Victoria Secrets Fashion Show 2012

Clarissa Williamson

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fj1-cMFLPw

Victoria Secrets Fashion Show 2012

            Since the year 1995 the Victoria Secrets Fashion Show has captivated the American audience with its beautiful women displaying sexy lingerie, draped in embroidered silk and expensive jewelry.  This year’s fashion show was no different. There were four themes to the show: ballet, passion, aquatic angels, and spell on you. Each theme embodied a different stance on image and meaning. Some of the things the themes had in common were low-lighting, slow-motion angles, and women with barely anything on their bodies. Even the facial expressions by the models to the audience and/or camera in particular were seductive with bending over, constant winks, and blowing kisses to the camera. There were specific camera angles that were displayed throughout the show. Some of those being zoom-in shots of the private areas and bottom shots capable of looking up at the model. During the passion theme is where slow motion really came into play. The overall color of this specific theme was red which represents so many different meanings in the world of lingerie. Before the theme started designers gave a short description of where the inspiration came from. One of the bras created to highlight their views cost two and a half million dollars. The fashion show does a great job of displaying bodies of women in a beautiful light but how they portrayed it to the national audience is where their fault became apparent. According to Jhally (2011) “sexuality became a key feature of the image-system within this” (p. 203). I definitely feel like the fashion show plays on the male imagination and how they would like to see women portrayed. For example both performances during the show were down by males: Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Maroon 5. What the show lacked was representations of the average woman and how they play a role in being sexy along with racial diversity. There were only about four models with diverse attributes such as caramel or brown skin, or distinct eyes.

In between setting up for the next theme, certain models conducted interviews about their personal lives and what it was they were striving to be when they were younger. Even as the interviews were playing out, the major focus was on the models bodies because of what they were wearing. During the interviews, models wore the signature pink silk robe, which constantly fell to reveal the models chest or bra. Also during set-up the creative directors commented on how the vision or theme came about and what they were trying to portray from the runway, using words like seductive, innocence, and sensuality.

According to Kellner (2011) “media culture provides the material for constructing views of the world, behavior, and even identities” (p. 10). He also states how “media culture articulates the dominant values, political ideologies, and social developments and novelties of the era” (p. 10). The Victoria Secrets’ Fashion Show is a great example of the dominant values and social developments of this era. Within almost every media outlet women are constantly reminded that they must be tall and have or strive for a model figure. Also within media the over-weight women is limited in her sex-life, love-life, and even social-life. Rarely do we see as a culture, television advertisements geared toward the average or obese women pertaining to intimate clothing. These inferior ideologies continue to separate females into categories. Kellner (2011) states “Ideologies make inequalities and subordination appear natural and just, and thus induce consent to relations of domination” (p.11).

There are many different ways in which the fashion show can be perceived by an audience because of representation. Judith Mayne points out “the term “representation” is necessarily broad, encompassing the word as well as the image; “high” art and popular culture.” She also states that “representations require a medium, a form of expression, from the camera to the paintbrush and canvas” (p.161). For this particular text the medium is national television.  One way the show could be perceived is that it is displaying a woman’s body in a beautiful light, accentuating the beauty with luxurious wings and seductive fabrics. Another way it can be perceived is that is places women who don’t look like the models in a negative light and into inferior categories. This idea reinstates Mayne’s point that “women tend to be divided into two opposing categories; one representing impossible perfection, the other equally impossible evil, and usually it is sexuality that made the difference” (p.162). My overall opinion on the show is that I love to see women wearing beautiful apparel whether it is lingerie or gown.

References

Jhally, S. (2011). Image-based culture: Advertising and popular culture. G. Dines, & J. M. Humez (Eds.), Gender, race, and class in media: A critical reader. (pp. 199-204). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Kellner, D. (2011). Cultural studies, multiculturalism, and media culture. G. Dines, & J. M. Humez (Eds.), Gender, race, and class in media: A critical reader. (pp. 7-18). Thousand Oaks, CA:SAGE.

Mayne, J. Women, representation and culture. Reading womens lives.

Jordan Reiley's blog

Alright, this being a blog, I feel I’m given a slight allocation to write this semi-informally. So be it.

I don't really know why the given video actually exists. I guess it is an art form to some degree, I guess as some may put it. I just don't see it.

The attached video shows 7 year old girls doing a rendition of popular song "single ladies" by pop star Beyoncé. First and foremost, “Single ladies” states ,

"I got gloss on my lips (lips), a man on my hips (hips), on me tighter than my Dereon jeans;
Actin' up (up), drank in my cup (cup) - I can care less what you think...
I need no permission; did I mention, "Don't pay him any attention"?
'Cause you had your turn (turn), but now you gonna learn what it really feels like to miss Bey..."

