1. Compare the ideologies conveyed through the representations in this advert for Hennessy cognac, released in America in the 1970s, and the music video you have studied.
In your answer, you must:- consider how representations convey ideologies
- consider the similarities and differences in the ideologies conveyed
- make judgements and draw conclusions about how far social and cultural contexts affect the representations. [30]
Knee jerk reaction: the ideology of Formation is that Beyoncé is a powerful black woman, and black culture is complex and must be celebrated. The Hennessy advert constructs an ideology where black people are civilised, wealthy, and cool. Therefore there are considerable similarities between the representations, however, the video to formation deals with negative aspects such as poverty and police brutality against black people.
Plan
Hennessy
- Purple connotations of wealth and femininity
- MES of book suggests free time and a single woman
- Representation of a well educated black woman
- Clean, sophisticated setting
- Beige suit: connotations of business and wealth
- Binary opposition between sophisticated rep of black urban living and the flooded streets of New Orleans
- Gender performativity
- Hegemonic representation of gender roles
- Heteronormative gender roles
- Man leaning on door frame is a proairetic code signalling his romantic intentions
- Romantic genre codes
- Use of 2-shot/MS anchored through the proximity of actors also represents a romantic mode of address
- The representation of an educated middle class black woman is notable because it resists the stereotype that all women are made notable only through their sexualisation and their attractiveness. By resisting the stereotype of black women only being presented in certain roles, the advert challenges the predominant ideology of the times
- Sophisticated outfits
- The lexis of 'civilised' brings up an important postcolonial context, and constructs a binary opposition between 'black people' and 'civilization' in order to subvert and challenge the stereotypical assumption that black people are uncultured and uncivilised. It is worth noting that this representation is very blunt and on the nose, and while the producers of the advert mean well, this representation absolutely would not be acceptable in exactly the same way today.
Formation
- MES of sinking police car negative rep
- Binary opposition between Beyoncé's braids and dancers afros constructs a diverse representation
- The hair shop has connotations of black community
- Queer representations
- Liesbet Van Zoonen - Beyoncé's sexualised representation reinforces a patriarchal ideological perspective about women, and anchors the ideological perspective that in order to be power, women must be sexually attractive
- Beyoncé is powerful, confident and empowered
- However bell hooks argued that Beyoncé's self sexualisation was a form of terrorism, and reinforces the ideological perspective that the only way to be powerful is to be hegemonically attractive and sexualised
- Beyoncé's sophisticated antebellum era dress refers to a specific period in the late 19th century in the south of America. Making intertextual references to films like gone with the wind, Beyoncé's white dress, repeated in one of the master shots throughout the video would only have been worn by a woman who’s family owned slaves. This shocking ideological representation is further anchored through the MES of the setting of the luxurious old wooden house. However, Beyoncé is not supporting the ideology of slavery, but instead is rebelling against this ideological perspective. By re-appropriating the racist iconography of the antebellum dress, Beyoncé is breaking social hierarchies, and placing herself in a position