- Include sub headings to break up the paragraph structure
- Include more academic sources: push for 15 in your bibliography
- If you have not included any pictures, now is a great time to include some
- Proof read your essay, out loud, preferably in front of an audience
Finally, here is an exemplar, certified A grade response from a recent Long Road graduate. While this may not be the same area of research you are looking at, the essay structure is excellent and should help you to fine tune your own.
The representation of women from different ethnicities in mainstream music videos such as: Feeling Myself by Nicki Minaj and Beyonce, Pretty Girls by Iggy Azalea and Britney Spears and On The Floor by Jennifer Lopez.
The essay will be discussing how women from different ethnicities are represented in mainstream music videos. The focal texts include, On the floor by Jennifer Lopez, Feeling Myself by Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj and Pretty girls by Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea. The argument explored in this essay is that ‘representation of race in the media can consist of the same sort of rigid stereotypes that constitute gender portrayal’ (Wilson:2014). This suggests mainstream media has crucially selected certain representations of features associated with women from different ethnic groups. These videos involve the ethnicities; Latino, black and white, this diversity has allowed the exploration of different types of ethnicities. One theory I will focus on in particular is Mulvey’s male gaze as sexual objectification of women from different races will be discussed. However, the argument that women from different ethnicities are empowered to represent themselves proudly will also be discussed.
One topic involved in music videos associated with women, is sexual objectification. The extremity of objectification is varied in terms of what ethnicity a woman is in videos. Reyes mentioned the ‘idea of latin women as objects is stressed with reducing women to their physical attributes’ (Reyes:2012:p10). This statement can be supported in Jennifer Lopez’s music video, ‘On the floor’ as certain features are accentuated. In one shot, she is wearing her gold and tightly fitted dress, revealing her curves. A medium long shot of her in an empty room with low key lighting dancing is shown in the music video. This shot represents her as being alone in a room with perhaps a heterosexual audience. Mulvey’s theory about the male gaze conforms to this shot as she claims ‘ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking is split between active/male and passive/female’(Mulvey:1989). Her theory assumes females in the media have their sexual features exposed in order to attract a male audience. This representation shown by Jennifer Lopez suggests Latino women are recognized for their unique curves therefore it is displayed in music videos to attract audiences.
The music video to Feeling Myself by Nicki Minaj’s and Beyoncé’s explicitly represents sexual objectification in certain shots. J. Dow writes that black women are ‘presented with large breasts and round buttocks in (music) videos’ (J.Dow:2006:p301). This view can be encouraged in the Feeling Myself video. In a medium close up shot, Nicki Minaj is presented wearing a tight bright pink crop top which reveals her cleavage whilst her hair is down in curls. Nicki is dancing sexually and aggressively. In another medium shot Nicki is bending down against a bathroom sink whilst her bottom is explicitly thrusting out whilst she dances. These shots support the idea that black women are presented with ‘large breasts’ and ‘round buttocks’ in music videos. Levey’s theory about the ‘female chauvinist pigs’ represented can be applied to this video as it denotes black woman being highly sexualised as they overtly perform with their sexual physical attributes. There are also several fast cut shots between Beyonce and Minaj dressed in revealing costumes e.g both artists wear swimsuit outfits which emphasise their curves and thighs representing them as exotic.
Kite claims ‘media representations of these (black) women have become increasingly “whitewashed” over time, with lighter-colored, hair, coloured contacts and a shrinking figure’ (Kite:2011) This has been connoted in Feeling Myself. Beyonce’s hair is long and blonde and Nicki Minaj wears false blue contacts which are traditional characteristics of westernised women. This representation of black women portrays them as westernised which conform to Alvarez’s theory about women from different ethnicities physically escaping from their ethnic features. This indicated women from different ethnicities attempt to be more westernized because western beauty is considered a hegemonic ideal and perhaps causes them to sell more records. However a ’shrinking figure’ is not evident in the video as their large physical attributes are included in the video to demonstrate to audiences their distinctive qualities associated with their race.
