudice
2008: Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging
5. Mary Harron
1996: I Shot Any Warhol
2000: American Pshyco
2005: The Notorious Bettie Pae
2005: Six Feet Under
FIVE reasons why women directors are such a rare sight
1. Stereotypical pre-conceptions have been created within society about womens roles as housewives. A kind of gender hierarchy has formed on this basis which prevented women of doing the jobs that men had done throughout history. To this day, the media industry has predominantly consisted of men, however change has started to occur in society and men are becoming more in touch with their feminine side, and more women are getting the top jobs. This ties in with the 'New Man' theory.
2. The media is a predominantly male industry and in order to find a career in it you will definately need to know the right people in order to be successful. With the high numbers of men making the big decisions, it can be more difficult in some cases for women to get promoted.
3. Pregnancy can also be another reason why there are not as many women directors. Being a director is a very demanding job. Having a child can make this alot more difficult.
4. Men are at the top of the foodchain ('Fat Cats'). As a result there seems to be a male dominance.
2. The media is a predominantly male industry and in order to find a career in it you will definately need to know the right people in order to be successful. With the high numbers of men making the big decisions, it can be more difficult in some cases for women to get promoted.
3. Pregnancy can also be another reason why there are not as many women directors. Being a director is a very demanding job. Having a child can make this alot more difficult.
4. Men are at the top of the foodchain ('Fat Cats'). As a result there seems to be a male dominance.
Tuesday
1990's
Junior - 1994
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RmHQBXJuwQs&feature=related
As part of a fertility research project, a male scientist agrees to carry a pregnancy in his own body. This film identifies men with their feminine side as Arnold Schwarzenneger and Danny Devito attempt to care for and raise the baby as a mother would her own child. This re-enforces ideologies that make up the 'New Man' theory, in which men are more sensitive and caring, while women are tougher.
Goodfellas-1990
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=twVYnfNbQGo
Male dominance and masculinity is apparent in this film with the power of the men in jail being emphasised, while the women adopt a very different role in which they're represented as premisucuous at times and as sex objects.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RmHQBXJuwQs&feature=related
As part of a fertility research project, a male scientist agrees to carry a pregnancy in his own body. This film identifies men with their feminine side as Arnold Schwarzenneger and Danny Devito attempt to care for and raise the baby as a mother would her own child. This re-enforces ideologies that make up the 'New Man' theory, in which men are more sensitive and caring, while women are tougher.
Goodfellas-1990
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=twVYnfNbQGo
Male dominance and masculinity is apparent in this film with the power of the men in jail being emphasised, while the women adopt a very different role in which they're represented as premisucuous at times and as sex objects.
1980's
Terminator - 1984
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0MFkKvISvcI
Women has been portrayed as playing several different roles in this film which consist of, lover/sex-object, fighter/survivor, and also victim/last girl.
3 Men And A Baby - 1987
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PLmNBgBQ78M
Demonstrates changing gender roles in society where men become more in touch with the feminine side of their personalities. This supports ideologies of the 'New Man' theory in which men appear to be more sensitive and women are tougher.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0MFkKvISvcI
Women has been portrayed as playing several different roles in this film which consist of, lover/sex-object, fighter/survivor, and also victim/last girl.
3 Men And A Baby - 1987
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PLmNBgBQ78M
Demonstrates changing gender roles in society where men become more in touch with the feminine side of their personalities. This supports ideologies of the 'New Man' theory in which men appear to be more sensitive and women are tougher.
1970's
Alien - 1979
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3HjwbnhVnDM&feature=related
For one of the first times in film, a female is beeing represented as the hero/heroin of the storyline. However, this is still not fully re-enforced in alien as we see the lead female running away from the aliens which displays traits of weakness and fear.
The Owl And The Pussycat - 1970
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qWeQGxZlv1s
1970 romantic comedy with the lead female character playing the role of an uneducated actress, model, and part-time prostitute.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3HjwbnhVnDM&feature=related
For one of the first times in film, a female is beeing represented as the hero/heroin of the storyline. However, this is still not fully re-enforced in alien as we see the lead female running away from the aliens which displays traits of weakness and fear.
The Owl And The Pussycat - 1970
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qWeQGxZlv1s
1970 romantic comedy with the lead female character playing the role of an uneducated actress, model, and part-time prostitute.
1960's
The Sound Of Music - 1965
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KtQdYoK64S4
A 1960's film with main female character, who is represented in an innocent light.
The Witch's Mirror - 1960 Mexico
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kbRH7sKnog0&feature=related
Women with authority represented as evil.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KtQdYoK64S4
A 1960's film with main female character, who is represented in an innocent light.
The Witch's Mirror - 1960 Mexico
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kbRH7sKnog0&feature=related
Women with authority represented as evil.
1950's
1.) High Noon-1952
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QKLvKZ6nIiA&feature=related
The western genre of films was extremely popular in the 1950's, however their main emphasis was placed on masculinity and females were very rarely if ever given important roles in these films, this reflects the opinions of society and the media at this point in time.
2.) Sunset Blvd-1950
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ClLOvSiBW4I
1950's film which has representations which imply that women with power are in some way crazy/evil/ out of control.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QKLvKZ6nIiA&feature=related
The western genre of films was extremely popular in the 1950's, however their main emphasis was placed on masculinity and females were very rarely if ever given important roles in these films, this reflects the opinions of society and the media at this point in time.
2.) Sunset Blvd-1950
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ClLOvSiBW4I
1950's film which has representations which imply that women with power are in some way crazy/evil/ out of control.
Friday
THE CHANGING REPRESENTATIONS OF WOMEN FROM PAST TO PRESENT
The representations of women have evolved in a big way since the past. Many believe that societies perceptions have changed and people think that women deserve more equality which they have now achieved in a big way. It is no longer about a patriarchal society, however from some certain aspects it could be argued that the roles of women have not changed at all from the past.
On the other hand, media texts today show how the representations of women have advanced in that they are given more challenging and masculine roles. For example in many sitcoms such as the hit american show 'Friends', where the male characters often deliberately display their feminine side and the female 'stars wear the trousers' in the show. This has been used to reflect equality of gender in society as a group from both genders are being represented as being equal to each other, which to an extent indicates that there is a deterioration of the patriarchal ideologies in society today.
In my opinion, women are starting to gain more recognition and getting the top jobs in society, however judging from sources such as the media guardian 100, it could be said that that women are still nowhere near equal to men.
The representation of women in the past was unequal to men and they were presented with the low priority jobs. They did not get the top jobs but would most likely be taking orders from their male bosses. For the women who were acting in the media, they too were not given any major roles as this was the mans job.
