Representation

In class today we looked into how music videos over time have created representations and caused stereotypes of certain artists to be formed. This representation of artists can be developed through their Star Image and can change over time depending on how they are advertised to the audience through he media and their videos. Also we found out that a majority of these representations only really take places on female artists over male artists. This is because many of the representations that are created are shown in quite a sexual manner and with much of the media, including music videos, being run by men, the audience are said to prefer to see women in this way and less so for men.

We also learnt that the way someone is represented can be effected by  the genre of music they perform, the audiences and institution. Along with this ideology can effect it too because all the different media concepts (e.g. Mise en scene, Lighting etc.) can enforce the representation which is shown. This causes representations to become exaggerated and within music videos, as they are only short and you don't have time to work out what the character/ representation the artist is going for, stereotypes of social groups and people are used to quickly make it clear to the audience watching.

The Burlesque Representation:
The stereotypical representation of a burlesque girl in music videos involves:
- Corsets
- Feather Boas
- Fishnet Stockings
- Show Hats

Even though the outfits they wear are fairly revealing or sexual normally in videos involving this image the artist isn't shown as vulnerable or objectified by men. This is because in these videos the shots of the artists a majority of the time are low angle looking up at the women, giving her power, and the close ups that are featured are of their faces and if their body is shown their faces are normally still in the shot too. This stops the objectifying and makes the women still hold power in the video. An example of this representation is in the music video 'Moulin Rouge' shown below:

The Stripper Representation:
The stereotypical representation of the Stripper image in music videos involves:

- Very limited clothing, e.g. bras etc.

- Use of poles an walls

- Glitter on clothing

- 'Open' crouch

In these videos the outfits which the women wear are deliberately revealing and limited as they are advertising the artist's image in a sexual manner. However unlike with the Burlesque representation, this representation is more demeaning towards the woman and objectifies them hugely. This s because many of the close up shots are only on body parts, such as the 'bum shot' without their faces. This sexualisation is continued with the provocative positions that the artists shot in. This representation is manly completed to appeal to the male audience as part of the 'Male Gaze' through voyeurism. An example of this representation is in the music video 'Pour It Up' shown below:

The Gangsta Hoe Representation:

The stereotypical 'Gangsta Hoe' representation in music videos involves:

- Afro American men and women

- Bikini tops and torn shorts (95% Skin)

- Bling

In these music videos if it is not themed otherwise the women are usually dressed like this and shown in a way of being owned by the dominant male in the video and therefore objectified in shots too. This sexual view on women is normally worse in male rapper/ R&B videos as the women are shown to have now power in the video at all. This furthers the idea of the male gaze. An example of this representation is in the music video 'Anaconda' shown below:

These are the main 3 representations you find in terms of women for music videos. However there are other smaller representations that you can find, for example a Pop Princess. These types of artists are usually younger because it wouldn't appeal to their audience if they were shown in a sexual way, particularly as it would be inappropriate and wrong for this to occur. Lots of children TV stars start of as Pop Princesses and as they get older, with their audience, they normally develop and start conforming to one other representations so that they can avoid their children's TV days. An example of someone who developed from holding a Pop Princess image to a Stripper image is Miley Cyrus.

Left: 2008

Right: 2015

Even tough in a majority of videos it is the woman that is objectified and shown in a sexual way through the male gaze, where times are changing and women get a greater equality there are also a few times now where within the video you find the female gaze So rather than the women being dressed in near to nothing and the close up shots being on their body parts the role is reversed. This has happened in music videos such as Ex's and Oh's where Elle King is in formal clothes and the men are wearing limited clothing and shown mud wrestling. It is also shown in Mysterious Girl where there is a female gaze on Peter Andre where it pans up his body when in the shower and coming out of the ocean and the women in the video are wearing normal clothes when he always has his chest out. So this shows ho their audience is only women and not men because even though women are used to seeing the male gaze and voyeurism take place in music videos, men not so much so won't like or watch the video as much. Here is the example 'Ex's and Oh's':

This video also shows how women can be represented as strong and dominant in music videos too, because the whole way through Elle King is shown as more important throughout and is often seen ordering the men around and is shown higher up than the men. This is especially displayed by the low angle shots being on her and the high angle shots being on the men. This portrays inequality in power in favor of women and this is played on throughout the music video as for once the woman is the one surrounded by multiple men rather than the other way around, this is unusual to find in a music video, as it shows she is more dominant individually and doesn't need to be in a group of women around men in order to be shown as strong.

Key Terminology:
Voyeurism- Erotic pleasure can be gained by looking at a sexual object (preferably when the object is unaware that they are being watch).

Male Gaze (Laura Mulvey 1975) - She proposed that because filmmakers are predominately male, the presence of women is often for the purposes of display (rather than narrative). This is to facilitate a voyeuristic response in spectators, which presumes a male gaze (regardless of the gender of the spectator) one that is or may feel like a powerful controlling gaze at the female on display who is effectively objectified and passive. In male performance videos the voyeuristic treatment of the female body is often apparent, with the use of dancers as adornments to the male star ego.

Exhibitionism- Female performers being at once sexually provocative and apparently in control of and inviting a sexualised gaze in what could be termed as the opposite of voyeurism.

Raunch Culture (Andrea Levy) – In her book ‘Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture’ Levy attacks the increasingly sexualised culture that objectifies women. She argues that women are encouraged to see themselves as objects and to sex as their only source of power.

An example of this is in the music video for ‘Blurred Lines’ where around Robin Thick there are multiple female dancers with, in the original video, no clothes on for no apparent reason as it did not add to the narrative of the video and they just seemed to be there like that or the sake of it. Along with this the idea of a male gaze was furthered as many of the shots were o them and their body whilst “dancing” creating the unaware voyeurism appeal. However as they were hired to do this in the music video and they are supposedly optionally dancing as such, many people also see this video as showing exhibitionism rather than voyeurism. This would fit with the ideas of Levy it would suggest that they only completing those types of dance moves whilst wearing nothing and "tempting" the male artists in he video as a way of showing some power.