Black Women In Music Videos Black Women In Pop Culture Introduction Thesis: Through music videos, black women are hyper-sexualized, perpetuating the sexual objectification of the Female Black body while also contributing to the negative stereotype of the Jezebel, which is tied back to times of slavery Lily Allen- Hard Out Here Miley Cyrus- We Can't Stop • The sexual assault and violence during slave times conceptualized the Jezebel stereotype, as by defining Black women as “sexually promiscuous and immortal” the sexual violence was seen as reasonable. • This image gave the impression that Black women could not be rape victims because they always desired sex. • Contemporary jezebels can be found jiggling and gyrating in hip-hop music videos. …show more content…
Portraying Black women as stereotypical sexual objects under the control of male authority helps justify Black women’s oppression. These controlling images are produced to normalize and legitimize the subjugation of Black women. The identification of Black womanhood as hyper-sexualized “hot mammas” are rooted in the maintenance of hegemonic power and serve to justify the continued marginalization of Black women. 50 Cent’s video overemphasizes on Black women’s physical bodies (Collins 10). The selling of Black women’s body images through the music video constructs Black women as objects of male desire. Black women are not represented in their full capacity. Consequently, their misrepresentation renders them invisible and invisibility reproduces inequality (Collins …show more content…
“At the same time, the hip-hop genre and the music videos that are used to promote records and performers have been harshly critiqued for the antiwoman (specifically anti-Black woman) messages and images contained within them. Critics have pointed out that many discourses in hip-hop culture reproduce dominant and distorted ideologies of Black women’s sexuality” (Emerson 116). This impacts womanhood as a whole because Allen is giving into the societal norms of objectifying women. She draws upon the notions of patriarchy through her disempowerment of women, which becomes evident by her representation use of women in her music
When looking at the landscape of Hip-Hop among African Americans, from the spawn of gangsta rap in the mid 1980s to current day, masculinity and an idea of hardness is central to their image and performance. Stereotypical to Black masculinity, the idea of a strong Black male - one who keeps it real, and is defiant to the point of violence - is prevalent in the genre. This resistant, or even compensatory masculinity, encompasses: the hyper masculinity rife in the Western world, misogyny, and homophobia, all noticeable in their lyrics, which is in part a result of their containment within the Black community. The link of masculinity and rap music was established due to this containment, early innovators remaking public spaces in their segregated neighbourhoods. A notion of authentic masculinity arose from the resistant nature of the genre, but the move to the mainstream in the 90s created a contradiction to their very image - resistance. Ultimately, this in part led to the construction of the masculinity defined earlier, one that prides itself on its authenticity. I’ll be exploring how gender is constructed and performed in Hip Hop, beginning with a historical framework, with the caveat of showing that differing masculine identities in the genre, including artists
In the article “ From Fly to Bitches and Hoes” by Joan Morgan, she often speaks about the positive and negative ideas associated with hip-hop music. Black men display their manhood with full on violence, crime, hidden guilt, and secret escapes through drugs and alcohol. Joan Morgan’s article views the root causes of the advantage of misogyny in rap music lyrics. In the beginning of the incitement her desires shift to focus on from rap culture condemnation to a deeper analysis of the root causes. She shows the hidden causes of unpleasant sexism in rap music and argues that we need to look deeper into understanding misogyny. I agree with Joan Morgan with the stance that black men show their emotions in a different way that is seen a different perspective.
The Jezebel was another origin of the hypersexual nature of African American women. This stereotype developed after Sarah Baartman era. The term jezebel is heard in the Bible.“The negative jezebel stereotype also has a long history in American culture. She is usually a young, exotic, promiscuous, oversexed woman who uses sexuality to get attention, love, and material goods”(Tyree, p.398). Being defined as one’s body was not enough, the jezebel ideal elevated. Sexual assault took over and women were left dealing with the title of, jezebels who wanted this type of behavior happen to them. Understanding that rape was not illegal when the victim was an African American woman. History points to the fact that “white men were probably never convicted
The healthy relationships portrayed in the media are few and far between, which leaves Black women to make choices based on the options they have and perceive. For that reason, it is not complicated to understand why Black women are the least likely to marry in the environment of the over-sexed woman and a pimp. The portrayal of Black women as lascivious by nature is an enduring stereotype. To understand more fully the media’s role in shaping the culture of African-American experience, one must first examine the stereotypes projected by TV stations like, BET, MTV, and VH1. The songs and music videos created by such hip-hop artists as 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg have built ...
African American women are considered the most disadvantaged group vulnerable to discrimination and harassment. Researchers have concluded that their racial and gender classification may explain their vulnerable position within society, despite the strides these women have made in education, employment, and progressing their families and communities (Chavous et al. 2004; Childs 2005; Hunter 1998; Settles 2006; Wilkins 2012). Most people agree that race and gender categories are explained as the biological differences between individuals in our society; however sociologists understand that race and gender categories are social constructions that are maintained on micro and macro levels. Historically, those in power who control the means of production within a society have imposed race, class, and gender meanings onto the minority population in order to maintain their dominant position and justify the unequal treatment of minority individuals by the divisions of race, class, and gender categories (Collins 2004; Nguyen & Anthony 2014; Settles 2006;).
