TASK #6

This critical investigation is on ‘Why do music videos construct certain narratives around female artists? And To what extent is this being challenged by contemporary female artists?’I chose to do this investigation on this topic as this gender shows how the roles of female artists have changed over the year in the music industry as it covers exciting development in contemporary music videos showcased by artists such as Lady Gaga and Pink....

TASK #5

Essay points/Plan:

Introduction- Firstly I need to talk about the different types of narrative that are constructed around female artists in music videos such as ‘call on me’ or ‘bed rock’ very briefly, for example discuss how female artists are sexually objectified & why, how they are stereotyped into different roles in society.

-Patriarchal society

-Laura Maulvey’s ‘Male Gaze’

- Gender division between men and women. (male dominated industry)
And then I need to talk about how they appeal to the audience, what is the purpose of those narratives.

1st paragraph – I need to talk about the typical representations of female artists in the music industry and then introduce the genre of Pop.

- Talk about how men are seen as active and women as passive and compare the different between them and talk about social division between them.

2nd paragraphs - then I need to talk about the effect on the audience and how and why they affect society: I also need to include theorises that related to my topic.

1. David Gauntlett- Gender identity, lifestyle
2. Gaye Tuchman- symbolic anhilation of women
3. Laura Mulvey- Visual pleasure and narrative cinema
4. Antoinio- Gramsci-Hegemony
5.Judith Butler- Gender as performance
3rd paragraph- I need to talk about my historical text : Madonna ‘express yourself’ and how she become a role model to other female artists.

4th paragraph- How has this been challenged by contemporary female artists, then I need to introduce Lady Gaga & Pink as my contemporary artists and how they also challenged those stereotypes.

5th paragraph- I need to talk about the types of changes that had been occurred by those artists and how it has changed audience’s views and also discuss if there has been any issues and debates surrounding the changes or artists.

6th paragraph- then I will be able to discuss the success of women (female artists) in today’s society and how women are become more dominant and in control of their sexuality and their music.

- I need to talk about the types of achievement that has been made and consider whether it’s negative or positive.

Conclusion- give a summary of the main points made and link the final point back to the main question.

Overall I need to give Quotes and theory that’s link to my critical investigation.

TASK #4

Additional web research:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00x1wz7/Music_Money_and_Hip_Hop_Honeys/

BBC Documentary: Nel Hedayat explores the controversial world of music videos and meets the girls who dream of being in them. Nel uncovers the dark side of the industry in the UK and in America. (GAGA)

http://web2.airmail.net/ktrig246/out_of_cave/mf.html

''Masculinity-Femininity:
Society's Difference Dividend''


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_hegemony

'Cultural Hegemony'

TASK #3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsVcUzP_O_8

The link above is to Madonna's 'Express Yourself' Music Video. Madonna is famously a confident and assertive sexual icon of all time back in the 1980's and 1990's. The portrayal of Madonna has been very strong over the years as she is considered as a great role model in 'challenging the stereotypes' when the action heroes such as 'Lara Croft' counter the idea of 'feminine' women,and the idea that 'only' men can fill tough leading roles,However through the use of music such as 'Express Yourself' Madonna has challenged those stereotypes by challenging traditional assumptions about female sexuality.

This is done because women were and are considered to be given stereotype job roles such as the 'loving house wive' or sexually objectified whereas men are considered to be more masculine and tough.

Madonna changed those assumptions by creating a strong and masculine image of herself which reinforces that fact she can do what man are stereotypically known to do by taken on a man's role and challenging those ideologies constructed around female artists.

Madonna's body images is represented as 'in your face', dominant and powerful figure in this video. She has become a role model to other contemporary female artists such as 'Lady Gaga'.Madonna has sold over 140 million albums worldwide which signifies her importance society. She challenged a patriarchal society as her portrayal in the music video revers 'Fiske' debate as she has been able to sale so many millions of her album because of her individual icon in the 80's and 90's and the ability to connect to the audiences. For audiences the interpretation of Madonna's music had an' individual' and 'unique' meaning which audiences can relate to. According to 'Fiske' Madonna is

''an exemplary popular text because she is so full of contradictions-she contains the patriarchal meaning of feminine sexuality, and the resisting ones that her sexuality is 'hers' to use as she wishes in ways that do not require masculine approval...Far from being an adequate text in herself,she is a provoker of meaning whose cultural effects can be studied only in her multiple and often contradictory circulation''(1989a:124)

This proves that Madonna does not need anyone but herself which signifies her dominant attitude and the powerful meaning in her music which disputes the patriarchal society. She uses feminine sexuality and does not need any man to give their approval as she is portrayed to be her own person.

