Gender Stereotypes In Music Videos

1937 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Portrayal of young women in the media

The article chosen is “Why do Rhianna pop songs have to tell girls they’re ‘sl**s’?” Which is written by Dr Linda Popudupolus. The author raises key issues around how girls are portrayed within music videos and how this can impact their identities, as a result of teenage girls’ looking up to “ultra-thin and glamorous” role models (Bell, Lawtona, and Dittmar, 2007). As Papadouplus refers to, women used as ‘sexual objects’, in order for a music video to appear more appealing and attractive (Papadopoulos, 2010). As a result, causing greater risk at impacting the development of teenage girls’. For instance, according to Bell, Lawtona, and Dittmar (2007), there has been a rapid increase in body dissatisfaction amongst teenage girls’ as a result of unrealistic body ideals developed through socio-cultural standards of thinness and beauty, therefore impacting the development of teenage girls identities. Moreover, another issues raised within the article is the use of lyrics and how women are portrayed within them. For example the use of sexual terms used to describe or identify female’s participants in music videos, tend to use explicit language; that illustrates the role females play (Papadopoulos, 2010). Since the use of explicit language degrades women, it also sets a stereotype for teenage girls on how they should act or behave towards the opposite sex. It also represents the role gender plays in music, for instance, the male gender is far more likely to be more dominant in contrast to the female gender, since they are perceived as strong, masculine and powerful. This therefore gives girls the perception to be more submissive as this type of behaviour can lead teenage girls into becoming more passive, dependent because of the way th... ... middle of paper ... ... For example, teenage girls might be labelled by the media as whole yet they may also individually battle to remove the stigmas attach to them, whilst finding a place in their social capital (Barkhuus, 1999). As a result, this could impact teenage girls since the transition to adulthood is often associated with an increase in responsibility yet at the same time they are labelled in the media because of the preconception of how females should behave (Cieslik and Simpson, 2013). Overall, the identity of teenage girls can easily be influenced and constructed by the media because of the cultural and social norms created within society. That can impact the development of teenage girls, in regards to their identity that can place at risk or vulnerability, because of the content that is present within the media and the preconception it has created in regards to females.

Show More
Related

  • The Media And Gender Stereotypes In The Media

    2330 Words  | 5 Pages

    The media, through its many outlets, has a lasting effect on the values and social structure evident in modern day society. Television, in particular, has the ability to influence the social structure of society with its subjective content. As Dwight E. Brooks and Lisa P. Hébert write in their article, “GENDER, RACE, AND MEDIA REPRESENTATION”, the basis of our accepted social identities is heavily controlled by the media we consume. One of the social identities that is heavily influenced is gender: Brooks and Hébert conclude, “While sex differences are rooted in biology, how we come to understand and perform gender is based on culture” (Brooks, Hébert 297). With gender being shaped so profusely by our culture, it is important to be aware of how social identities, such as gender, are being constructed in the media.

    Read More

  • Women in America: Underrepresented and Over-Sexualized

    797 Words  | 2 Pages

    Not only do celebrities misrepresent women, but music adds to this problem. Specifically rap music, the vulgar lyrics and over sexualized music videos give people the wrong idea of American women. Rappers like ASAP Rocky, Lil’ Wayne, and Jay-Z use their lyrics to describe women in derogatory words that would devalue a woman’s self. Music videos also show women wearing extremely revealing clothing and dancing in provocative ways. Most of these rappers are male, and t...

    Read More

  • Carrie Brownstein: Blurred Lines, No Boundaries

    953 Words  | 2 Pages

    Leonard, Marion. Gender in the Music Industry: Rock, Discourse and Girl Power. Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Company, Aug. 2007.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Country Music Lyrics

    1747 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are many instances of degrading and misogynistic lyrics in country music, both historically and contemporarily. There are differences in the lyrics of this genre based on the gender of the artist: gender roles, hypersexuality, and in the resistance or conformity to rigid gender-based stereotypes. The main points of my argument will include how country music lyrics have historically and contemporarily conformed to and defied gender roles and misogynistic stereotypes. This paper will then examine how men are portrayed as sexual oppressors and exploiters to women. As well, I will discuss the lyrical differences between men and women in this genre, including the limiting role of women as objects as opposed to subjects. Next, this essay will address in my paper the unhealthy environment country music lyrics creates for women. Country music lyrics currently and historically portray stereotypical gender roles, and women have limited roles within country music songs as subjects and objects.