On the other hand, media texts today show how the representations of women have advanced in that they are given more challenging and masculine roles. For example in many sitcoms such as the hit american show 'Friends', where the male characters often deliberately display their feminine side and the female 'stars wear the trousers' in the show. This has been used to reflect equality of gender in society as a group from both genders are being represented as being equal to each other, which to an extent indicates that there is a deterioration of the patriarchal ideologies in society today.
In my opinion, women are starting to gain more recognition and getting the top jobs in society, however judging from sources such as the media guardian 100, it could be said that that women are still nowhere near equal to men.
The representation of women in the past was unequal to men and they were presented with the low priority jobs. They did not get the top jobs but would most likely be taking orders from their male bosses. For the women who were acting in the media, they too were not given any major roles as this was the mans job.
Hegemony Vs Pluralism
I feel that there are some aspects of both beliefs that i agree with and some that i disagree with.
Hegemonic model has the belief that the audience is brain washed and minipulated by the powerful groups of society such as the government, media institutions and the rich. I feel that this is true to an extent as there is some evidence to suggest that vulnerable groups of people are likely to be influenced by and sometimes immitate things that they see. On the other hand, i feel that audiences are far more aware of how the media and powerful social groups operate. This could be due to things such as the introduction of media studies as a subject which educates people about how audiences can be shaped to conform to certain models, therefore allowing them to have a more active mind and way of thinking. Also the fact that there is a very diverse range of texts available today. I think that on the whole I cannot say i agree with one more than the other as i support some of the ideologies in both Hegemony and Pluralism.
Hegemonic model has the belief that the audience is brain washed and minipulated by the powerful groups of society such as the government, media institutions and the rich. I feel that this is true to an extent as there is some evidence to suggest that vulnerable groups of people are likely to be influenced by and sometimes immitate things that they see. On the other hand, i feel that audiences are far more aware of how the media and powerful social groups operate. This could be due to things such as the introduction of media studies as a subject which educates people about how audiences can be shaped to conform to certain models, therefore allowing them to have a more active mind and way of thinking. Also the fact that there is a very diverse range of texts available today. I think that on the whole I cannot say i agree with one more than the other as i support some of the ideologies in both Hegemony and Pluralism.
5 main points from Essay
1."Women are supposedly rising in status throughout the media due to the use of naked, explicit and suggestive photo spread and images"
2."The scantily dressed females represent women as sex objects and exhibit an overpowering masculinity to the audience and therefore re-enforce negative stereotypes in the media"
3." It enhances the stereotype to men that women are only objects of their sexual desire, and should therefore conform to what they view as attractive. This relates to the 'hyperdermic needle' theory"
4."A dominantly male audience reflects and enforces the theory of 'Laddism' and the winning formula has been defined as "Beer, Sex and Babes'"
5." The magazines Loaded and FHM both feature women on the front cover scantily dressed or even naked as their sales lure, a common convention followed by most pornographic publications."
2."The scantily dressed females represent women as sex objects and exhibit an overpowering masculinity to the audience and therefore re-enforce negative stereotypes in the media"
3." It enhances the stereotype to men that women are only objects of their sexual desire, and should therefore conform to what they view as attractive. This relates to the 'hyperdermic needle' theory"
4."A dominantly male audience reflects and enforces the theory of 'Laddism' and the winning formula has been defined as "Beer, Sex and Babes'"
5." The magazines Loaded and FHM both feature women on the front cover scantily dressed or even naked as their sales lure, a common convention followed by most pornographic publications."
Monday
Textual Analysis
The text ('Make It Rain') has been created in the form of a music video featuring famous rap/hip hop icons Lil Wayne and Fat Joe as the main stars. It is just one from a range of music videos that I will be analysing in an attempt to explore my hypothesis and gain an in depth understanding about womens roles in Rap/Hip Hop.
From the outset of this text there is a glamourised emphasis being placed on materialistic things such as cash and jewellery, but more so the exploitation of women is amplified in a way which believes that women also fall in to this category of 'material objects', suggesting that they're no more than meaningless posessions or belongings. The use of slow motion shots panning along the 'greased up' bodies of women who have been intentionally made to appear as promiscuous as possible are the most obvious indications of conventional Hip Hop stereotypes. There is deffinately evidence in this video which supports the ideologies of a patriarchal society. For example, the blatant lustful representations of women combined with low-angle shots of the male rappers holding cash carries connotations of power and dominance for the male who is presented as the breadwinner, where as the female is shown to have no real purpose but to please the man.
This unrealistic portrayal of men and women is being forced upon teenagers, a group in society who are targeted by media institutions, fully aware of how easily they can be influenced. It is the power of these institutions and the effect that their texts have on audiences that may support the beliefs of the 'Hypodermic Needle Theory'. This theory implies that the mass media have a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences. This video especially relates to the hypodermic needle theory as it has been created with the intention of attracting young, teenage boys to a fantasy-like lifestyle in which they can gain an identity and power through exploiting cash and women. Universal Records could be criticised for moral and political irresponsibility as a result of the negative ideologies that they impose on their young and passive audiences.
The lyrics 'I make it rain on them hoes' repeated throughout the chorus carry negative and degrading connotations for women. They are being referred to as 'hoes'which suggests that they are promiscuous and offer acts of a secual nature. Women are exposing their bodies and dancing in a sexual way while they hold the rappers money which almost portrays them as the rappers property as they are satisfying the male protagonist in exchange for his money. This portrayal of an unequal relationship between men and women is being forced upon teenagers who are easily influenced by what they see on TV and in music videos.
Women are seen to be holding rappers money and shaking their bodies in a seductive way which encourages young people who watch these music videos to believe that they must exploit women, money and themselves in order to gain an identity. Materialistic values are very strong in this particular video with the amount of emphasis placed on cash, jewellery and flash cars in most shots.
del.ici.ous tags
http://www.mysistahs.org/features/hiphop.htm
Article called "The Exploitation of Women in Hip-hop Culture". Looking into the representations and sexism that hip hop is accused of. Directly related to my study.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ7mmMe4klQ&feature=related
Youtube clip about a woman called Sara Baartman, the first black woman in known history to be exploited for her body in a sexual way. Vital piece of historical information to consider when writing my essay.
http://www.hiphopfeministnation.org/
Hip Hop Feminist Nation is an organization that uses hip hop culture to inspire social and civic action. It encourages to promote a positive image of hip hop and its primary focus is women, our environment. This positive and clean approach to hip hop is interesting to look at as it challenges the stereotypes. Also allows me to gain a better understanding of a feminist opinion.
http://www.blastro.com/
Helpful source for my study containing a vast databse of hip hop/rap genre music videos.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070301/NEWS/703010476/1006/SPORTS
Interesting article about a dramatic decline in sales for the rap industry after 30 years of growing popularity. This article has put it down to the negative effect on society which rap has so often been accused of being responsible for. Relative to my topic as my hypothesis suggests that the industry exploits women and glorifies drugs and money in order to boost sales, however this suggests that these things have resulted in a decrease.
http://www.rapcointelpro.com/The%20Rap%20Industry.htm
Article called "The Financial Realities Of Rap (Or Why Rap Has Become Boring)"
Article looking in to how the industry works and why they seem to re-use the same old stereotypical conventions time and time again.