This factor is reinforced in this music video when she sings ''Second best is never enough, you'll do much better baby on your own'' reinforcing the fact that women can be independent without men and they will be better off without them.

This allows her audience and fans access to semiotic and social power, 'Madonna is a cultural resource of everyday life'.

This implies that her individual fans can related and add meanings or pleasures to their existence by allowing to express themselves.

Following the French theorist 'Michel De Certeau' (1984), Fiske talks about the 'guerrilla tactics', this means that everyday media users snatch aspects of the mass-produced media but then re-interpret them to suit their own preferred readying. This suggests that viewers 'activates meanings' to make sense of their material existence (1988c:58)

The powerful message of Express yourself as allowed girls and young women to become more independent and have developed their own language for dealing with sexual inequality's ''To [many] young women official feminism is something that belongs to their mother's generation''.

Furthermore this shows that Madonna has given women the ability to speak out about how they feel and allow them to express themselves by demanding more respect from men and that they don't need a man as they can to be active and tough. The video contains many sexual scene which is also seem in Lady Gaga's Video (e.g the bed scene) & there are also evidenced that feisty and aggressiveness alongside male inspired clothing is also present in this video just like Pink's 'So What' video (e.g the leather outfit) which implies that even in contemporary music videos those masculine behaviours can be identified within female music videos. Men and women are shown to be sexually objectified in both music videos as the men appear topless and working work showing off their masculine figure, whereas the women are shown in their underwear and bra to show off their petit frame. This historical text alongside the two contemporary text suggest that even though the narratives constructed around female artists consist of sexual objectification and powerful status but also that women are starting to become more dominant and less subordinated by men compared to before.

The audience can identify the similarity and difference between historical and contemporary text as this shows the changes in society are slowly taken shape as audiences interpret each text and their meanings to suit their needs and expectations. However men still hold more power compared to women which may suggest that even though we see changes in the music industry but there are still clear division between men and women as we still live in a patriarchal society.

TASK #2

Books:

1) Feminism, femininity, and popular culture By: Hollows, Joanne. Manchester University Press (2000)

The ‘image of women’ debate:

• The media (‘effect’) message which presented stereotypical image of women, it claimed, not only socialised children into ‘traditional sex roles’ but also taught them that they ‘should direct their hearts towards heart and home’ (PP.21-24)

This suggests that this gender fix is constructed between male and female from a young age.
Women as image: women’s genre: text and audiences

• If ‘man’ and ‘masculinity’ signify activity, then ‘women’ and ‘femininity’ can only signify its absence, passivity. (Cook and Johnston,1988,27-8)

This quotes shows that men are represented as active whereas women are portrayed as passive. This has been shown throughout history.

• Mulvey’s ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’: women are an object of visual pleasure for the men spectator. The erotic pleasure in ‘looking at another person as an object’. She argues, it is a woman who is coded as an erotic object for a male gaze.

Mulvey’s theory suggests that women are being objected in music videos or any another media text in order to appeal to the male gaze and the male audience. Women are constructed to in this way to appeal to the man audience.

• Mulvey: ‘in a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female’ (PP.43-50)

This implies that there is not an equal division between men and women as man are still dominant and women are subordinated by them.

Fashion and beauty practice: (PP. 138-139) chap 7:

• ‘black and white women are objectified differently’

This quote signifies that women of different race or ethnicity are represented in different ways such as black women as aggressive and violent whereas white women are inviting the sexual gaze.

Youth cultures and popular music: (PP.162-167) chap 8:

• According to Sarah Thornton’s ‘club cultures’ – subcultural capitalism had a large increase amongst women: - subcultural capital is ‘objectified’ or embodied’ in having the right look, the right record collection. ‘’ girls are not actually one of the boys’.

This suggests that women are not considered to be as one of the men even though they construct their image and looks in certain ways.

Love songs and teen bop: (PP.174-181)

• Mavis Bayton commented that pop music is important in women’s live. She argues that ‘rock is serious’ music- ‘there are some sort of ‘natural’ sexuality which rock expresses’- this allows women to become more dominant as it ‘allows for direct physical and psychological expressions of sexuality.

