In my media and politics class we discussed how music videos today depicts women as the objects of men desire. the way women are dressed, the way they dance and the way they are photographed easily shows that women are only seen as sexual objects and nothing more.
Of course we know that this has been apart of our culture for years now and it only seems to be progressing even more with the one quote everyone uses "sex sells" Does it really sell? Or do the big media conglomerates wants you to believe that, as they are the ones that decides what airs on these music networks.
Even when women performances, if you could remember back in the early 90's when Mariah Carey first debut she was the empitomy of the girl next door. A few years later, she shed that image by taking off her clothes and she hasn't turn back.
It's happened with tons of women artist,
Jewel, Celine Dion (believe it or not, look at her album covers to her more recent.) Christina aguilera, Beyonce etc.
The video also made the point that many women artist wants to give the impression they are independent women yet, continue to contradict themselves by lowering their standards by playing the sex object. Like, Madonna and Gwen Stefani
As a young women who's whole culture has been surrounding by sex, I sometimes feel i'm aloof about the whole idea of how women are projected through the mass media. Maybe because that's all I've ever seen, and then when i go out to parties or bars, i only see my peers dress up and act like those women who are in those videos.
Oh and in the video that we watched, they brought out a great point how the infamous Janet Jackson superbowl performance. Janet got all the heat of the "wardrow malfuntion." when moments leading towards that, Justin sang these lyrics
See I've been watching you
I like the way you move
So go ahead, girl, just do
That ass shaking thing you do
Talk to me boy
No disrespect, I don't mean no harm
Talk to me boy
I can't wait to have you in my arms
Talk to me boy
Hurry up cause you're taking too long
Talk to me boy
Better have you naked by the end of this song
Do you get digusted when you watch music videos that are played today? The way women are dancing and how they are dress? Do you think we can ever surpass this?
Hatbox
I rarely watch music videos - I don't think I ever really paid attention to them, anyway. All the booty shaking made me want was a bigger butt - not to wear different clothes.
A group of us girls were just talking about this and a similar topic recently. Female empowerment has turned into sexual empowerment which has turned into a sexual regression. Women started dressing more sexily to show men that they could dress however they wanted. Great for us! However, it is no longer about empowerment, it's about trying to capture the eye of any interested male. Women have taken strip dancing courses to gain self-confidence in the bedroom. Great for them! But it's still to please their man. These sexually empowering actions have regressed to being for the pleasure of a man once again.
During the discussion, there was a call for a new-feminist revolution. Not much can be done for adults, so we have to start with our children. It involved parents being parents to their little girls and not "best friends". All of us had mothers who always told us "I am not your friend, I am your mother". We all had parents who valued education over all else. My mother drilled into me to get my education before even THINKING about having children. It calls for monitoring the media being aimed at our teenagers. My mother didn't let me watch the Simpsons or even music videos when I was a kid. I could watch The Cosby Show. I could watch game shows. That was it! Some of my TV restrictions were lifted around when I was 16. Even then, my parents made sure I knew what was proper and what was not.
I also feel like women will be objectified if they let someone objectify them. There have to be some female musical artists who have stood up to record companies and said that they will NOT dress scantily in their videos. Probably none of the pop tarts we see today. Can anyone think of some?
1you made some brilliant points sweetpea.
We are definitely in a sexual empowerment movement. I mean i remember when Christina turn into her dirty phase. She kept saying she was in tuning to her sexual side and no one should have a problem with it because she's comfortable in her own skin. But really she's only doing it for the pleasure of men.
I think because all we seen whether it's in commercials, movies, celebrities etc. Women are always seen as sexy, not really glamorous or classy and that's why we have miley cryus humping the floor while performing during Idol Gives Back.
Even when you walk into Limited too for close for little girls, they are skimpy outfits. We're starting to market our little girls to become sexual objects for little boys. It's quite disgusting and appalling.
Maybe Tracy Chapman..... ???? but the ones who aren't objectifying themselves as sex objects are indie artist or jazz musicians. As for pop stars... no. I can't think of anything because even how the camera shoots them it's in a sexual way.
2how do i feel about music videos?? most music videos today have turned into soft core porn. that's how i feel about most of the one's i've seen on the pop channels. i'm not sure about the country videos, though, because i don't typically listen to country.
3I totally agree Britt about the Limited Too. I had a co-worker who let her daughter wear that stuff and it literally made me sick. I think girls should dress their age and some of the stuff I have seen in the Limited Too looks like a mini-version of the stuff I'd expect to see an early twenties woman wearing.
4As for the videos, I don't really pay much attention to the stuff I see in videos. I somewhat expect that certain artists/songs will have little clothing and sexual innuendos.
I know how you feel Brina. My mom always told me the same thing. And I could only watch certain shows and certain shows I couldn't. Even when 90210 came out, my mom would watch it with me during the first season, after that it was fair game.
And on the female artists... I def. think sex sells for men and for woman. Woman can view these same artist and find certain aspects appealing and try to follow suit. Again, only to appeal to the male species.
And, last but not least, mothers being mothers and mothers being friends. I think a lot of the "I'm her friend" syndrome comes from young mothers, for whatever reason. I think it is possible to be your daughter's best friend but there also comes a point where you have to be mom. And teenage years are definitely going to call for your mothering skills not your friendship skills.