Article called "The Exploitation of Women in Hip-hop Culture". Looking into the representations and sexism that hip hop is accused of. Directly related to my study.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ7mmMe4klQ&feature=related
Youtube clip about a woman called Sara Baartman, the first black woman in known history to be exploited for her body in a sexual way. Vital piece of historical information to consider when writing my essay.
http://www.hiphopfeministnation.org/
Hip Hop Feminist Nation is an organization that uses hip hop culture to inspire social and civic action. It encourages to promote a positive image of hip hop and its primary focus is women, our environment. This positive and clean approach to hip hop is interesting to look at as it challenges the stereotypes. Also allows me to gain a better understanding of a feminist opinion.
http://www.blastro.com/
Helpful source for my study containing a vast databse of hip hop/rap genre music videos.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070301/NEWS/703010476/1006/SPORTS
Interesting article about a dramatic decline in sales for the rap industry after 30 years of growing popularity. This article has put it down to the negative effect on society which rap has so often been accused of being responsible for. Relative to my topic as my hypothesis suggests that the industry exploits women and glorifies drugs and money in order to boost sales, however this suggests that these things have resulted in a decrease.
http://www.rapcointelpro.com/The%20Rap%20Industry.htm
Article called "The Financial Realities Of Rap (Or Why Rap Has Become Boring)"
Article looking in to how the industry works and why they seem to re-use the same old stereotypical conventions time and time again.
10 KEY WORDS
Feminism: political movement to advance the status of women by challenging values, social constructiosn and socioeconomic practices which disadvantage women and favor men.
A feminist point of view is one which supports my hypothesis.
Male gaze: term used by Laura Mulvey in her essay "Visual Pleasures and Narrative Cinema" to describe what she saw as the male point of view adopted by the camera for the benefit of an assumed male audience.
A theory which ties in with my study as rap videos portray a male point of view adopted by the camera for the benefit of an assumed male audience.
New ladism: term applied to the male backlash against feminism and girl power, as exemplified by the values represented in magazines such as Loaded, FHM and Maxim.
This attitutde towards women is also shown in rap videos through exploitation of women.
Uses and gratifications theory: an active audience theory, developed by Jay Blumer and Elihu Katz that focuses on 'what people do with the media' rather than what the media does to people, arguing that audiences are free to pick and choose from a range of media products to satisfy their own needs.
Audiences of young male teenagers have been known to copy and become attracted to the fantasy lifestyle that is represented through rap videos.
Gender: Male/Female
Although my study is based on the exploitation of women, i have to remember to also focus on the male representations and aspects of hip hop.
Hero: The principle male or female protagonist in any narrative, with whom the audience identifies with; there's always a hero in every rap video.
Censorship: The practice, exercised by elite groups in society of monitoring and controlling media content by removing elements deemed offensive.
Censorship is something which people argue there is a lack of in rap. Important to find out why such explicit content is not censored more.
Institution: The organisation responsible for the production,marketing,distribution or regulation of media texts.
Important part of my study to research why, what, where, who and how they go about marketing and promoting their artists as they are so often accused of being morally irresponsible for exploiting women simply to generate more sales.
A feminist point of view is one which supports my hypothesis.
Male gaze: term used by Laura Mulvey in her essay "Visual Pleasures and Narrative Cinema" to describe what she saw as the male point of view adopted by the camera for the benefit of an assumed male audience.
A theory which ties in with my study as rap videos portray a male point of view adopted by the camera for the benefit of an assumed male audience.
New ladism: term applied to the male backlash against feminism and girl power, as exemplified by the values represented in magazines such as Loaded, FHM and Maxim.
This attitutde towards women is also shown in rap videos through exploitation of women.
Uses and gratifications theory: an active audience theory, developed by Jay Blumer and Elihu Katz that focuses on 'what people do with the media' rather than what the media does to people, arguing that audiences are free to pick and choose from a range of media products to satisfy their own needs.
Audiences of young male teenagers have been known to copy and become attracted to the fantasy lifestyle that is represented through rap videos.
Gender: Male/Female
Although my study is based on the exploitation of women, i have to remember to also focus on the male representations and aspects of hip hop.
Hero: The principle male or female protagonist in any narrative, with whom the audience identifies with; there's always a hero in every rap video.
Censorship: The practice, exercised by elite groups in society of monitoring and controlling media content by removing elements deemed offensive.
Censorship is something which people argue there is a lack of in rap. Important to find out why such explicit content is not censored more.
Institution: The organisation responsible for the production,marketing,distribution or regulation of media texts.
Important part of my study to research why, what, where, who and how they go about marketing and promoting their artists as they are so often accused of being morally irresponsible for exploiting women simply to generate more sales.
GUARDIAN ARICLE ABOUT EXPLOITATION OF WOMEN IN RAP FROM A FEMINIST POINT OF VIEW
Attack the rap:
Sick of being called ho's and bitches, a group of young women in Boston has set up a new radio station to fight rap's misogyny. By Diane Taylor
Stephanie Alves: 'They disrespect women; all that matters to them are the guns and sex and money'
In the poor Boston neighbourhood where 18-year-old Stephanie Alves grew up, words such as bitch and ho are part of everyday male conversation. This slang is not used to pass judgment on a woman engaged in a particular activity but to describe any female.
Rap has been criticised for its negative portrayal of women right from the start. Artists such as Snoop Doggy Dogg and Ja Rule have attracted particular criticism - both were charged for use of indecent language back in 2001 at the SunFest festival in Jamaica. Lyrics such as "Game is the topic/ And what's between your legs is the product/ Use it properly/ And you'll make dollars bitch," from Ja Rule's Bitch Betta Have My Money, continue to incense women.
