DRAFT NUMBER 1

"Representation of women within the Music Industry"
Text: "Yo Darlin' - NSG"

Media Representations 

As the music scene grows, it seems the objectification of women in music videos has become clearer. This can be linked to the Male Gaze theory as the consumers of grime music is heavily male populated and targeted. the theory describes the tendency of works to assume a (straight) male viewpoint and in particular the tendency of works to present female characters as subjects of implicitly male visual pleasure and appreciation. 

On the other hand, many women do not find the representation of women within the grime scene as problematic as the extreme sexualisation and nudity of women can be perceived as liberating and empowering. In my chosen text 'Yo Darlin' music video validates my argument as there is several women shown twerking and moving along with the rhythm of the song. The afrobeat and rnb hybrid song is set in a club due to it upbeat and body moving rhythm. Therefore it can be argued that the video is perfectly acceptable as it as that would be realistic environment for the song to be played. In addition, the music video features the movement of male bodies as well to counteract the movement of the females.

However, the extent of liberation and positive representation can be argued as the video tend to dim the faces of the females and have close up/ slow motion shots of the lining of the women's bodies to clearly sexualise and excite the male viewers. In addition, yes, many women are ok with that but the bigger picture is one of objectification. It's not simply about a women's choice. Its the overall societal impact and the fact that men are becoming more and more enslaved to a society where sexual objectification is the norm.
Lastly, girls,in particular young females who are exposed to sexualised content are more likely to endorse gender stereotypes and place attractiveness as central to a woman’s value. Boys who are exposed to this content are more likely to sexually harass females, and have inappropriate expectations of them.

Media Languages and Forms 

Denotation; girl whining and twerking- connotation: grinding bodies, sexual movements

Denotation; club/lounge- connotation; Mingling,booze and hookups

the camera mainly focuses on the way the women's lower haft moves and only focuses on the facial area when there are smirks or grins given to the camera. The clothes used within the video are very eye catching, revealing and minimalistic which signifies that they are doing this only for male approval and appreciation as men are looking and admiring the women as seen in many of the shots. It is also noteworthy to mention that the men are dressed quite modestly and comfortably, the emphasises on the one sided sexualisation of the genders.

Post-feminists critique the traditional view of Feminism by saying that ‘sexy isn’t subordinate.’ Women are in control of their own body and life, they don’t need men to domesticate them. Therefore, the girls in the video are playing up to the idea that the men have the power; when really they know exactly what they’re doing. For example, when the girls make direct eye contact with the audience, it does create sex appeal for viewers but it is also indirectly saying look at me and not at him. 

In addition, dim and dark lighting adds to the sexual connotations presented and erotic atmosphere.      

Although the music drowns out towards the end and the male counterparts start to exit, the women are still dancing and swaying their hips in slow motion, which again emphasises the ultimate purpose of the women within the music video. Slow motion emphases the movement of the females, which therefore sexualises them through the use of panning shot.

 Narrative

At the start, the camera goes between shots of lower angle shots to emphasises the females lower haft and medium close up shots of the male singers for facial identification. This allows the audience to understand what the objectives of the videos are. Through this we understand that the male singers are clearly the protagonist of the music video which emphasises that the males are in control, however, in the video the main focus are the females. The music helps the viewer understand what is going on in video. The genre is rnb and afrobeats is known for showing women in a negative light especially black British girls. the girls are mainly wearing clothing that is seen as revealing, which signifies that they are doing this only for male attention as men are looking and dancing with the women. The major themes in text are sexual healing, partnership and vibes. the vibrant vibe can be spotted through the motions of the people and the smokey disco lighting on display and oozed out into in the music video embodies a club environment. Some say that the women in these videos are promoting their independence in their choice to dress and dance provocatively however this argument can easily contraindicated as we watch what parts of the female body is advertised and emphasised within the music video. After taking a close look at popular music videos and the way women are represented, a clear answer to the research question presented above is found: music videos do contribute to the objectification and sexual violence toward women. Through the way women are presented, wearing barely any clothing, always “ready and available” for sex to the male artist rapping/singing, and rarely having a sense of human feelings or emotion.
Research also links sexualisation to eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression. Adolescent girls are at greater risk of unhealthy sexuality that may lead to sexual problems in adulthood.

Genre 

• To which genre does the text belong?