Bayton quote signifies the idea that women can express their feelings, sexuality and become more dominant through the use of ‘rock music’ which is more aggressive and powerful.

• The spice girls have, in turn, spawed their own female fans, and their slogan’ girl power’- (popular feminism) identified by the British media.

This means that through the use of popular feminism girls gain more power and created more dominant girl group in music such as the spice girls, pussycat doll or girls aloud.

2) Hartley, J. (2002). Communication, cultural and media studies: the key concepts (3. edition.). London, Routledge.

'Stereotype has entered public life as a term that is used to describe how fixed qualities or traits may be attributed to groups in the way they are represented in various media'

This quote suggests that different stereotypes are shown through various media text which allows audiences make different interpretation of each text or image.

3) A message for the media, young women talk- Jane Waghorn (editor) (P.49)

'The media are helping to perpetuate the divisions between men and women'

This means that the media is allowing the division between men and women to take help as this often divides them into different groups and classes.

4) Johnson, Allan G. “Patriarchy, The System: An It, Not a He, a Them, or an Us.” The Gender Knot: Unraveling Our Patriarchal Legacy. Temple University Press, (1997) (P. 94)

“From the expression of emotion to economics to the natural environment, gaining and exercising control is a continuing goal of great importance [in a patriarchal culture]”

This quote suggests that man have to feel the need to be needed, in control and masculine as this is how they are able to express their emotions.

5) David Gauntlett- Media, Gender and Identity (1995)
‘Masculinity crisis- women show that they can do everything that men can, this provider role becomes diminished’

Gauntlett suggests that men were more likely to be aggressive, whereas women were likely to be passive. This means that women are considered to be weak whilst ineffectual, victimised, and supportive. men are represented more active and strong,adventurous and victorious.

6) Gaye Tuchman-symbolic annihilation

‘Madonna’s erotica album blurred gender confusions, fluidity of sexuality, and transgression of masculine and feminine stereotypes’

This suggests that Madonna was a sexual icon in 1980-90s challenging traditional assumptions about female sexuality which made her a great role model for women and a pop icon.

Books STILL TO READ:
1))Gender,Race & Class in Media -by: Gail Dines & Jean M.Humez (editors)
2))Media Studies Therapies Approadies-by Dan Laughey(2009)

TASK #1

Q: Why do music videos construct certain narratives around female artists?

& To what extent is this being challenged by contemporary female artists?

Women are traditionally represented negatively in music videos such as : Satisfaction by Benny Benassi or Call on me by Eric Prydz ect.

As women are shown to be sexually objectified in order to appeal to the 'Male Gaze' (Mulvey 1975). For example in the videos of 'Satisfaction' the women are shown to be dressed in shorts,skimpy clothing,sweaty bodies,orgasmic facial expression and performing in a ''sexually'' charged manner which appeal to the male audience and as it contains sexually assertive female this can also appeal to the male 'fantasy'. Women are portrayed as passive unlike men who are represented as active and more dominant.

Even in 'male' videos women are shown to be just for a purpose of display rather than narrative function as the voyeuristic treatment of the female body in 'male' videos are shown as adornments to the male ego and erotic pleasure. As for the videos of 'call on me' women are also represented in the same way and sexually objectified as the use of graphic sexual poses and sexually suggestive 'thrusts' emphasise sexual treatment of the female body.

The emphasise of the female body parts can reinforce the theory of (Goffman 1972) who suggests that codes and conventions such as Dismemberment, domination and superiority can be observed in music videos.For example in both music videos the dismemberment of the female body parts are shown such as the chest, legs, lips which shows women are physically portrayed in sexual or reclining poses yet again to appeal to the male audience and to please the male dominated culture. A culture that is rich in misogyny and sexism as these negative representation reinforces the patriarchal society. This is a society where men have power and control whereas women are disadvantaged, lower in class and status. Theses patriarchal ideologies will stay in place when industries (Media/music) constantly reproduce the same images which become 'norms' to society.

Other examples of music videos which signifies the ideologies that women are represented in a negative light are shown below:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha80ZaecGkQ
  Young Money - Bed Rock
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCLxJd1d84s
  The Pussycat Dolls - Buttons ft. Snoop Dogg
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-qN6TCY85c
  Nelly - Hot In Here
  

For my main text i will be looking at Lady Gaga & Pink, this is because those two female artists like many other have chose to challenge the stereotypical representation of women in music videos and that they are also contemporary. However the scene i have chosen to look at from the music video of 'Alejandro' By Lady Gaga & 'So what' By: Pink can be questioned on whether the female artist are being objectified or its self objectifying in order to show that they are powerful,independent artists who are sexually provocative and 'in control' or 'inviting' a sexualised gaze yet in power and portrayed as dominant female artists. The narrative of those videos signifies the changes of stereotypes surround female artists. I will also briefly be talking about the changing face of Madonna in the way she is represented back in the 80/90's compared to now.