Taylor Swift’s Shake it off video contains elements of cultural appropriation that exhibit stereotypical tropes which have been used to define African American women and, in particular, their sexuality for years. The video perpetuates the negative stereotypes that have placed Black women on the opposite side of respect for centuries. The video involves White women twerking in a way that conforms to the male gaze, for profitable success. Twerking involves thrusting hip movements, low squatting stance, and shaking of the derriere. White women are able to perform the twerk without being socialized as hyper-sexual, whereas Black women are. Hence, the different conceptions of White and Black womanhood. The inability for Black women to escape their skin color is the one of the many reasons they are ridiculed. Their skin color assigned them to the category that defines them as unholy, dirty, and promiscuous White women have the ability to hide behind their skin color, which classifies them as pure, and innocent in society eyes. The cultural appropriation of twerking is an exercise of White women’s privilege. Black women are judged harshly for
Malcom X said, “The most disrespected woman in America is the black woman. The most un-protected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.” Throughout history black women have continuously been exploited, objectified, stigmatized, and oppressed by society. Black women are perceived as aggressive, hypersexual, angry, dangerous, and animalistic each of these negative stereotypes stem from the adverse conditions black women suffered during slavery.
The first mythology that the slave woman faced was that of Jezebel. Jezebel was in every way the counter image of the mid-nineteenth-century ideal of the Victorian lady. (White, 29) She was defined as one that explored the sexual exploitation of the African American women. The Jezebel image was seen the way it was because it was assumed African woman were naturally promiscuous, and d...
The article discusses the fact that hip hop “provides a lens [through which white students and faculty at institutions] interpret Black culture” and that because of this not only is the Black female’s view of herself being manipulated, but black males expect what is being promoted by hip hop culture from them, and so does every other person (Henry, West, & Jackson 238). A professor at North Carolina Central University spoke about how he dislikes how hip-hop has influenced the way his students dress, he said “ They look like hoochie mamas, not like they’re coming to class” (as cited in Evelyn
Hip-hop and rap music are commonly criticized for its anti-feminist lyrics and degrading exploitation of women in music and music videos. (Sharpley-Whiting ) Many feminists have taken action against the music industry, which produces these messages in the music they release. However, in the hip-hop genre there are plenty of successful female rappers promoting feminist views, artist such as Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige have made the choice to condemn the derogatory culture towards women. (Oliver, 382–384)
She argues that there are four different controlling images that black women face not limited to but including, “the mammy, the welfare queen, the matriarch, and the jezebel” (Collins, 81-90). Each is a result of ideologies formed in the slave era that have persisted and manifested and are used in an attempt to control black women to satisfy the dominant group’s desire to subdue black women (Collins, 79). The mammy figure consists of a domestic servant, an image used to justify the exploitation of the black female (Collins, 80). This image is made to shape how black women care for their children as well as to prolong the oppression of gender and sexuality (Collins, 80-81). Serena recently had her first child, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr..
Since the first black woman to be played in the media, the way that black women are portrayed in the media has changed quite significantly, yet, black women in the media are still being objectified in one way or another. This needs to change, not just for all women, but for all people. Although this study is only focusing on heterosexual black women, I do recognize that this affects all types of people, but because of time constraints, it was decided to focus only on this particular group. We will begin by discussing the ‘Pros and Cons’ of the transformation. We will then reiterate some sociological terms so that everything is understood in terms of this particular study.
Women have consistently been perceived as second-class citizens. Even now, in times when a social conscience is present in most individuals, in an era where an atmosphere of gender equality 'supposedly' exists, it is blatantly apparent that the objectification and marginalization of women is still a major social issue. In reality, progression in terms of reducing female exploitation has been stagnant at best. Not only is the degradation of women a major problem that to date has not been eradicated, but it is actually being endorsed by some music celebrities. There are a growing number of people who purchase rap albums that support the fallacy that women are mere objects and should be treated as such. As the popularity of rap continues to climb at unprecedented rates, so too does its influence on the perception of women. In the vast majority of hip-hop songs, the depiction of women as sexual objects, the extreme violence directed towards them and the overall negative influence these lyrics have on the average adolescent's perception of women make rap the absolute epitome of female exploitation.
During the course of the music video, Allen is repeatedly seen in the kitchen washing car rims as a resemblance to washing dishes in the kitchen. Allen’s purpose for presenting these actions in a kitchen shows that women in pop culture serve stereotypical roles because the kitchen stereotypes women as housemaids. Allen suggests that women are constantly playing roles that stereotype women that further reduces equality for women because they are being restricted to specific and inferior roles when compared to men. Women and men should have an equal role in pop culture because equality for women and men apply to music videos, inclusive, while stereotyping women diminishes decades of movements that support equality. The setting automatically grabs viewers’ attention because the setting translates from the dance floor to the kitchen, thus creating a realization that Allen referencing women as being stereotyped.
Unlike their male counterparts, female artists are defined by their appearance. Constantly under the microscope of the media, female artists are publicly chastised for every outfit worn and each selfie posted. The standard of media scrutiny placed on these female artists not only affects these specific women, but this sexist attitude is then transferred over to our society. Through demeaning lyrics, sexually objectifying music videos, and the prevalence of internalized sexism, music media’s current portrayal of female artists perpetuates a societal norm of sexism in our society.