In Pretty Girls by Iggy Azalea and Britney Spears, white women are objectified in some shots. T Wood stated that “the majority of white women (in the media are represented as) very thin, passive and primarily concerned with relationships’ (T.wood:2006:p7). Her view is supported in a medium shot of the two artists, ecstatically dancing whilst traditionally masculine men are dancing around them. Azalea and Spears are wearing crop tops which reveal their thin figure, presented in bright day light. This shot encourages the idea of white women being depicted as ‘thin’ and the men around them suggests they are ‘concerned with relationships’. The men that are gazing down at the artists whilst they are in provocative costume represents them as having a lower status which portrays them as ‘passive’.
A second topic that is represented in music videos is ethnocentrism. I interviewed four females aged 16 to 18. When asked about how they think Latino women are represented in the media, they focused on the emphasis on Latino bodies. However, a 17 year old stated ‘Latino women are usually represented as powerful, such as in films’ and some of the girls also mentioned how women from different ethnicities are usually differentiated from white people because of their features. In Lopez’s On the floor, a long shot is presented of her sitting above the disco floor on a black sofa. Her body position is elongated and sophisticated, she is wearing a golden dress and her hair is in a bun. This represents her has having a higher status and being in control. The long shot also allowed the audiences to see that most of the clubbers below her were white. This suggests that Lopez is representing Latinos in an ethnocentric which gives her ethnicity a higher status. Jennifer Lopez is also presented standing on top of a stage whilst surrounded by dancers below her. Her costume is black and she is wearing a crop top whilst dancing sexually. The lighting is subjectively shone on her, which represents her significant status. This connotes her Latino ethnicity as powerful as she is confidently the dominant dancer in the shot.
In Minaj’s and Beyonce’s ‘feeling myself’, ethnocentrism is strongly depicted through their performance. Railton claims that ‘black women are reinforced as independent who are in control of their lives and bodies’ (Railton:2011:p19). An extreme low angle shot of Beyonce and Nicki is presented whilst they are staring down at the camera and zooming in and out of the camera whilst dancing. This signifies them as being more dominant and ‘in control’. A medium shot of them in a garage with low key lighting is denoted whilst both artists stand in the middle and dance confidently. Their costume is more casual and black. Their isolation and confidence in one room connotes them as being ‘independent’ and their outfit represents hegemony over the room as lighting is subjectively being shone on them. This portrays the race of black women as superior. Nicki Minaj said in one her interviews that she expresses herself sexually to ‘reinstate something’ because ‘in hip hop men are glorifying the less curvy body’ (ABCnews:2014). The music video to Feeling Myself primarily involves black women with curvy bodies, e.g the extremely low angle shot had black women wearing tight outfits that highlighted their curves. Minaj’s intention was to perhaps illustrate the unique bodies of black women in a positive and proud light. This can be applied to Dyer’s star theory, he assumes “stars are seen as owing their existence solely to the machinery of production”, (Dyer:1998:p13). Minaj has probably been constructed to present her curves in order to reinstate a curvy black body as being a figure her black female fans should be proud of.
Stereotypical representation of races is depicted in mainstream music videos. O’Sullivan claims most white blonde females in the media are represented as ‘childlike, seductive and inappropriate’ (O’Sullivan:1994:130). In Pretty Girls a medium close up shot of Azalea, Spears and other young white girls, is presented. They are shown on top of a red car, twirling their blonde hair whilst speaking in an exaggerated and feminine tone. This is a typical denotation of a stereotypical ‘dumb blonde’ and therefore supports O’Sullivian’s view. However Iggy Azalea is introduced as an alien in the beginning of the video with flashing eyes. Her tone is sarcastically exaggerated in an American accent (although she is Australian). This was perhaps done to satirically indicate the stereotypical dumb blondes that are generally shown in the media. This represents white women as being aware of their stereotype in music videos and Azalea’s satirical demonstration subverts this stereotype.