Lady GaGa Alejandro (Official Music Video)

The opening scene of this video consists of a dark nature and the idea of sadness (e.g the funeral scene) which is complimented by Slow violin music alongside the dramatic slow-motion shots with the Gothic mise-en-scene when someone is carrying a heart on a black velvet pillow, which makes Gaga look like shes starving or sexual . Lady Gaga challenges the representation on men and women as this video symbolises the 'Gay' culture as through out the video Gaga referees back to the challenges 'Gay ' and 'homosexuals' had to endure back in history (e.g the Nazis who mass murdered homosexuals,represented by the men dressed as Nazis or Catholicism which oppress and still continues too do so against homosexuals, represented by Gaga's nun outfit with rosary).

Back in history men were always stereotyped as masculine,strong and active where as in this video men are shown in high heels and fishnet stockings which challenges the stereotypical representation on men .On the other hand women were and even today are shown to by stereotyped and sexually objectified which signifies that we still live in a patriarchal society, however through the use of this video Gaga shows that women can also be as strong,masculine and active as men ( e.g when gaga is wearing the leather clothes and leading the men) in which it also referees back to the Queen of Pop 'Madonna' and her representation which changed over the many year as a result it changed the audiences views back in the 80's/90's. We've seen all this imagery of the Catholic figure before with Madonna and various other artist, but now that we are seeing it more, we as viewers become desensitized to the real meanings of those texts however according to (Fiske 1982) audiences can interpreted certain meanings of a media text in different ways in particular to specific culture.

Lady Gaga challenges those representation and stereotypes of women are as is portrayed as a strong individual and in power when leading the group of men while dancing around.

This can also suggest that she is in 'control' as she uses the men as decorations on the background, whereas stereotypically women are being objectified and used as a objects in 'male' music videos to help to raise the male status and power. Gaga is portrayed as the ring leader and a symbolic figure, this signifies that women can also be active. its arguable to suggest either that Gaga her self is still being objectified, when she is shown to be wearing very little clothes (e.g bra,pants and stockings) or during the bed scene as Gaga is shown to be on top of the man on the bed while her hands are tied to the rope onto the bed, this images also signifies the power of Gaga and the control over men, whereas before women were seeing less powerful and dominant. Women were often consider to be as lower class than men.

This also appeals to (Mulveys) 'male gaze'. However according to (Gammon and Marshment 1988) which criticise Mulveys theory and suggest that women are not passive but also active. Gaga's representation can be controversial as through out the videos Gaga is shown in a new light when she is represented as an 'Biblical' object when shes dressed as a nun in a red latex habit, swallowing rosary beads which symbolises the "desire to take in the Holy''.

This is also done to show that the portrayal of Gaga as a nun is accepting the 'Gay' men around her, however before this was not accepted by the Catholic religion. Viewers become more desensitized to such issues and debates.

Just like Madonna, Gaga mixes overt sexuality with religion, and in so doing symbolically acknowledge her eternal damnation, this is shown when Gaga is rolling around on a bed as she's getting ready to eat some rosary beads.

In Madonna's videos, she is both feminine and powerful and we can also identify this great combination in Gaga's music videos. Gaga is often criticises for 'copying' Madonna work,however Gaga succeeds by reproducing the work by successfully offering new and contemporary interpretations which appeals to the audiences.

The similarity's between Gaga and Madonna are endless as they are both seen as great iconic figures and both women demonstrate that they are in charge of their sexualities and have their own Independence's as contemporary female artistes who challenge the stereotypical representation of women regardless of whether they are playing a submissive role or the dominatrix.

In this videos Gaga introduces her audiences to representations of queer identities just like Madonna. This is shown when they convey feminine desire, sexuality, and pleasure through the use of their backing dancers who identities are articulated. The men in fishnet stockings and high heel dancing around in tiny pants are not the stereotypical representation of men and this is been challenged through the use of Gaga's work. As a female artist she shows strong domination in the pop music industry. This also signifies that fact that in contemporary society the rise of 'girl power' is more accepted and female artists are showing to be more dominance.independence and control of the sexualised gaze and the media.