As Alves puts it, some rap music has tapped into feelings of male powerlessness as a result of poverty, racism and fractured families and made it not only fashionable but also empowering for young men to demean women in this way. "At school guys go around saying things like, 'She gave it up to me in two weeks, she's a ho'," says Alves. "They disrespect women; all that matters to them are the guns and sex and money that feature in so much rap music."
Scantily clad 24/7 sexual availability is the gold standard for womanhood. And yet this is the same quality that earns women the derogatory labels, viewed at worst as lowlife sluts and at best as fashion accessories. "Things got so bad that even the girls were going around calling each other bitch and ho," says Alves.
So Alves got together with a group of like-minded girls and young women in Dorchester, a Boston suburb with high levels of crime and deprivation, with the idea of setting up the first radio station dedicated to countering the negative way women are portrayed in rap. They approached a local headteacher, Larry Mayes, who recalls, "They came to me and said: 'We have a serious problem, we're tired of being referred to as bitches and ho's and we want to do something about it."
"The criticism of the way rap music portrays women is nothing new," says Alves. But instead of just talking about the problem we decided to take positive action."
The mayor of Boston loved the idea. "When we went to him he jumped out of his chair he was so enthusiastic," says Mayes. "He promised to get the most powerful women working in media in Boston to be advisers to the girls - and he did."
Private funding was secured and a couple of weeks ago, broadcasting from a women's centre in Dorchester, the radio station hit the airwaves. A sign pinned to the studio door reads: "Only positive attitudes beyond this point."
For now, the station, called Radio Log, is on air on weekday afternoons in the Dorchester area but Alves hopes that both the amount of time the station is on air and the area it covers will expand. Eight teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 18 are involved. Over the next few months more will be recruited and trained. The girls are African-American and Hispanic and they hope to get white and Asian girls involved too.
To promote an alternative, positive image of young American womanhood, they play a range of carefully vetted music - rap, hip-hop, reggae, soul and country - along with interviews and phone-ins open to both sexes to discuss music, relationships and burning issues of the day.
"We don't ban particular artists but select music on the basis of the lyrics," says Alves. "For example someone like Ashanti has some music that reflects women positively and some that reflects women negatively. We don't play the negative stuff." Artists who have so far made it on to the playlist include Mary Mary, Alicia Keyes, Faith Evans, Usher, Boyz-II-Men and B2K. Banned are certain songs by artists including Snoop Doggy Dogg, Lil Kim, Juvenile and Tupac Shakur.
Choosing which music is on the playlist and which is off can lead to animated discussions. "There are lots of grey areas," says Alves. "We like to play love songs but so many of them have derogatory references to women when sex is mentioned so we have to be careful."
Female African-American rapper Ife Oshun is sympathetic to their cause. "What sort of personal values do little girls in our hip-hop nation develop when they are constantly bombarded with images of their future selves as little more than rump shakers? What do our little boys learn when a disproportionate number of rap videos portray their sisters, mothers, future wives and future daughters as little more than eye candy?" says Oshun.
In the UK, young women are feeling just as bruised by the fantasy world of their male peers and are now looking to emulate their American peers. Gemma Gibson, 22, from west London, is trying to get funding to set up a similar radio station here. She is involved with Yes Studios, a music charity that gives socially-excluded young people hands-on experience in all aspects of music production.
"I've always loved singing and I think it's time to show young people there is another perspective out there. Gun culture in London is so big at the moment and I'm tired of guys calling us just a piece of ass. Music is so influential and it's made this stuff very fashionable, but now it's time for a different fashion."
Back in Boston, Radio Log has so far received nothing but praise. "I haven't had any negative comments from guys about it but they know better than to speak in a disrespectful way around me," says Alves. While there are no plans to take on the offensive male rappers directly, Alves hopes that word will reach them via the radio station of the errors of their ways.
She is optimistic that the rap that has led popular culture for the past 25 years is going to change. "We've been hearing about sex and drugs and money for so long. How much more is there to say? Surely now is the time for something new and positive to take over."
Sick of being called ho's and bitches, a group of young women in Boston has set up a new radio station to fight rap's misogyny. By Diane Taylor
Stephanie Alves: 'They disrespect women; all that matters to them are the guns and sex and money'
In the poor Boston neighbourhood where 18-year-old Stephanie Alves grew up, words such as bitch and ho are part of everyday male conversation. This slang is not used to pass judgment on a woman engaged in a particular activity but to describe any female.
Rap has been criticised for its negative portrayal of women right from the start. Artists such as Snoop Doggy Dogg and Ja Rule have attracted particular criticism - both were charged for use of indecent language back in 2001 at the SunFest festival in Jamaica. Lyrics such as "Game is the topic/ And what's between your legs is the product/ Use it properly/ And you'll make dollars bitch," from Ja Rule's Bitch Betta Have My Money, continue to incense women.
As Alves puts it, some rap music has tapped into feelings of male powerlessness as a result of poverty, racism and fractured families and made it not only fashionable but also empowering for young men to demean women in this way. "At school guys go around saying things like, 'She gave it up to me in two weeks, she's a ho'," says Alves. "They disrespect women; all that matters to them are the guns and sex and money that feature in so much rap music."
Scantily clad 24/7 sexual availability is the gold standard for womanhood. And yet this is the same quality that earns women the derogatory labels, viewed at worst as lowlife sluts and at best as fashion accessories. "Things got so bad that even the girls were going around calling each other bitch and ho," says Alves.
So Alves got together with a group of like-minded girls and young women in Dorchester, a Boston suburb with high levels of crime and deprivation, with the idea of setting up the first radio station dedicated to countering the negative way women are portrayed in rap. They approached a local headteacher, Larry Mayes, who recalls, "They came to me and said: 'We have a serious problem, we're tired of being referred to as bitches and ho's and we want to do something about it."
"The criticism of the way rap music portrays women is nothing new," says Alves. But instead of just talking about the problem we decided to take positive action."
The mayor of Boston loved the idea. "When we went to him he jumped out of his chair he was so enthusiastic," says Mayes. "He promised to get the most powerful women working in media in Boston to be advisers to the girls - and he did."
Private funding was secured and a couple of weeks ago, broadcasting from a women's centre in Dorchester, the radio station hit the airwaves. A sign pinned to the studio door reads: "Only positive attitudes beyond this point."
For now, the station, called Radio Log, is on air on weekday afternoons in the Dorchester area but Alves hopes that both the amount of time the station is on air and the area it covers will expand. Eight teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 18 are involved. Over the next few months more will be recruited and trained. The girls are African-American and Hispanic and they hope to get white and Asian girls involved too.
