Introduction
It is well known and commonly talked about the way women are represented across the music industry, and how this is not reflective of women in real life, and the effects of this are commonly debated about. Sex has always been used to sell products, and music is definitely no exception this rule. How did this all begin? The music producers of today represent girls by "borrowing" an old stereotype that goes back to the 1920's from the Showgirls during the silent era film, which I learned in my Intro to Cinema class, as well as burlesque girls from even earlier times. While doing my research I looked up many rap and hip-hop videos, as well as lyrics and they all seem to say the same things about women. In many of them they talk about women’s looks and them being sex symbols that please them. For the most part every song refereed to women as sexual symbols, which is something I know women do not like to be seen as.
Throughout the years music has revolutionized and every generation goes through a trend of music that inspires them in one way or another, whether it’s the way the act, dress or represent themselves. Just like society is evolving, music evolves with it as well. Since the 1980’s hip-hop and rap have changed the ways in which people think, but at times it can be a negative. These genres have a lot of derogatory lyrics about women and videos that have women hardly wearing any clothing trying to catch the listeners/viewers attention to obtain more fame. In today’s society, sex sells and the way women are portrayed in these music videos have caused many people to think that this is how women act.
Everyone listens rap or hip-hop songs that are catchy and/or stuck in their heads. Without even realizing it, for the most part, we are saying words like b*tches, sluts, and words that are degrading women. Rap and hip-hop have made a huge impression on the way women are portrayed. Women in these music videos have large breasts and butts with small waists. When guys look at these women in these music videos and see how they look and act, they immediately believe that every woman that looks that way that isn’t in music videos carries herself like the ones in the music videos. Not only do these music videos give people reasons to misrepresent women, they also influence younger girls on how to look and act, as they get older. The women that are seen in music videos especially in rap music videos misrepresent women. Women portrayed as sex symbols in music videos, suggests that they are only there as an object and not as a person.
Women should not be portrayed as objects as this stereotypes that all woman are like this. In rap music videos women are seen as the weaker sex, in comparison to males. Many music videos show dancing women (usually surrounding one or two men) wearing not much more than a bikini, with cameras focusing on their body parts. Clothing women wear in music videos is also too provocative, helping create and contribute to the idea that they are sex symbols. Male artists prefer that women wear provocative clothing in their music videos to seem more dominant than females.
An article that is closely related to my project was one that was spoken about in class that is called " The Performance of Sexuality in Exotic Dance Clubs" by: Mary Nell Trautner. One of the reasons I bring this article up is because it talks about the "similar relationship between gender, sexuality, and social class as they intersect in women's appearance"(774). As the article goes on she talks about the classes and how their appearances correlates with the location in which the strip club is in. This article ties into my research because in music videos we do see how women are dressed with nice accessories and clothing. Another good point to bring up is that every woman whether she's a stripper or music video vixen they must look a certain way. "There are very few overweight dancers, women with short hair, older women, women with strong musculature, or nonwhite women. About half of the dancers at each middle-class club appear to have breast implants, and most of the others have naturally large breasts."(777) In music videos women must have certain looks to attract the viewers because their image is what gives more viewers.
In my project, I have included many rap and hip-hop artists that throughout the years have portrayed women in their music videos, or said things about women that are degrading and offending as well as stereotypical. Although women are perceived as equal, the media has continued to work against this, for example the way women are spoken about in songs and the way they are seen in music videos. Hip-hop and Rap has changed the faces of women in our community from a more positive image to a more negative one. If our society keeps allowing the industry to put out these videos and songs containing false, stereotypical, degrading, and messages, things will never change and the way women are being portrayed will keep being the same.
Throughout the years music has revolutionized and every generation goes through a trend of music that inspires them in one way or another, whether it’s the way the act, dress or represent themselves. Just like society is evolving, music evolves with it as well. Since the 1980’s hip-hop and rap have changed the ways in which people think, but at times it can be a negative. These genres have a lot of derogatory lyrics about women and videos that have women hardly wearing any clothing trying to catch the listeners/viewers attention to obtain more fame. In today’s society, sex sells and the way women are portrayed in these music videos have caused many people to think that this is how women act.
Everyone listens rap or hip-hop songs that are catchy and/or stuck in their heads. Without even realizing it, for the most part, we are saying words like b*tches, sluts, and words that are degrading women. Rap and hip-hop have made a huge impression on the way women are portrayed. Women in these music videos have large breasts and butts with small waists. When guys look at these women in these music videos and see how they look and act, they immediately believe that every woman that looks that way that isn’t in music videos carries herself like the ones in the music videos. Not only do these music videos give people reasons to misrepresent women, they also influence younger girls on how to look and act, as they get older. The women that are seen in music videos especially in rap music videos misrepresent women. Women portrayed as sex symbols in music videos, suggests that they are only there as an object and not as a person.
Women should not be portrayed as objects as this stereotypes that all woman are like this. In rap music videos women are seen as the weaker sex, in comparison to males. Many music videos show dancing women (usually surrounding one or two men) wearing not much more than a bikini, with cameras focusing on their body parts. Clothing women wear in music videos is also too provocative, helping create and contribute to the idea that they are sex symbols. Male artists prefer that women wear provocative clothing in their music videos to seem more dominant than females.
An article that is closely related to my project was one that was spoken about in class that is called " The Performance of Sexuality in Exotic Dance Clubs" by: Mary Nell Trautner. One of the reasons I bring this article up is because it talks about the "similar relationship between gender, sexuality, and social class as they intersect in women's appearance"(774). As the article goes on she talks about the classes and how their appearances correlates with the location in which the strip club is in. This article ties into my research because in music videos we do see how women are dressed with nice accessories and clothing. Another good point to bring up is that every woman whether she's a stripper or music video vixen they must look a certain way. "There are very few overweight dancers, women with short hair, older women, women with strong musculature, or nonwhite women. About half of the dancers at each middle-class club appear to have breast implants, and most of the others have naturally large breasts."(777) In music videos women must have certain looks to attract the viewers because their image is what gives more viewers.
In my project, I have included many rap and hip-hop artists that throughout the years have portrayed women in their music videos, or said things about women that are degrading and offending as well as stereotypical. Although women are perceived as equal, the media has continued to work against this, for example the way women are spoken about in songs and the way they are seen in music videos. Hip-hop and Rap has changed the faces of women in our community from a more positive image to a more negative one. If our society keeps allowing the industry to put out these videos and songs containing false, stereotypical, degrading, and messages, things will never change and the way women are being portrayed will keep being the same.