    Read More

  • MTV's Portrayal of Women

    2317 Words  | 5 Pages

    I see the rattle and the hum of music television. Flash upon flash of sensory information lights the screen with sound bites, flashbulbs, sex and rock and roll. I am watching MTV in the semi-darkness of a friend's living room and it is easy for me to understand the attraction of this style of television. MTV is pure energy. It has vitality, powerful images, larger-than-life heroes, and the edginess that the best pop music always has. I find MTV strangely hypnotic. I could sit, entranced by the flickering images and incessant beats, for hours.

    Read More

  • The Objectification Of Women In Music Videos

    1834 Words  | 4 Pages

    The effects of objectifying women in music videos are entirely negative. Women grow up with the idea that they should always seek to attain a men’s attention. Hip-hop music videos do not represent females as the human beings that they really are. This creates an inequality o...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Dream Worlds 3: Desire, Sex, And Power In Music Video

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    In society today, media such as movies and music share huge roles in the dynamics of culture especially concerning communication. In Dream Worlds 3: Desire, Sex, and Power in Music Video we see how famous singers and producers in the making of their music videos have the power of illustrating our language and beliefs. From the music we listen to and things we watch, we are constantly gaining new knowledge by the message that is being presented to us. The main focus of this specific documentary was how women in the music or media industry all together are treated. From this documentary and lectures in class we see that media objectifies, stereotypes, and degrades women and their bodies as advertisements and money makers. Themes in the film discussed

    Read More

  • The Media's Influence On Body Image

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    “ The media needs to take responsibility for the effect it has on our younger generation....why aren’t we regulating things like calling people fat”(Lawrence). The actress Jennifer Lawrence expressed her opinion in what she believes that the media is responsible for the damaging body image that has affected the younger generation into believing this image is ideal. Considering this quote, recently there have been more .The negative body image in female adolescents has been affected by the influence of impossible body types in the media such as the doll “Barbie” and characters in popular children shows.

    Read More

  • Feminism In Pop Culture

    1934 Words  | 4 Pages

    The most trending music genre gets a lot of listeners because of its the discrimination. As the songs and advertisements gain followers, it starts to become realized by the citizens. Pop culture artists sing about drugs, alcohol and women. The portrayal of women by these composers is dreadful because it degrades the significance and importance of their existence. Pop culture has always been a home for gender domination and discrimination. It is becoming increasingly “pornified.” As Valenti quotes, “After all, while billboards and magazines ads may feature a ripped guy from time to time, it’s mostly women who make up what sexy is supposed to be. And it’s not just sexy-it’s straight-up sex” (Valenti, 44). The pornography has been a part of the culture and has been accepted by younger women. Feminists have argued that this has increased the inculcation of “raunch culture” in the lives of younger women who fall into it as they feel it empowers them. However, it is a kind of faux empowerment. This illustrates that the media is promoting and utilizing pop culture to change the social norms in an attempt to instruct women on their role in the society. In essence, pop culture with its propaganda desires to change women’s view on nudity until it can become inherent in American culture, and thus eliminating opposition to benefit pop culture in the long run. Valenti persuades her readers by saying, “ the ‘show’ is everywhere. In magazines like Maxim and Playboy. And in the insanity of Girls Gone Wild, with teens putting on fake lesbian make-out sessions so guys will think they’re hot.” Levy also mentions a character, influenced by raunch culture and a reader of Playboy magazines, named Erin who is piqued her curiosity and provided her with inspiration because of this culture. Erin says, “There’s countless times in my life where I know I’ve turned people on just by showing off (by putting on a