To promote an alternative, positive image of young American womanhood, they play a range of carefully vetted music - rap, hip-hop, reggae, soul and country - along with interviews and phone-ins open to both sexes to discuss music, relationships and burning issues of the day.
"We don't ban particular artists but select music on the basis of the lyrics," says Alves. "For example someone like Ashanti has some music that reflects women positively and some that reflects women negatively. We don't play the negative stuff." Artists who have so far made it on to the playlist include Mary Mary, Alicia Keyes, Faith Evans, Usher, Boyz-II-Men and B2K. Banned are certain songs by artists including Snoop Doggy Dogg, Lil Kim, Juvenile and Tupac Shakur.
Choosing which music is on the playlist and which is off can lead to animated discussions. "There are lots of grey areas," says Alves. "We like to play love songs but so many of them have derogatory references to women when sex is mentioned so we have to be careful."
Female African-American rapper Ife Oshun is sympathetic to their cause. "What sort of personal values do little girls in our hip-hop nation develop when they are constantly bombarded with images of their future selves as little more than rump shakers? What do our little boys learn when a disproportionate number of rap videos portray their sisters, mothers, future wives and future daughters as little more than eye candy?" says Oshun.
In the UK, young women are feeling just as bruised by the fantasy world of their male peers and are now looking to emulate their American peers. Gemma Gibson, 22, from west London, is trying to get funding to set up a similar radio station here. She is involved with Yes Studios, a music charity that gives socially-excluded young people hands-on experience in all aspects of music production.
"I've always loved singing and I think it's time to show young people there is another perspective out there. Gun culture in London is so big at the moment and I'm tired of guys calling us just a piece of ass. Music is so influential and it's made this stuff very fashionable, but now it's time for a different fashion."
Back in Boston, Radio Log has so far received nothing but praise. "I haven't had any negative comments from guys about it but they know better than to speak in a disrespectful way around me," says Alves. While there are no plans to take on the offensive male rappers directly, Alves hopes that word will reach them via the radio station of the errors of their ways.
She is optimistic that the rap that has led popular culture for the past 25 years is going to change. "We've been hearing about sex and drugs and money for so long. How much more is there to say? Surely now is the time for something new and positive to take over."
VALUES & IDEOLOGIES
Provocotive females portrayed as sex objects who appear to be motivated by only money, this video can be seen as very degrading towards women. Sexism is heavily present in this video, as is the emphasis on materialistic items, especially cash, but also jewellery and sexual favours from women. The two aspects of this video (women and money) when combined together with a popular rap icon can come across as being very morally incorrect. Lil wayne is a very popular artist amongst youngsters and he fits within the criterea of a stereotypical black rapper. However this is not necessarily a good thing as many would say his morals and values are negative and irresponsible.
AUDIENCE
The rap industry is known for targeting teenagers. Adolescent boys are heavily influenced by music and the media today. The glorification of cash, power and women in this video could be seen as innapropriate for such a young audience to be viewing. By promoting these values, the industry may be responsible for leading youngsters to believe that they can be involved in this fantasy lifestyle.
REPRESENTATION
The mise-en-scene contains blatent explotation of women and expensice materialistic items such as, alcohol, money, fancy mansion, cars and a busy lifestyle consisting of partying and making money. However, there seems to be an obvious lack of moral values being displayed? The women are degrading themselves, often just posing for the camera in lustful positions, wearing revealing clothing which makes them appear to be groupies, almose sex objects and are simply an accessory of the rappers in the video in order to make him seem powerful. Sadly, the audience of prodominantly teenage boys tend to believe that this is reality rather than fantasy and therefore emulate the way in which rappers behave. This link between women, money and power becomes more consistant and apparent within the genre of rap videos which provides more evidence to support my hypothesis.
GENRE
Rap/Hip Hop Music video which follows the stereotypical conventions of masculinity, exploition of women, and power.
MEDIA LANGUAGE
Close up shots of typical objects that are seen in rap videos, cash, women and jewellery highlighting the artists wealth and power. Fast cut shots of premiscuous women in provocotive costume, often posing next to the protagonist(Currency and Lil Wayne) in a lustful way which has connotations of sex and wealth. A few low angle shots of the rappers which represents them as powerful. Alcohol is present in the video alongside premiscuous women.
Friday
SELF EVALUTATION
ATTAINMENT- 2.
I have missed a few lessons but try to catch up on work that i missed. Apart from that my attainment has been good.
EFFFORT- 2
I have put in a lot of effort this term in class and on my independent study, however i could put in more effort.
PUNCTUALITY-1
Always on time.
SUBMISSION AND QUALITY OF HOMEWORK-2
All homework except for one has been given in on time. I put in a high level of effort to homework so i feel that the quality is very good.
ABILITY TO WORK INDEPNEDENTLY-2
I am capable of working independently however i prefer working in groups as it allows people to contribute more.
QUALITY OF WRITING- 3
The quality of my writing this year has been good however it hasn't developed much since last year.
ORGANISATION OF MEDIA FOLDER-4
Needs to be more organised.
ORAL CONTRIBUTION IN CLASS-2
I usually contribute to class discussion whenever I have something to say.
STANDARD OF MODULE 5 BLOG- 1-
some good work on my blog, all is up to date.
STANDARD OF MODULE 6 BLOG - 2
I think there is some stuff missing from my med6 blog due to absence.
I have missed a few lessons but try to catch up on work that i missed. Apart from that my attainment has been good.
EFFFORT- 2
I have put in a lot of effort this term in class and on my independent study, however i could put in more effort.
PUNCTUALITY-1
Always on time.
SUBMISSION AND QUALITY OF HOMEWORK-2
All homework except for one has been given in on time. I put in a high level of effort to homework so i feel that the quality is very good.
ABILITY TO WORK INDEPNEDENTLY-2
I am capable of working independently however i prefer working in groups as it allows people to contribute more.
QUALITY OF WRITING- 3
The quality of my writing this year has been good however it hasn't developed much since last year.
ORGANISATION OF MEDIA FOLDER-4
Needs to be more organised.
ORAL CONTRIBUTION IN CLASS-2
I usually contribute to class discussion whenever I have something to say.
STANDARD OF MODULE 5 BLOG- 1-
some good work on my blog, all is up to date.
STANDARD OF MODULE 6 BLOG - 2
I think there is some stuff missing from my med6 blog due to absence.