One of the questions asked in my questionnaire about ethnicity was what ethnicity is usually more stereotyped in music videos. 70% chose black, and 20% chose Latino. Stereotypical representation of Latino and Black women has been portrayed in the music videos, Feeling Myself and On The Floor. L.M Kelley states, “The pernicious nature of the “angry black woman” trope isn’t marginal to American culture—it’s central.”(L.M Kelley:2014) This idea is denoted in Feeling Myself, Beyonce is rapidly moving towards the camera whilst its moving away from her. Her dancing is confident and sexual whilst she is walking in the middle of an empty roadway. Her direct mode of address is indicated with an intimidating look. Minaj performs the same as Beyoncé, however in a different setting located outside. This represents the black artists as daunting and powerful whilst still behaving in a sexual manner. Alvarado’s theory also applies to this as the sexual direct mode of address by the artists could fall into the category of ‘exotic. Richard Dyer wrote that ‘`Lippmann’s notion of stereotypes a short cut points to the manner in which stereotypes are very simple, striking, easily-grasped from of representation’ (Dyer:1993:p12).A stereotypical depiction is presented in a panning medium shot where Pitbull is surrounded by Latino women who are dressed in golden bikinis, dancing sexually. This representation stereotypically depicts Latino men having higher power then Latino women. However, Lopez dances in isolation more than she does with men surrounded by her which subverts the representation of gender statuses in Latino culture because the isolated camera shots of her suggest she is independent.
Overall, the objectification of women from different ethnicities is usually done to stereotype them according to how general media represents them. However, women from different ethnicities are also represented in an ethnocentric light and may feel superior because of their unique features. Iqbal stated “Black Women’s arse is considered too sexual and crude whereas the same pose by white models is friendly’ (Iqbal:2015.) This view suggests that most white, Latino and black women are all sexualised in music video, however the perception of viewers and exaggerated media is what causes artists from different ethnicities to be objectified and stereotyped in music videos.
BIBLIOGRPAHY
1. Karina Wilson, 2014, Representation of race, ethnicity and colour, http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=race
2. Antonia Reyes, 2012, Portrayals of men and women in Latin music, Florida State University publishing London.
3. Laura Mulvey, 1989, Visual and other pleasure, Palgrave Macmillan London
4. Richard Dyer, 1998 , Stars, BFI Publishing London
5. Tim O’Sullivan , 1994, Gender and ideology in ‘The Media’ – Hodder Headline PLC London
6. Blair L.M Kelley, 2014, Here’s some history behind that ‘angry black woman’ riff, The Root http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/09/the_angry_black_woman_stereotype_s_long_history.html
7. Richard Dyer, 1993, The matter of images: essays on representation, New Fetter Lane London
8. Bonnie J. Dow, 2006, The Sage Handbook of Gender and Communication, Sage Publications London
9. Lindsay Kite, 2011, Beauty Whitewashed: How white ideals exclude women of colour, Beauty Redefined http://www.beautyredefined.net/beauty-whitewashed-how-white-ideals-exclude-women-of-color/
10. Julia T. Wood, 2006, Gendered Media: The influence of media on views of Gender, Department of communication North Carolina
11. Nosheen Iqbal The Guardian, July 2015, Nicki Minaj debate is bigger than Swift’s ego, http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jul/22/nicki-minaj-debate-bigger-than-taylor-swifts-ego
12. Dianne Railton, 2011, Music Videos and the politics of representation, Edinburgh university press LTD
13. ABC NEWS, 2014, Nicki Minaj opens up about why her videos are so racy, https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCEQtwIwAGoVChMI3vf9uPuyyAIVi2waCh0pewE2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DObfl6XOBQPE&usg=AFQjCNHzeD9m2n4zqWkW8dG3KzUkSv1QXw&sig2=WB6EeaLs6PcHVRn-N2i1dA
Credit to Rujbina for the excellent research investigation