       RnB and Afrobeats 

• What are the major generic conventions within the text?

      sexual healing, partnership and vibes

• Does the text feature a star, a director, a writer etc who is strongly associated with the genre? What meanings and associations do they have?

  producer JAE5 and director Kevin Hudson who are well known and established within the grime scene, working with artists such as geko and j hus.

Media Institutions 

• Who owns and controls the institution concerned and does this matter?

        NSG Music Recordings, NSG, LCH, NSG Productions

• In what ways has the text been influenced or shaped by the institution which produced it?

       Yes, the protagonists are the owner of their record label so this means they have more           influence and control over their image and persona to the public.

• How has the text been distributed?

         Through platforms such as youtube, spotify, apple music etc.

Media Values and Ideology 

What are the major values, ideologies and assumptions underpinning the text or naturalised within it?

Men are seen as the one that takes control and women are viewed as sexual objects. Women in the music industry primarily serve a single objective and this objective is to please the male viewership. Women are almost always sexualised in the media, more specifically the music industry. Often women are found , wearing more make up than clothing, panting in sexual positioning, dancing proactively.

To whom is the text addressed? What is the target audience? (Demographics, Psychographics)

This would appeal to the C to D working class. In terms of genders, 60% males and 40% females viewership.

What do you know or can you assume about the likely size and constituency of the audience?

The audience is likely to be wide as NSG are have an already large established fan base and following. In addition plus the song features a artist called 'Geko' who also has a large following.
Lastly through my research, i found out that producer and director are quite well-known therefore they will most likely bring a audience too.

What are the audience pleasures, uses or gratifications?  (Refer to theory).

Personal relationships and personal identification

Issues/Debates

Representation and stereotyping- The music industry is known for pushing the stereotype that women are sexual objects. however, both how men and women are portrayed as sex-starved maniacs within the music scene and this can be argued that it is a overall underlying cultural problem. Despite this, it can not be argued that the negative effects of this are heavier on women e.g the worth of a women within many music videos are presented through their ability to sexualise themselves and even so, the males are still seen as superior through the means of the women.

Ownership and control- the mass of the music industry is controlled by men therefore has a higher accurate representation of males within the music scene. In addition, the record label is dominated by males as well therefore the male viewership and concerns are valued more and prioritised.

Moral Panics

"feminists who organise against pornification are not arguing that sexualised images of women cause moral decay; rather that they perpetuate myths of women's unconditional sexual availability and object status, and thus undermine women's rights to sexual autonomy, physical safety and economic and social equality."

Theories

MALE GAZE

In feminist philosophy, the male gaze is the act of depicting the world and women in the visual arts and in literature from a masculine and heterosexual point of view, which present women as objects of male pleasure.
One of the most obvious results of Male Gaze is the way a (usually male) director/cameraman's interest in women informs his shots, leading to a focus on breasts, legs, buttocks, and other jiggly bits even when the film isn't necessarily supposed to be a feast for eyes of their admirers

Black feminism and intersectionality

Crenshaw introduced the term intersectionality in 1989, it was widely adopted because it managed to encompass in a single word the simultaneous experience of the multiple oppression's faced by Black women. But the concept was not a new one. Since the times of slavery, Black women have eloquently described the multiple oppression's of race, class, and gender.
"Black feminism became popular in the 1960s, in response to the sexism of the Civil Rights Movement and racism of the feminist movement. From the 1970s to 1980s, black feminists formed various groups which addressed the role of black women in black nationalism, gay liberation, and second-wave feminism. In the 1990s, the Anita Hill controversy placed black feminism in a mainstream light. Black feminist theories reached a wider audience in the 2010s, as a result of social media advocacy.^[4]"

Articles:

http://www.news24.com/MyNews24/Women-objectified-in-music-videos-20130802

http://www.thefader.com/2017/04/26/jae5-interview-j-hus-producer-did-you-see-common-sense

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/sexual-objectification-women-music-videos

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233027814_Sexual_Objectification_in_Music_Videos_A_Content_Analysis_Comparing_Gender_and_Genre

https://medium.com/@moni_ach/objectification-of-women-in-hip-hop-music-videos-8c37489ceb7f

http://ellenwhightsa2mediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/r-representations-within-music-video.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_feminism#Second-Wave_Feminism
https://ginacalnan.pbworks.com/f/themalegaze.pdf