In the late 1970s the state of hip-hop emerged as an elevating expression of the inner-city youth. Marginalized voices became vocalized and a new kind of poetry became infectious. Since its arrival Rap has gone through many phases, it has given MC’s the opportunity to speak on various issues like; change, peace, violence, poverty, drugs, money, and women. This essay interrogates female representations in music videos and questions why rappers degrade women. Historically music has been used as a tool for human self-expression. Today music is used as a medium to express emotions like fear, anger, anticipation, and love. Regardless of who is behind the mic, music tries to stimulate our senses by evoking our emotions. Rap is recognized as a reflection …show more content…
Today it would seem un-natural to watch a rap video without seeing women dressed in scantly clad clothing. Some may say that sexual objectification is looking at a women too long or checking them out, but its more than that. When a person is objectified they have little to no control when acted upon by others. When one is sexually objectified their body becomes their identity, the person is valued solely for its use to others. According to Fredrickson & Roberts, “sexual objectification occurs whenever body parts are on display. We are focused on those body parts that are associated with sexual activity and/or the demarcation of biological sex for e.g. cleavage/chest, buttocks, and pelvis.” (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997) This example is best attributed with the movement of cameras in music videos, instead of focusing on the subject’s face the camera tends to linger on body parts, and accentuate female bodily attributes by using slow motion effects or placing women in submissive positions. Highlighting the body denies the subject human agency, it reduces him or her to the status of an …show more content…
N.W.A, Ice T, and 2 Live Crew changed the fabric of hip-hop by commercializing suggestive themes and portraying women as objects. Joan Smith defines misogyny as a hatred or disdain towards women. It is the belief that diminishes women to objects for men’s ownership, use, or abuse. (Smith, 1991) According to Joan, misogyny assumes many characteristics, it reveals itself in forms that are dictated by race, education, social class, religion and wealth. The primal characteristic of misogyny is its pervasiveness. In the article Women, Pop Music, and Pornography Meredith Levande, identifies how misogyny became pervasive, she tells us that “paper-view-television and the internet removed the final barriers between consumer and product” (Levande, 296) As soon as these obstacles were removed, images of women in popular media became increasingly suggestive and mirrored pornographic behaviors, attitudes and body language. Another issue was cross-ownership. There was a time when the government didn’t allow one company to own several TV stations, local newspapers, or radio stations, but after 2003 the law was revised, the power was put back in the hands of large corporations. This allowed cross-ownership of new & old media to become limitless. Fast forward to 2015 and we can see the affects of cross-ownership, large
In his most recent album, Kanye West raps, “Now if I fuck this model/ And she just bleached her asshole/ And I get bleach on my T-shirt/ I 'mma feel like an asshole.” He suggests that it is the girl’s fault for getting bleach on his tee shirt, which she only did to make herself more sexually appealing. This misogyny in hip-hop culture is recognized to bring about problems. For instance, the women around these rappers believe they can only do well in life if they submit themselves to the men and allow themselves to be cared for in exchange for physical pleasure. In her essay, “From Fly-Girls to Bitches and Hoes”, Joan Morgan argues that the same rap music that dehumanizes women can be a powerful platform for gender equality if implemented correctly.
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 semantics of the word “hoe” lead to defenders’ thoughts that a man can be a “ho” too. Men who defend this thought might point to the fact that a ho is “…anyone who has ‘too much’ indiscriminate sex…” (Rose, 171). In this instance, they are putting less weight into the fact that these words are used to put down women. Rappers might use these terms in lyrics in order to diss another man by attacking their manliness. Defenders of hip hop like rappers say that “bitches and hoes” are a specific type of girl, and that when they use those words, they don’t mean to reference all women. However, the reality is that rappers use these words pertaining to all women. Women who listen to the music are attracted to this demeaning image, because at least it would be “about them”. So, when hip hop’s defenders’ say that “there are bitches and hoes” to further their argument for hip hop, they reassure women that a hyper-sexualized image and lifestyle is acceptable. For this reason, this argument ignores the effects of these impressions on women, and attempts to legitimize the classification of women as figures existing to be used by
“The widespread perception of Black women is based on mainstream misogyny” and because it is main, a social norm, and a way for young Black people to be unified “[Black females] accept stereotypical views and unconscious behaviors that devalue women and esteem men”(Henry, West, & Jackson 245). As long as hip hop continues to thrive on misogyny and people continue to ignore that it is an issue Black females will continue to reap the internal and sometimes physical
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
Yet, as I watched, I noticed that much of the imagery being thrown at me seemed more boring than vital, due to the sexuality it portrayed. One rapper after another indulged in his own personal hormonal fantasy, with slithering women flaunting acres of flesh into the camera. These women were not alive. They had become so objectified as to be sexualized robots.
“The Hip Hop Wars What We Talk About - And Why It Matters” by Tricia Rose explores what hip hop has done to society in recent years and what people think it has caused. Though it has become one of the most commercially successful genres in mainstream music Tricia Rose explains that the topics in hip hop music have narrowed. Commercial hip hop mainly consist of black gangstas, thugs, pimps, and hoes. In the book she looks into the different points of views of people who think whether hip hop invokes violence or if it reflects life in a black ghetto and if it slows down advancement for African Americans in US. The author goes back and forth with the opinion of the mass on hip hop, she says people view hip hop as a music like heavy metal which people associate with violence but she refutes most of these points by showing the positives of hip hop.