Monday
ACTION PLAN TIMETABLE:
1.Do a detailed migrain analysis - Oct 22nd
2.More research on Mulveys Male gaze - Oct 23rd
3.Learn Assessment objectives - Oct 25th
4.Watch relevent videos on youtube - Oct 26th
5.Find a review from guardian website. - Oct 28th
6.Add 5 new delicious tags - Oct 29th
7.Get out a few relevant books - Oct 30th
8.Do some migrain analysis of a female rap artists video. - Oct 31st
9.Try to find more relevant theories - Nov 2nd
10.Research feminism - Nov 3rd
2.More research on Mulveys Male gaze - Oct 23rd
3.Learn Assessment objectives - Oct 25th
4.Watch relevent videos on youtube - Oct 26th
5.Find a review from guardian website. - Oct 28th
6.Add 5 new delicious tags - Oct 29th
7.Get out a few relevant books - Oct 30th
8.Do some migrain analysis of a female rap artists video. - Oct 31st
9.Try to find more relevant theories - Nov 2nd
10.Research feminism - Nov 3rd
Self assessment of blog
AO1:
Demonstrate knowledge and application of the Key Concepts employed within Media Studies and the evaluation of texts and ideas using the Key Concepts.
Key concept analysis has played a crucial part in my investigation. I have a wide variety of different texts to view and I think i have done well in analysing music videos from different artists and institutions within the rap genre.
The key concept aspects which I have looked at in the most depth are representation, genre and ideologies as I feel these concepts are directly related with my hypothesis. The main theorist related to my study is Laura Mulvey, however I haven't done any in depth research in to her theories. I think the aspects i need to work on more are institution and theories. I also need to do more migrain analysis on female rappers in comparison to the typical male rappers.
AO2:
Demonstrate knowledge and application of the wider contexts (historical, social, political, economic) relevant to Media Studies.
I have looked at the history of the exploitation of women but not in as much depth as I'd like to. This is a vital part of my study as i must know how the exploitation of women has changed through time in order to understand my study. So far I have looked at the changes in groupies throughout time and also the first known exploitation of a black female. I must also explore the zeitgeist theme as I havent yet looked at this.
.......UNFINISHED......
Demonstrate knowledge and application of the Key Concepts employed within Media Studies and the evaluation of texts and ideas using the Key Concepts.
Key concept analysis has played a crucial part in my investigation. I have a wide variety of different texts to view and I think i have done well in analysing music videos from different artists and institutions within the rap genre.
The key concept aspects which I have looked at in the most depth are representation, genre and ideologies as I feel these concepts are directly related with my hypothesis. The main theorist related to my study is Laura Mulvey, however I haven't done any in depth research in to her theories. I think the aspects i need to work on more are institution and theories. I also need to do more migrain analysis on female rappers in comparison to the typical male rappers.
AO2:
Demonstrate knowledge and application of the wider contexts (historical, social, political, economic) relevant to Media Studies.
I have looked at the history of the exploitation of women but not in as much depth as I'd like to. This is a vital part of my study as i must know how the exploitation of women has changed through time in order to understand my study. So far I have looked at the changes in groupies throughout time and also the first known exploitation of a black female. I must also explore the zeitgeist theme as I havent yet looked at this.
.......UNFINISHED......
RESEARCH:Saarjite Baartman (Historical aspect)
There was a young lady called Saarjite Baartman from Khosia in Southern Africa who had a body that became the main attraction at public spectacles in both England and France for over five years. Baartman, who became known as the “Hottentot Venus”, was brought to Europe from Cape Town in 1810 by an English ship's surgeon who wanted to publicly exhibit the woman's steatopygia, a word that refers to an extreme accumulation of fat on the buttocks. Her steatopygic appendage became the focus when she was exhibited naked in a cage in Piccadilly, England. Abolitionists tried to put an end to Baartman's public display of her body. She even shared in profits with her exhibitor.
The showing of Baartman's body continued even after her death at the age of twenty-six. Pseudo-scientists interested in investigating "primitive sexuality" dissected and cast her genitals and put them on display. Yes, that's right, her fat was put on display. Baartman, as far as we know, was the first person to be dismembered and displayed in this manner. Anatomist Georges Curvier presented her dissected parts to the Academie Royale de Medecine. Curvier concluded that her oversized genitalia was physical proof of the African woman's primitive sexual appetite. Long after her death, Baartman's genitalia continued to be exhibited at La Musée de l'Homme. In my opinion this shows that fat woman were adored hundreds of years ago, and they may well have been the original porn stars.
The showing of Baartman's body continued even after her death at the age of twenty-six. Pseudo-scientists interested in investigating "primitive sexuality" dissected and cast her genitals and put them on display. Yes, that's right, her fat was put on display. Baartman, as far as we know, was the first person to be dismembered and displayed in this manner. Anatomist Georges Curvier presented her dissected parts to the Academie Royale de Medecine. Curvier concluded that her oversized genitalia was physical proof of the African woman's primitive sexual appetite. Long after her death, Baartman's genitalia continued to be exhibited at La Musée de l'Homme. In my opinion this shows that fat woman were adored hundreds of years ago, and they may well have been the original porn stars.
Friday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzEcMek6SuY
Media Language
Close up shots of cash, women and jewellery emphasising their wealth. Slow panning shots of women with little clothing who are often posing next to rappers in a lustful way which has connotations of sex and wealth. A few low angle shots of the rappers which represents them as powerful. Alcohol is present in the mise-en-scene alongside premiscuous women which promotes an innapropriate message to its audience of youngsters.
Institution
2008 The Island Def Jam Music Group Def Jam's main purpose is to generate profit, therefore it is in their interest to attract as large an audience as possible.
Genre
Rap/Hip Hop Music video which follows the stereotypical conventions of masculinity, exploition of women, and power.
Representation
The mise en schene contains many seductive women, money, alcohol, and partying. However, are there a lack of moral values here? The women are represented in a way which is degrading, often just posing for the camera in lustful positions, wearing revealing clothing which portray them as being sexual accessories for the men in the video in order to make them seem powerful. Sadly, the audience of prodominantly teenage boys tend to believe that this is reality rather than fantasy and therefore emulate the way in which the protagonist (Camron) behaves. This link between women, money and power becomes more consistant and apparent within the genre of rap videos which provides more evidence to support my hypothesis.
Audience
This type of rap is typically marketed at teenage boys. Adolescent boys are heavily influenced by music and the media today. The effect that creating a link between promiscuous women and power in mainstream hip hop can be very negative on the young audience.. By putting pressure on teenagers through this type of marketing the hip hop industry along with it's rappers are immorally leading the youth to believe that they can live a make believe life.