    Read More

  • When We Dead Awaken: Writing As Re-Vision

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    I can recall a time when the media was influencing my life and actions. The week after I graduated high school, my girlfriends and I took a trip to Cancun, Mexico, where the MTV beach house was located that summer. As I look back on the week of drunken partying and sexy guys, I can only wonder how I made it home alive. How could any young woman find this behavior acceptable? Every young woman there was flaunting their bodies to the young men around them. They were proud to be sexual objects. Where did they learn such debauchery? This is the kind of woman that is portrayed throughout MTV and various other aspects of the media. They have even coined the term “midriff”—the highly sexual character pitched at teenage girls that increasingly populates today’s television shows—in order to hook the teen customer. Teenage women increasingly look to the media to provide them with a ready-made identity predicated on today’s version of what’s “cool.” The media is always telling us that we are not thin enough, we’re not pretty enough, we don’t have the right friends, or we have the wrong friends… we’re losers unless we’re cool. We must follow their example and show as much skin as possible. The type of imagery depicted by MTV-- as well as people like Howard Stern, the famous “Girls Gone Wild” videos, and various Hip Hop songs—glorifies sex and the provocative woman.

    Read More

  • Gender Representations in Music Videos:

    1649 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the most noteworthy features of modern music videos is the portrayal of gender according to the worldviews, experiences, and expectations of the music artistes, or in line with gender stereotypes associated with specific music genres (Conrad, Dixon, & Zhang, 2009). In this regard, this paper attempts a critical interrogation of gender representations in music videos, specifically in terms of how women and men are represented in music videos of artistes in the Hip Hop genre. In doing so, this paper seeks to determine the stereotypes that underpin gender portrayal in hip hop music videos, contextualize the factors that may be responsible for the propagation of such stereotypes in music videos, and explore the implications for audiences – particularly teenagers and young adults who constitute much of the fan-base for the hip hop music genre.

    Read More

  • Gender Expectations Essay

    1059 Words  | 3 Pages

    Growing up is tough; hormones start kick in, your body experiences changes, and you may develop acne, get braces, and more. It can be a difficult transition with internal influencers like friends and family but even harder with external influencers like the media; TV, the Internet, and magazines. With 92% of teens reporting that they are online daily, it’s hard not to be influenced at such young and impressionable age (Lenhart, A. 2015). The gender issue that is of critical importance to American society is the effect of gender stereotypes and expectations on today’s youth. The reason why this is important is because these influencers can have harsh and lasting effects on young adults. It is vital to

    Read More

  • Sexism in Music

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many people associate sexist language with the music genre of rap and hip/hop, but the truth is that sexist language invades every style of music. While it is true that the lyrics to rap songs contain the most obvious derogatory terms towards women, research has found that popular pop music also includes language that can demoralize women or make women seem inferior to men. Women are often referred to as objects and even as possessions by artists, implying that even in this day and age females are still second-class compared to males. Some artists compare women to cars, others use their words to enforce their male dominance. Regardless of how popular an artist or song is promoting sexist lyrics shows that as a whole the public does not have a problem with demoralizing women. Numerous male musicians even use this sort of language as a marketing tactic, knowing that their lyrics will cause a controversy that could inevitably boost album sales.

    Read More

  • Essay On Media And Globalization

    1593 Words  | 4 Pages

    Violence, stereotyping, gender or sexual promiscuity, and even racism are shown to be negative effects of media outlets. With media being polarized, it becomes difficult to decipher what is the true influence that the media has. Media is currently known as a communication that has profound effects on the social identity of younglings. However, the effect media has on the identities of adolescents can go both ways of the spectrum when it comes to globalization. Globalization plays a big key role when it comes to technological advances such as media or communications; thus, shaping identity, a social concept, is being transformed or reformed in new and more global ways. With globalization rapidly growing in these past decades, communications and media have broken barriers in countries, letting ideas and thoughts emerge. By providing young people a way to communicate through communications and media, media provides a flow of information and adolescents take it in. Though, media and communications being one of the most significant moves of all time in technology or global advance, the ability for ideas to be enforced, to be corrupted by a false sense of security about what the world actually is on a adolescent, can become challenging. Although, knowing it can 't be reliable, it still acts in a sense to forms one identity. With media being one of the

    Read More

  • Sexism in Dancehall Music

    1534 Words  | 4 Pages

    The lyrics of music play an important part of interpreting the meaning of the song. The roles which women have been allowed by the society to embody have changed drastically. Women may question their roles because of what they see portrayed by popular culture or media. Change in female’s identity can be seen in how women are viewed or how they portray themselves in popular culture specifically through music. In general, music continues to...

    Read More

More about Gender Stereotypes In Music Videos

Open Document