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...
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.
Will sexism ever come to an end in today’s society? Are women going to let men step all over them? Jennifer Mclune discusses in her article, Hip-Hops Betrayal on Black Women, how black male singers objectify and degrade black females in the music industry. The purpose of this article is to show how black women are being deceived in the hip hop industry and being used as sex symbols instead of showing them for their true colors. Mclune (2015) voices her strong argument in attracting her audience by using ethos, tones, and the use of word choices.
For example, when the documentary showed the band members and how they were symbolizing women. The band members had the woman against the wall with either no clothes or just undergarments on and throwing slices of meat at her. A lot of films and music portray this message that women are just a piece of meat and that they are only good for sexual experiences. Another example was Snoop Dog’s lyrics in his film, Diary of a Pimp, “you gotta break these hoes for Snoop” learning the lifestyle of a rapper and a pimp illustrating prostitution of women. Dreamworlds documentary also mentioned this when talking about the lives of women when a man is not present in their life. It illustrated scenes of sadness and loneliness. Women are not creatures who desire sex all the time and the purpose of the film was to teach us that how women are presented in music videos is not right. Women are more than just their bodies and do not need to continue to be objectified. Every media production should follow the Bechdel Test in communication of women and their actions. Women in music and films should not always be talking about men or living their life under the control of a man. Media acts as if women can’t be independent. If media continues to show women getting treating as objects and knowing that media influences society, then in society people will continue to think as if treating a woman as such is acceptable. Treating women as objects is not acceptable at all. However, what we see from media shows
...atching MTV music shows or any music channel on television. As we continue to watch these programs, we will then notice that almost all the rap and hip-hop artists being shown are African-Americans. It is the particular lifestyle, and behaviour that is connected to what particular artists chose to vocalize about. This usually can harm the image of African-Americans due to the fact that many artists aid in the misconceptions of their particular race such as the example provided with 50 Cent’s song entitled P.I.M.P. These lyrics and song titles simply reinforce the negative image some individuals may have of both Caucasian’s and people of colour. Rap and hip-hop is one of the most intimate, personal, legitimate and important art form. Instead of perpetuating injustice, and prejudice artists should be addressing these different issues in a different matter.
Young, impressionable males do not understand what the subliminal messages in popular music videos are. Subconsciously, boys think that they understand what rock and rap videos are saying. The children do not understand that producers, directors and the artists, work as a team to strategically use camera angles, positioning, poses and sexual innuendoes to make their point. In fact, according to Kathleen Turkel, an assistant professor of women’s studies at the University of Massachusetts, “The fantasy world of rock videos is not innocent or accidental, but it is a carefully designed advertising technique used to sell CD’s, tapes and videos to a target audience of 14 to 34 year-old consumers.” (Rhodes) The final result of all of these messages is a very skewed image of who and what women are. Young girls viewing these videos is actually quite disturbing because what they watch on television is what they will grow up wanting to become. With all of these graphic images allowed on television, is it any wonder why we have horrible rape cases and other sexual assault crimes?
Misogyny and degradation of women is present in almost every genre of music, yet the one genre that completely revolves around demeaning women is rap. Over the years rap and rap music videos have continually become more sexual and degrading towards women. Rap has been criticized numerous times for this reason, and that is because rap is one of the most popular genres of music for the younger generations. It is more than a genre of music, it is a complete industry filled with clothing and other merchandise. The reason this constant demeaning of women exists is because rap as a genre that rewards the objectification of women. The excuses used to justify the misogyny in rap are incomplete and lack accurate support. The most effective way for this continuous cycle ends, is if the fight and protest comes from the women themselves. Men are the problem in the objectification of women but in order for it to stop, women need to step up and take control of the situation.
Music videos have become a huge part of the music industry, acting as a marketing tool that adds a visual component to recorded music. The first music video was introduced as an “illustrated song” in 1894 by Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern (Indiefilm, 2011). The duo hired an electrician and performers to bring their single "The Little Lost Child" to life. Series of still images were projected on to a screen, while the duo played their song simultaneously (Indiefilm, 2011). Since then, music videos have flourished and become a huge carrier and disseminator of culture – especially with the advent of television shows like MTV and websites like YouTube. Like all forms of media, music videos have the ability to influence society in a number of different ways and also plays a major role in the socialization process. Therefore, it has become increasingly more important to take a critical disposition to the medium and examine some of the issues associated with it. A loaded topic of discussion, “studies have…found music videos to influence how women feel and think about their bodies” (Mischner et al., 2013). This essay will seek to expose how women have been objectified and misrepresented in music videos and explain the influence this may have on women and their understanding of beauty, as well as how it can alter society’s perception of a woman’s role. The essay will look at different genres of music, including pop, country and rap – and examine how women are represented differently in music videos across these three genres. Because a genre of music contains so much culture, it is likely that there are variances in the way that each genre will portray women and sexuality.