Ideologies & Values
The presence of provocotive females portrayed as sex objects who's job it is to please Camron in this video can be seen as very degrading towards women. Sexism is heavily present in this video, as is the emphasis on materialistic items such as money, jewellery and sexual favours from women. The two aspects of this video (women and money) when combined together with a popular rap icon can come across as being very morally incorrect. Camron is a very influencial figure in hip hop and he fits within the criterea of a stereotypical black rapper.
Narrative
The emphasis in this video is on women giving sexual favours to men. Camron is seen to constantly be surrounded by promiscuously behaving women and materialistic objects. Camron is best known for this.
Media Language
Close up shots of cash, women and jewellery emphasising their wealth. Slow panning shots of women with little clothing who are often posing next to rappers in a lustful way which has connotations of sex and wealth. A few low angle shots of the rappers which represents them as powerful. Alcohol is present in the mise-en-scene alongside premiscuous women which promotes an innapropriate message to its audience of youngsters.
Institution
2008 The Island Def Jam Music Group Def Jam's main purpose is to generate profit, therefore it is in their interest to attract as large an audience as possible.
Genre
Rap/Hip Hop Music video which follows the stereotypical conventions of masculinity, exploition of women, and power.
Representation
The mise en schene contains many seductive women, money, alcohol, and partying. However, are there a lack of moral values here? The women are represented in a way which is degrading, often just posing for the camera in lustful positions, wearing revealing clothing which portray them as being sexual accessories for the men in the video in order to make them seem powerful. Sadly, the audience of prodominantly teenage boys tend to believe that this is reality rather than fantasy and therefore emulate the way in which the protagonist (Camron) behaves. This link between women, money and power becomes more consistant and apparent within the genre of rap videos which provides more evidence to support my hypothesis.
Audience
This type of rap is typically marketed at teenage boys. Adolescent boys are heavily influenced by music and the media today. The effect that creating a link between promiscuous women and power in mainstream hip hop can be very negative on the young audience.. By putting pressure on teenagers through this type of marketing the hip hop industry along with it's rappers are immorally leading the youth to believe that they can live a make believe life.
Ideologies & Values
The presence of provocotive females portrayed as sex objects who's job it is to please Camron in this video can be seen as very degrading towards women. Sexism is heavily present in this video, as is the emphasis on materialistic items such as money, jewellery and sexual favours from women. The two aspects of this video (women and money) when combined together with a popular rap icon can come across as being very morally incorrect. Camron is a very influencial figure in hip hop and he fits within the criterea of a stereotypical black rapper.
Narrative
The emphasis in this video is on women giving sexual favours to men. Camron is seen to constantly be surrounded by promiscuously behaving women and materialistic objects. Camron is best known for this.
Tuesday
OBJECTIVE TARGETS
AO1- Develop key concepts with focus on Media Language, Ideologies, Representations and Audience.
AO5- Carry our research on Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory, find books specificaly related to representation and exploitation of black women. Investigate how the exploitation of black women has changed throughout time and produce a timeline dating back from 1810 to the current day.
A02- Develop ideas and find out a range of opinions on the social, historical, economical and political aspects of the representations and history of black women.
AO5- Carry our research on Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory, find books specificaly related to representation and exploitation of black women. Investigate how the exploitation of black women has changed throughout time and produce a timeline dating back from 1810 to the current day.
A02- Develop ideas and find out a range of opinions on the social, historical, economical and political aspects of the representations and history of black women.
Friday
Groupies and mistreatment of women have been a part of the white rock and roll world since the 60s. So what is different about the world of hip hop?
Although groupies in the 60's were all mainly white while today they are very multiracial, they function in hip hop in exactly the same way as they did in the rock era- they are women who provide sexual services. Though there were groupies within the jazz, blues and rock genre's, they were not as noticeable or outrageous. The reason for this is that singers did not blatently portray them or refer to them in a negative light, whereas Hip Hop does the complete opposite by disrespecting and degrading women both in their lyrics and music videos. What makes the whole issue even more shocking is that women are reacting in a way as if they are supporting these ideologies imposed by the hip hop artists.
PIMPS UP HO'S DOWN
Pimps Up Ho's Down addresses the contraversial issues surrounding young black women and hip hop culture. Sharpley-Whiting interrogates the idea of young black women's engagement with a culture that is masculinist and misogynistic.Beyond their portrayal in rap lyrics, the representation of black women in music videos, television, film, fashion, and on the Internet is crucial to the mass media engineered appeal of hip hop culture, the author argues. She goes on to talk about how the portrayal of woman in hip hop as sex objects through marketing techniqhes has made them appear normal, acceptable, and entertaining.
Sharpley-Whiting questions the impacts of hip hop's increasing alliance with the sex industry, the rise of groupie culture in the hip hop world and the growing exploitation of women.
This book features interviews with exotic dancers, black hip hop groupies, and hip hop generation members Jacklyn "Diva" Bush, female rapper Trina, and filmmaker Aishah Simmons, and also the opinons of many "everyday" young women.
Monday
Independant Study Proposal
Hypothesis:
Has the exploitation of women and materialistic values in music videos become a requirement for black hip hop artists in order to gain a sense of identity, image and power?
Below is an example of a migraine analysis of just one of the many music videos I will be studying:
Media Language
Many close up shots of cash and jewellery emphasising their wealth. Slow panning shots of women with little clothing who are often holding rappers money in a lustful way which has connotations of sex and wealth. A few low angle shots of the rappers which represents them as powerful. Money seen to be flying around the mise-en-scene and also a shot of the rapper standing on a carpet of money as if it is nothing, this glorifies having huge ammounts of cash.
Institution
Universal/Motown
Genre
Rap/Hip Hop Music Video
Representation
The lyrics 'I make it rain on them hoes' repeated throughout the chorus has negative and degrading connotations for women. They are being referred to as 'hoes'which suggests that they are promiscuous sex objects. Women are exposing their bodies and dancing in a sexual way while they hold the rappers money which almost portrays them as the rappers property as they are satisfying the male protagonist in exchange for his money. This portrayal of an unequal relationship between men and women is being forced upon teenagers who are easily influenced by what they see on TV and in music videos.
Audience
This genre of hip hop music videos have rapidly become mainstream and are aimed to heavily target a teenage, male audience who are drawn to materialistic objects and female exploitation (male gaze, Laura Mulvey). This audience of adolescent boys are typically easily influenced and are therefore targeted by the hip hop genre.