During an interview with The Times (online) Lady Gaga explains that this music video was inspired her love for her 'Gay' friends and admiration of gay love. In the article she explains that this music video is about the:

''purity of my friendships with my gay friends. And how I’ve been unable to find that with a straight man in my life. It’s a celebration and an admiration of gay love – it confesses my envy of the courage and bravery they require to be together. In the video I’m pining for the love of my gay friends – but they just don’t want me.''

Almost everything in the video covers that statement as it shows the "courage'' & ''bravery'' the queer required in order to be together. Gaga also shows that women are not subordinated.

Web link: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article7129672.ece

Pink - So What (Not Full Music Video)



I was not ablt to embed the full musiv vidoes of Pink: So What, but the link to the full vidoe is shown -->: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUvYR2ZYjVY (Full)

From the opening scene of this video, we as an audience can identify that 'Pink' is claiming her independence as an individual female that is no longer with her husband as she has found new ways of leading with it and gaining her own independence. The title 'so what' suggests that she does not care as this music video challenges the stereotypical representation of men and women alongside their roles in society. Pink’s music video signifies the ideologies constructed around different genders and the representation of masculinity and femininity in relation to hegemony.

Pink is shown to be showcasing the different values of masculinity and femininity as she takes on the role of what a patriarchal society would consider to be a 'man’s' role and plays around with the ideologies constructed or expected of a certain gender for example a man should be strong and masculine whereas the women is more feminine and often linked to the stereotypical job roles such as house work and family life.

we see this role being challenged from the start of the video where pink is getting another tattoo on top of her other collection and this challenged the role as this is often linked to be masculinity and men.

This video also suggests that men and women behave in different ways due to hegemonic 'norms' which are expected in society. In this videos Pink portrays some of these behaviors and actions by portraying a man’s role as the representation of masculinity and femininity is shown. Even though Pink is portrayed as masculine and loud, at the start of the video pink's ''husband'' is covering her eyes to show that man seem to be in control and in a position of power over the women as pink signs: “I guess I just lost my husband/ I don’t know where he went”.This can also conveys that she in need of her husband and she cant find him suggesting that women need man and can't be independent as through out history men were and still are representation more dominant than women.

We can also see another hegemonic representation of masculinity when pink is singing to her husband and he has his back turn to her, yawning and clearly showing that he is not listening to her. Pink challenges the stereotypical representation of womanly qualities when she decides to start a fight in a guitar shop and get in trouble, this type of action is considered to be masculine as men are represented as aggressive and more dominant. According to the patriarchal culture pink supposed to be passive because she is a women whereas men seem to be considered as active. however this is challenged when she take on a man's role.

She posses womanly qualities and challenges this by fighting physically and punches the man in the face to her new dominant characteristic. Other disputes of hegemony Pink represents in this video is when she is holding a drink or a bear can in her hand on the road and causing a scene by being aggressive,out of control and rowdy which is not considered to be a femininan behaviour in society however in doing so she is going against the patricachal society.

The desire of independencey is shown through out the video for example when Pink is cutting down the tree with her and her husbands name on it with a chainsaw which siginifes that she no longer needs him and this idea is reinforced when she says: ''i dont want you tonight' and this suggests that she is more dominant and independent as a women by cutting the the tree herself.

Through out the vidoe Pink illustrates the different in gendre roles and how they are portrayed in soicety and the media. Through out the video Pink pokes fun out of masculinlty and fimininity by switching roles and behaviour of different gender roles for exmaple then she crys while cutting the tree shows that women are emotional but at the same times shows that she is going to be ok without a man when saying 'it ok i'm fine'. Pink also shows that women are not subordinanted by men. This video contains very little sexucal objectifiton of women, when Jessica Simpson walks in the bar wearing sterotypical clothes such as mini skirts and heels which are considerd to be objectifying the femal body or when Pink flashes hery body naked on the red carpet for the cameras showing that she does not care while dancing around and having 'fun' and not pleasing the 'male gaze' or inviting them.

Through out the video pink shows her ability to take on a man's role and show that represenation of men and women alongside sterotypes considered in partichal society can be 'fixed' if society allows the change to happen.

Powrpoint:

Critical Investigation:


Why do music videos construct certain narratives around female artists?
&
To what extent is this being challenged by contemporary female artists?

Critical investigation!

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