♥
Most videos are nauseating. Most of the bigger artists are too commercialized and go the way of sex to sell their music. That's why I'm HUGE into the local scene and support groups here like Elision and such. I'll try to remember to post some of the music here. (I can guarantee they'd love it if I did. I'll ask them first though.)
5As a mom I have to say most videos make me feel sick.
6I like a music video that goes along with song properly. I cannot stand a music video that has things going on in it that has nothing to do with the words of the song. All they are doing is soft porn trying to sell more CD's. That is tacky and once I see it I will NOT watch that video again or support it.
7I've never liked MTV or music videos. I'm just not that in to music.
8WELL, I LOVE music videos, not all are cracked out how we would invision them, be it nothing to do with the title of the song or the lyrics (which can be annoying at times but don't make out to be a bad thing, some people just need to be a little more imaginative and alot of people lack that) but people are drawn to what they see. I really HATE it when people seem to want to blame music videos, as far as i'm concern, bad or good, like it or not, it puts out what happens in the real world, television majority of the time (yet again, like it or not) shows what's in the real world, many people want to be blinded and think those things don't happen but they do, all the sick, twisted, evil, silly, funny, ridiculous things and everything else represents someone out there, met them or never met or ever will meet those sorts, they are out there, it's all practically a mirror image that others want to show to the world thanks to technology. I'm honestly not as bothered about music videos than I am with Television shows, everyone seems to want to put the blame on the singers/artistes, celebrites involved in the music industry, some are a bunch of loonies and don't seem to represent anything good but still in reality there are people like that out there. Television shows like Californication disgusts me..like a modern day porn show, look at all the sex on the tv instead of talking about music videos or talk about both, Sex in the City..catch that name (you ask if it sells?) hmmm...it's everywhere, magazines, tv, the real world, news....it's sad but that our world for you.
) but it's not like i watch it all the time, sometimes i can
miss over 12 episodes or more, but when i do get to watch it i like it, so don't know if i'm missing out anything. I tolerated Californication since my guy (X-files man) was in it, i decided
to give it a shot, then i heard all the cursing, every couple of sentences seem to be of curse words (yeah i don't find it rather cool, nor entertaining)then came my biggest shock ever!!! was
watching an episode where he and that bald head friend of his met this woman (or whatever) and was having a threesome with her then in walks their wives (amazing people care about marriage
and honesty and loyalty and show these kind of shows....like they are encouraging it) and they showed them nude, the positions, then showed when one of them had an organsm or something and
all this fluid came on this guy's face. That was the last time I ever watched that show, never will again, so when people talk about music videos i kinda smirk to myself, as far as i'm
concern they are no the ONLY ones and by far are not the worse!!! so when talking about music videos don't forget the others that fall inline infront of them, a music video is up to 3-5 mins
long most of the time....tv shows are up to 30 mins - 1hr, tv shows leave a bigger impact to me than music videos.
Back to Californication...people like to talk about rappers, rockers majority of the time as evil, can't speak and all that nonsense with makes me sick for whatever ignorant reasons, yet they are the same ones who are watching movies/tv shows full of violence, cursing (way more than in music videos) and sex sex and more sex. We have the L word, Californication for me shows the dropping of morals...yeah i must admit i likethe L word for whatever sick reason LOL, it's rather entertaining and I'm not bothered by women making out on TELEVISION (only) than i would a man (since i like those
Never be afraid to Dream...live...love and laugh....Be afraid not to!
9After reading some other comments....Honestly I don't mind the sexiness but what can I say, i unlike many measure things to a certain degree, I don't mind seeing a cute sexiness, like Colbie Colbat,Fergie, and a few others that show this certain type of sexiness...they carry it well, unlike some others who may just look gross or confused and you're wondering why they are even there, like in the real world I see it all the time, some girls who show a good set of skin yet they don't look..as some would say "skanky" "slutty" (I DO NOT like saying that about other women really)or anything of that nature, they look really neat and beautiful, they carry it well, but then here comes some set of girls who think they actually look good showing the same about of skin or even more and just look ...sad, they look terrible and you wonder who let them out the house looking like that. Yes women have come a longgggg way, I guess we're moving back to the Adam and Eve side, we wore...(well some of us in the world, truly not all of us did thanks to the weather) ALOT of clothing and as the years have gone by, it has seem to become less and less, even if it doesn't show off our skin, it shows off our figure..so what you going to do, put on a load of clothes to hide yourself or adopt a culture or religion to make you feel more comfortable and well hidden?
We're i'm from, when the men see you, think you look good OR BAD they let you know (they are pretty good at insulting and complimenting, and just because you're showing alot of skin don't mean they will think you look good, they would embarrass you, LOL), so clothes are no clothes males will come, they would think whatever they think about you even if fully clothed. It's interesting how many cry and whine yet nothing happens...why??!! well because the ones that like it overnumbers the ones that don't by far, if it was the other way around, you wouldn't be seeing what you're seeing or hearing. The majoriy wants it and they get it. Peter pay for Paul as the saying goes. We may not like it but many of us can't exactly make a dent in it.
Never be afraid to Dream...live...love and laugh....Be afraid not to!
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