Ideology
Women are seen to be holding rappers money and shaking their bodies in a seductive way which encourages young people who watch these music videos to believe that they must exploit women, money and themselves in order to gain an identity. Materialistic values are very strong in this particular video with the amount of emphasis placed on cash, jewellery and flash cars in most shots.
Theories/theorists:
I will be making reference to some theorists that I am already familiar with such as Laura Mulvey’s ‘Male Gaze’. Also I will be looking for new theories that relate to my topic.
Where and what to research
Books about the representation of women, internet websites about exploitation of women in hip hop and music videos, materialism in music videos, and masculinity in hip hop videos. I will also carry on watching and analysing many hip hop music videos so I familiarise myself with the characteristics and conventions as this will help me to build my argument up. I will also research necessary theories.
Has the exploitation of women and materialistic values in music videos become a requirement for black hip hop artists in order to gain a sense of identity, image and power?
Below is an example of a migraine analysis of just one of the many music videos I will be studying:
Media Language
Many close up shots of cash and jewellery emphasising their wealth. Slow panning shots of women with little clothing who are often holding rappers money in a lustful way which has connotations of sex and wealth. A few low angle shots of the rappers which represents them as powerful. Money seen to be flying around the mise-en-scene and also a shot of the rapper standing on a carpet of money as if it is nothing, this glorifies having huge ammounts of cash.
Institution
Universal/Motown
Genre
Rap/Hip Hop Music Video
Representation
The lyrics 'I make it rain on them hoes' repeated throughout the chorus has negative and degrading connotations for women. They are being referred to as 'hoes'which suggests that they are promiscuous sex objects. Women are exposing their bodies and dancing in a sexual way while they hold the rappers money which almost portrays them as the rappers property as they are satisfying the male protagonist in exchange for his money. This portrayal of an unequal relationship between men and women is being forced upon teenagers who are easily influenced by what they see on TV and in music videos.
Audience
This genre of hip hop music videos have rapidly become mainstream and are aimed to heavily target a teenage, male audience who are drawn to materialistic objects and female exploitation (male gaze, Laura Mulvey). This audience of adolescent boys are typically easily influenced and are therefore targeted by the hip hop genre.
Ideology
Women are seen to be holding rappers money and shaking their bodies in a seductive way which encourages young people who watch these music videos to believe that they must exploit women, money and themselves in order to gain an identity. Materialistic values are very strong in this particular video with the amount of emphasis placed on cash, jewellery and flash cars in most shots.
Theories/theorists:
I will be making reference to some theorists that I am already familiar with such as Laura Mulvey’s ‘Male Gaze’. Also I will be looking for new theories that relate to my topic.
Where and what to research
Books about the representation of women, internet websites about exploitation of women in hip hop and music videos, materialism in music videos, and masculinity in hip hop videos. I will also carry on watching and analysing many hip hop music videos so I familiarise myself with the characteristics and conventions as this will help me to build my argument up. I will also research necessary theories.
Institution
2008 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Def Jam's main purpose is to generate profit, therefore it is in their interest to attract as large an audience as possible.
Def Jam's main purpose is to generate profit, therefore it is in their interest to attract as large an audience as possible.
Genre of Rick Ross's 'This Is The Life'
Rap/Hip Hop Music video which follows the stereotypical conventions of masculinity, exploition of women, and power.
Representation in Rick Ross's 'This Is The Life'
There is clearly no lack of promiscuous women, money, alcohol, smoking and partying involved in this video, as is also clear in most of Ross's video's. However, is there a lack of moral values here? The women are represented in a way which is degrading, often just posing for the camera in lustful positions, wearing revealing clothing which portray them as being sexual accessories for the men in the video in order to make them seem powerful. Sadly, the audience of prodominantly teenage boys tend to believe that this is reality rather than fantasy and therefore emulate the way in which the protagonist (Ross) behaves. This link between women, money and power becomes more consistant and apparent within the genre of rap videos which provides more evidence to support my hypothesis.
Media Audience for Rick Ross's 'This Is The Life'
Ross's audience generally consists of teenage boys. It is a known fact that teenage boys are heavily influenced by music and video's in the media today. The effect that creating a link between promiscuous women and power in mainstream hip hop can be very negative on the young audience that artists such as Ross appeals to. By consciously focussing marketing efforts on attracting young teenage boys to aspire to have promiscuous women by their side and tonnes of money, the hip hop industry along with it's rappers are immorally leading the youth to believe that they can lead a life that is simply pretend.
Ideologies & Values in Rick Ross's 'This Is The Life'
The constant presence of provocotive females portrayed as sex objects who's job it is to please Ross in any way possible can be seen as very degrading towards women. Sexism is heavily present in this video, as is the emphasis on materialistic items such as money, jewellery and rs. The two aspects of this video (women and money) when combined together with a popular rap star who decides to name the song 'This Is The Life' can convey a troublesome message to the millions of easily influenced youngsters who listen to rappers like Ross. Ross most definately fits within the criterea of a stereotypical black rapper.
Narrative in Rick Ross's 'This Is The Life'
There is no clear cut narrative in this video. Rapper Rick Ross is seen to constantly be surrounded by promiscuously behaving women and materialistic objects. Ross is currently one of the industries most successful and powerful rappers, however I feel that it is highly unlikely his popularity is down to talent, but more so to the female presence in his videos and his flashy posessions.
Brief Summary Of My Investigation
The youth of today are under an enormous amount of pressure due to negative and irresponsible marketing from the hip hop/rap industry. Particularly black rap artists have chosen to portray their work through a very narrow-minded representation, compared to those of ethnic backgrounds who tend to create a more diverse and individual image of themselves. It is this common representation of black rap artists that has resulted in the many negative conceptions and stereotypes that exist in hip hop music today. These stereotypes have helped to generate huge ammounts of cash for rappers and added great market value, however, they have not helped at all in terms of the artform.
I feel that rap/hip hop cannot be held responsible for sexism, as sexism has existed in western society for thousands of years. However, it is very noticable and important to realise that hip hop as become a highly sexually influanced industry, to the point where it is almost a requirement for black rap artists to exploit women in order to gain success. It is this particular issue in the hip hop genre which has interested me and it is for that reason i will be developing in in depth investigation around the topic.
I feel that rap/hip hop cannot be held responsible for sexism, as sexism has existed in western society for thousands of years. However, it is very noticable and important to realise that hip hop as become a highly sexually influanced industry, to the point where it is almost a requirement for black rap artists to exploit women in order to gain success. It is this particular issue in the hip hop genre which has interested me and it is for that reason i will be developing in in depth investigation around the topic.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)