Theories For Music Coursework[1]
- 2. Theories Feminism Feminists strive for equality in women, there are 2 different types of feminists; Radical and Marxist. An example of a very successful feminist is Laura Mulvey. Radical Feminists They base their beliefs of women's oppression on gender, this refers to the category that women are inferior to men. Also, their action tends to be very direct. Therefore, their main aim is to destroy the sex-class that people tend to stereotypically follow. Due to radical feminists challenging any gender roles, they tend to focus on the male roots and how they are represented as the dominant sex who are seen as superior to females.
- 3. Marxist Feminism They say the root of women's suppression comes from capitalism, roles of production, the status of women and also from political views. The Marxist feminists focus on capitalism as the main problem which refers to class and radical feminists refer to patriarchy which is seen as sex/gender. Examples of both types of sexism can be seen in many moving images; including.. Music videos Movies TV shows Theories
- 4. Example in Indie/Rock Avril Lavigne – Skater Boy (Indie/Rock Genre) Avril Lavigne is dressed in a hat, baggy top and bottoms which is clothing stereotypically associated to males. This suggests that she is trying to appeal to people through the male influence. However, the genre of the song is Indie/Rock and the clothing that she is wearing represents this. Also , there are a lot of low angle shots to show the power that Avril Lavigne has which suggests that it is not only men who have power. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7KFD1S3Jx4&feature=related
- 5. Example in R&B Beyonce – Single Ladies (R&B Genre) The music video is urban and sexy. It involves Beyonce being dressed in a stereotypical view. She is very exposed as she is wearing a sexy short dress which appeals to the male audience. Therefore, she is using her body as an object of attractiveness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mVEGfH4s5g
- 6. Example in Pop Shakira – Hip’s don’t Lie The video focuses mainly on Shakira’s body and sex appeal, she is wearing short skirt and a tight top. This appeals to the male gender as it attracts them to watch the video. Also, shakira’s dance moves are seen as very seductive reiterating the female stereotypes. This suggests that women use their body as a selling and appealing point. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7CejPMK3wg
- 7. Other examples Lady Gaga – Just Dance The clothing of Lady Gaga is of bare minimum which reinforces the same images which are created by the above two music videos. This shows that women using their body as appeal is very popular. The camera shots, angles and movement focus on Lady Gaga as if it’s purpose is to tempt men to watch it. These all follow the conventions of a R&B video but also emphasise on stereotypes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M65zI9LH-as
- 8. Laura Mulvey ‘The Male Gaze’ Laura Mulvey was born August 15 th , 1941. she was educated at St Hilda’s College, Oxford. As a feminist, she focused on the imbalance between men and women. She did this through analysis of how men see women and how women see themselves and also other women, she found that the audience is forced to see women in a way that the heterosexual male does. This refers to the view that men see women as objects and women also in some cases do themselves, for example in.. Page 3 of some newspapers, TV, music videos etc..
- 9. Also, people are seen to view women as objects even in advertising even when the image has nothing to do with the product. For example, a semi dressed woman on a men’s fragrance poster. This shows the ‘Male Gaze’ because it portrays women in a male image. Lastly, men watch films and music videos in 2 ways, either VOYEURISTICALLY or FETISHISTICALLY . Once again this has emphasis on the MALE GAZE , the male image of women. Laura Mulvey ‘The Male Gaze’ Continued