Gender Representation In Music Videos

In class we began to look at Gender representation in Music videos in order to get a clear idea of the different types there are so that when it comes to making our own videos, we will know exactly how to portray our character/s in a way that fits in with the conventions of their gender in regards to the genre of music that we are using. During the lesson I found that there are lots of different types of Gender representations that are portrayed in Music videos, some that are positive and some that are negative.

Some one who is renowned for her over exaggerated and controversial videos that often portray a 'Femme Fatale' Character would be Lady Gaga. For example, in her video for 'Telephone' featuring Beyonce, she plays a murderous criminal who has just been released from jail and is continuing to commit crimes, such as ruthlessly poisoning men in cafes. However, although what Lady Gaga is doing in the video should be seen as a negative and something immoral that should be frowned upon, the men in the video are portrayed as seedy, scummy and untrustworthy (i.e. the man almost starting a fight and slapping a random girls bottom) and so Gaga's actions come off more as female empowerment, and almost as if she has done something positive as she has killed off other criminals.

Despite Lady Gagas 'Femme Fatale' Character which she portrays in her videos, women are more often than not objectified in Music videos rather than being used as a symbol of empowerment.

Gender stereotypes are used a lot in these music videos that objectify women, although sometimes they are used in a subtle way and so making it harder to identify when specific stereotypes (i.e. women as a sexual object) are being used. The concept of the 'Male Gaze' theory helps to explain this. The 'Male Gaze' occurs when the audience are put into the perspective of a heterosexual man and the camera lingers on a womans body parts such as their legs, bottom, breasts etc. In feminist theory, it expresses an unequal power relationship between the viewer and the viewed, as the audience is forced to impose their 'gaze' upon the women in the video. Although the gaze is obviously to portray women as a sexual object, it is not always clear to an audience that this is from the perspective of a man as there is no man included in the shot, therefore 'sugarcoating' the objectification of women by suggesting that this is something that an audience, including women, would want to see.

In todays' society in regards to the media, gender stereotyping in music videos is something that is becoming rather common as physical image is something that almost everyone is interested in, as it is stressed to us that this is something that is very important and something that we should all take care of. This is especially shown through the use of celebrities in magazines, who are frequently praised or ridiculed for their self image. Combined with this, it has become so regular for people to see women in these music videos through the perspective of the 'male gaze' and therefore, as a sexual object, it has almost become the 'norm' and people therefore do not realise that most of what they see of women in these videos are a gender stereotype and undoubtedly the objectification of women.

However, there are some artists that choose to break with these conventions that are expected of gender stereotyping in regards to women. An artist that is well known for frowning upon the objectification of women, and creates a positive image for women in her music videos would be 'P!nk' who released the song 'Stupid Girls' from her album 'I'm Not Dead' in 2006, which expresses the message that not all women are stereotypical to the women that are portrayed in the media.