Critical Investigation: Project proposal


Working title

"To what extent does the music industry reinforce an unrealistic and negative representation of women, with a specific reference to the track 'Yo Darlin- NSG ft Geko'
Angle
“American youth are being sold the concept that women and girls’ value lies in their youth, beauty and sexuality”
Women and men are often visualised as hyper sexual beings in the media however we could argue in music videos there seems to be a high imbalance of sexualisation between the genders.
Hypothesis
Women in the music industry primarily serve a single objective and this objective is to please the male viewership.

 (Example/Point)
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.

 Linked production piece

Most likely, a print magazine cover which features the artists and an article inside on which the top can be discussed.
MIGRAIN
Media Languages and Forms 

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

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


 Issues/Debates

 Gender and ethnicity-   it is highly important to recognise the cultural aspects of behaviour associated with masculinity and femininity acquired through the expectations of society and the representations of gender increasingly challenge traditional concepts of masculinity. 
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.

Moral Panics
The concept was created by Jock Young explaining that   media can focus on the behaviour of a social group or event which can be inflated by sensational reporting and the repeated use of stereotypes, leading to public overreaction or panic at a supposed threat to society. 
(more in relation to my topic)
"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."

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.

                                                                                                                                       
Theories


Audience theories- Audience theories consist of many theories through it such as the Hypodermic needle and effects theory, but it can be divided into active models where the audience is seen as reacting to texts in a challenging and engaged way where the audience is seen as being influenced directly by the media content, 

Hypermasculinity- is a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behaviour such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression and sexuality while exhibiting emotional self-control as a sign of toughness as well as composure and impassiveness 
Their behaviour is often dictated by societal messages, gender norms and conducted by the level of masculinity which they adopt.

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]"

Research plan (media texts, academic texts and website

Media Text: 'Yo Darling' NSG ft Geko
Similar Texts: Like Quavo-Sana, Afro B 
Pick up The Phone Remix- NSG
Baba-Geko
Did you see- J hus
PNB- Selfish
Justin Bieber- Confident
Big Sean ft Nicki Minaj- Ass
Mabel- Finder Keepers
Ramz- Barking
Chris Brown- Privacy
DJ Khaled- Do u Mind
Trey Songz ft Justin Bieber- Foreign 
Academic texts/books:

 1. The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism, Capitalism, Sovietism and Fascism by George Bernard Shaw (1928)

 2.Saint Joan of Arc by Vita Sackville-West (1936)

3. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (1970) 

4. Divided Sister: Bridging the Gap between Black women and White Women by Midge Wilson and Kathy Russell (1996)

Internet Links:
http://www.lappthebrand.com/2017/10/15/hypersexualisation-black-women/
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

 http://www.lappthebrand.com/2017/10/14/disempowering-parties-misogynistic-bottle-popping/

http://www.forharriet.com/2017/08/a-black-girls-beauty-is-not-determined.html#axzz4vpjicH1P

http://www.forharriet.com/2017/09/your-education-or-social-status-wont.html#axzz4vpjicH1P

http://www.forharriet.com/2017/07/black-men-dont-make-trans-women-pay-for.html#axzz4vpjicH1P

https://www.bgdblog.org/2017/01/the-difference-between-unity-and-solidarity/

https://www.bgdblog.org/2017/01/rejecting-intoxication-culture/

https://www.bgdblog.org/2017/04/boy-story-teaching-gender/

https://www.bgdblog.org/2017/03/claudia-jones/

https://www.bgdblog.org/2016/04/why-we-need-to-talk-about-stripping-as-labor/




Internet Links:


                                         



                                

                              



                            

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