Othering – The process of viewing someone or something who is not the same as different and threatening. Someone who is not ‘the same’ but is represented or perceived as being ‘different. Since from a hegemonic perspective many media products assume the audience to be white, straight men, examples of groups who are routinely othered include young people, black people, gay people, and women. Horror films in particular often play off the threat of the other, and the antagonist will often be an allegorical representation of a marginalised group.
While we're at it, let's chuck in a few relevant theories:
Stuart Hall - representation theory - Stereotypes are formed from a widely held belief about a certain group of people. These are repeated textually and subsequently cultivated ideologically. This has the potential to become a self fulfilling prophecy
Paul Gilroy - postcolonial theory - Stereotypes are reinforced by those in positions of power, and create strongly enforced hierarchies. Additionally stereotypes come about when there is imbalance of power
The below videos contain themes and images that may be offensive.
City Girls - Twerk ft. Cardi B
- Video primarily focuses on the representation of of black, mixed race, latina and other ethnic minorities
- Additionally the video focuses on larger women, and in particular there are many CUs and ECUs
- However, a very singular and homogenised representation of women. Women in this video exclucively have large buttucks, and exclusively wearing thongs
- An extremely explicit example of sexualisation
- Fast paced editing cuts rapidly from woman to woman, presenting an ideological perspective that all women are the same. Reinforces a singular, straightforward and insulting representation of women Potentially extremely stereotypical
- Reinforces a stereotypical representation of black and minority ethnic women's bodies, but also stereotypes black women as being sexually promiscuous
- Setting: MES of the yacht connotes money and power, reinforcing the meaning/anchors the reading that these women are dancing for money
- Positions the audience as a heterosexual man, however, the target audience for Cardi B is teenage girls...
- A hypersexualised representation, cultivating a hegemonically acceptable ideology regarding the representation of women.
- Arguably hypersexualised ironic musuic videos like this have become the norm. Normalisation through desensitisation
- CUs of BME women's behinds as opposed to their faces, consistently sexualisation
- MS Cardi B and her co-performer singing, in a sea of nearly nude dancing women. Cardi B is nude, and the emphasis is placed on her body
- LA shots of women twerking positions the audience as a heterosexual male, perhaps at a strip club
- Aspirational image for teenage girls! The setting is largely positive, especially the first half, which is set in a variety luxurious settings
- Broken, graffiti's and derelict setting connotes crime, poverty and deprivation, reinforcing a stereotype about BME people
- Potentially empowering? Women have bodily autonomy, a slight variety of body types,
- However reinforces patriarchal hegemony
Lil Pump - Gucci Gang
- Bright, psychedelic colours and editing techniques connote themes of drug use
- Explicit use of drugs, particularly lean (codeine mixed with syrup)
- MES of the three large bags of weed emphasises his status as rich, but also his intent to sell drugs, reinforces stereotypical representation of BME people as drug takers or dealers
- Tiger is connotative of violence, aggression, and symbolises Lil Pump's intention to cause harm. Reinforces a stereotype that BME people are violent and dangerous
- Lil Pump behaves disruptively and disrespectful to a teacher. reinforcing a stereotype that BME people are disrespectful to authority
- Hegemonic rues are routinely broken, especially through Lil Pump's facial tattoos, establishing an ideological perspective that he doesn't care, and is seperate from conventional society.
6IX9ine - BILLY
- Handheld cinematography connotes low production values, poverty and crime
- Artist is continually positioned in the middle of a gang
- MES suggests criminal gangs bandanas, hoodies, gestures etc
- Audience are positioned in the middle of a public disturbance or riot, suggesting that BME people are stereotypically violent, aggressive and involved in crime
- Police are represented as being antagonist killjoys, ruining the aggressive fun of the BME gang
- Glorification and glamorisation of crime
- Stereotypical 'black' setting of chicken shop emphasises the artists status as a BME outsider