Music Videos :)

Two blogs in one day!!! WOO! Im full of different thoughts today! It is sometimes hard to find things to write about when it comes to women being portrayed in the media. I dont want to be repetitive, but it is in the sense that in all aspects of the media, women are portrayed badly in most cases. So, I apologize if I am being repetitive and I will try my hardest to bring different ideas to the table for each entry that I do!

My second blog for the day is going to be about music videos. I loveeeeee watching music videos. I was a huge fan, and still am a huge fan of MTV. However, they only show music videos 1/50 of a day. It is music television isnt it? Anyways....I love watching music videos, and now the only music videos you can watch on TV for an extended period of the day, is on the country music channels. I love country, so I dont mind it. But what about other people? If they dont have channels like Fuse, then they dont have a channel that plays rock, rap, and pop music videos. This isn't fair!

So who is getting all the business for music videos? YOUTUBE!!!!! If I ever want to see a new music video, I go straight to YouTube and there it is! For example, Katy Perry just released her new song "Firework" and I went to YouTube to watch it, because I cant watch it on MTV! :( 

Music videos are so fun. I think the reason why I like them so much, is because I kind of feel like I am up close and personal with the music artist. I get to see a little bit of them outside of what I hear on the radio...and that is super cool to me.  

I think there is one thing wrong about the music video industry though...the way women are portrayed in them and by what genre. i had to a study on this of course! I went to YouTube and watched 6 videos. Two for each category. The categories are rap, country, and pop music. All three genres had a different theme to it and I found this very interesting. Lets study each video more closely.

RAP!!!!!!

1. Lil Wayne- Lolli Pop featuring Static:

This video was all about the glamorous life of being famous! The video was in Las Vegas at a pool, in a huge stretch limo, and a casino. There was a lot of very expensive jewelry, lots of poker chips and money, alcohol, and very nice clothes. The last thing the video had was girls, girls, girls! There were a lot of girls of all sizes and they all had on some pretty skimpy clothing. The video was just all around and about Las Vegas and did not have a plot of any kind.

2. Beyonce- Single Ladies:

I love this video soooo much!!!!! I have been a dancer my whole life, and Beyonce is just an amazing woman who has done a lot with her life. This video only consist of three girls wearing black leotards and high heels. The three girls dance the whole entire video with no other components in the video. 

COUNTRY!!!!!!

1. Sugarland- Stuck Like Glue:

This song is so fun. I have always been a Sugarland fan, but this song just makes me want to get up and dance and be silly. This video has a specific plot. The lead singer is obsessed with a man and basically kid naps him and loves him to pieces! This video had normal clothes, a beat up car, and was consisted of "normal" people for extras.

2. Kenny Chesney- She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy:

This video is so funny. Kenny Chesney is very laid back and a very well known country singer who loves the summer! The video is on a farm where he is hanging out with a girl wearing jeans and a tank top, and Kenny is also singing in a barn. There isn't a plot besides the fact that Kenny is just hanging out with his girl and the tractor. Sounds like a good time huh?

POP!!!!!!

1. Katy Perry- Teenage Dream:

I loved this song the first time I heard it. I made it my ring tone, and I just cant get enough of it. I have to admit too, that I had never seen the video until today! (I cant believe that!) This video is very sexual. Katy Perry is a sexual person in real life I hear, so I guess she took it to this video also. The clothes and props are all normal things with some semi-revealing clothes and there is somewhat of a plot. However, when I listen to the song, and then watch the video, I do not get the correlation. I think the song is fun and meaningful, and the video is full of partying and sex. I do not think I am getting it.

2. Kelly Clarkson- Because of You:

This video is so sad. There is a story line that will break your heart. The song is about a normal family where the dad leaves his wife and daughter behind and how those characteristics from what the daughter experienced, can move to her future relationships. The characters wore normal clothes, and it takes place in a middle class neighborhood.

Now, what are the themes present in each genre?

RAP: Glamour and money!!! Rappers love being in the spot light, and they love the attention they get when they have nice things.

COUNTRY: Story lines. Country singers love to tell stories and have a good time.

POP: Pop videos has a combination of both rap and country videos. Some have a plot, some show lots of money, some are extremely laid back!

How are women portrayed in music videos? Each genre portrays women in different ways. For rap, I feel like women are portrayed as objects that the rappers obtain. And I am not saying this is how it is in every video, but a lot of rap videos, women just look like fancy objects that rappers want and can have whenever they want. For country, I feel like women are portrayed more like human beings. Im sure there is a country video out there that proves me wrong, but for the most part, country music videos put women in a very good light. For pop, it is a mix between the two again. In Katy Perry's video, women are portrayed as sex symbols, whereas in Kelly Clarkson's video, there is a clear story line told in the song and by the video.

I think it is really important for women to not appear as "objects" for someone to obtain. If women are portrayed that way, then some may feel that that is all they are and all they deserve. Body image and being "objects" correlate with each other. They both can weigh very hard a women's self-esteem and can lead to a horrible life. No women deserves to be an object or feel like their body isnt good enough.

Music videos, such as Lil Waynes, really puts a negative light on women. We know that rappers can get whoever they want, but that does not mean they have to dangle them from a Christmas tree like ornaments in their videos. Rappers need to respect women if they can "get whoever they want" just like they say in every song. This doesnt just go to for rappers though. Music videos can easily send the wrong message, and the producers and artist themselves need to realize what message their video is sending out.