None of those things apply to 7 year old girls. And secondly, the girls in this video are dolled up to appear both sexual in nature and really provocative. At least within the culture that this video this seems to be depicted within, that isn’t right. That’s really, really, really wrong. I know that the point of this posting is to take on a cultural studies approach, a sociological perspective, but this is in association to my culture supposedly; I don’t feel it’s appropriate by really any measure, at all.

And here’s the thing. It isn’t the kids doing this. OK- so they actually are doing it, they are the ones dancing, they are the ones dressed up and depicted semi-sexually though they are seven years old, but the ones throwing them through the ugly ringer are the parents. It’s pretty gross. To think that your own mother is hyper-sexualizing you as just a child, pushing, and in my sole opinion, horrible ideals upon you, is terrible. What to think once the child ages and becomes a teenager? What if the girl ends up being literally ugly? Being that she was pushed through the beauty ringer as a kid, will her mother enforce enhancement surgeries and whatnot on her once she becomes more physically mature? How does this really pan out?

It’s just that it’s not the kids’ problem. It’s actually and absolutely the parents’, and as it more appears in online and television depictions, the mothers’ faults. Why are they doing this? Why are they signing their daughters up for beauty and sexually-driven pageants as toddlers? Few complexes play into this. Foremost, the actions of the “pageant moms” As stated by Kellner’s “Cultural studies, multiculturalism, and media culture”

“Radio, television, film, and the other products of media culture provide materials out of

which we forge our very identities; our sense of selfhood; our notion of what it means to be male

or female; our sense of class, of ethnicity and race, of nationality, of sexuality; and of "us" and

"them." Media images help shape our view of the world and our deepest values: what we

consider good or bad, positive or negative, moral or evil. Media stories provide the symbols,

myths, and resources through which we constitute a common culture and through the

appropriation of which we insert ourselves into this culture. Media spectacles demonstrate who

has power and who is powerless, who is allowed to exercise force and violence, and who is not.

They dramatize and legitimate the power of the forces that be and show the powerless that they

must stay in their places or be oppressed.” (Douglas)

That’s Kellner’s introduction to his take on how popular media culture pushes ideals onto a susceptible audience. However funny enough, it actually isn’t the kids who are being molded into this hilarious clone of popular culture… it’s the adult parents. And thus, these parents are taking the popular ideals of sexuality, altered femininity, among others and emulating them almost absolutely upon their children… and with really hilarious effect. Though I cannot vouch whether these parents want to actually depict their children in such a sexual manner, their efforts do just that. Their dedication and susceptibility to popular culture have transformed them mindlessly, their inability to become a younger self and imitate popular icons such as Beyoncé, Britney Spears, etc. have basically made them take their daughters and mold them to fit their respective “dreams”, or so to say.

On Kellner’s multi-approaches- Again stated,

"I got gloss on my lips (lips), a man on my hips (hips), on me tighter than my Dereon jeans;
Actin' up (up), drank in my cup (cup) - I can care less what you think...
I need no permission; did I mention, "Don't pay him any attention"?
'Cause you had your turn (turn), but now you gonna learn what it really feels like to miss Bey..."

This single by Beyoncé was along with her Feminism effort of the late 2000s. She also embodies this factor. Beyoncé claims and put forth the notion that women have most control in the direction of a given relationship, notioned,"Cause if you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it;"; In complete relation to child beauty pageants, and “pageant-moms” depicted as miserable, bitter, and single mothers, the two tie almost perfectly together, really. These are self-hating mothers, they hate themselves, and they want their children to be everything they aren’t. They are using their children as production values basically, to put out the message that they cannot themselves. The textual analysis lies within Beyoncé’s video, attached above. It is absolute sexuality; empowered eroticism, really. The tactful use of exploitation, but not to complete avail (Shayne 18), promotes womanly power, that which is at most a wish for the noted “pageant-moms”.

And audience reception is Beyoncé’s great appeal to most, and this includes mature 40-somethings who sign their kids up for pageants.

That’s it, though. In the end, there isn’t much to it. Just mothers dressing up their daughters. But there is definitely more to it; all beneath the surface though.

Works Cited

Kellner, Douglas. "Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture." Http://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kellner/essays/culturalstudiesmulticulturalism.pdf. Web.

Lee, Shayne. Erotic Revolutionaries: Black Women, Sexuality, and Popular Culture. Lanham, MD: Hamilton, 2010. Print.

"I Only Wanna Give It to You"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqm35nwZzi8 

The music video that I chose to analyze is Elle Varner’s “I Only Wanna Give It to You” which is the first single from her debut album Perfectly Imperfect. In a setting reminiscent of the 1990’s Elle sings about a man she wants badly, and whom she wants to give herself to. The video is very colorful and there are several references and images of shoes, as well as colors and styles of dress that were popular during the 1990s. The video also features rapper J. Cole who is also relatively new to the world of mainstream music like Elle Varner. Alone, “I Only Wanna Give it to You” is a song about a girl that wants a boy, but as a music video the more complex messages are visible.

Looking at the video through a production/political economy lens it is clear that the video is following certain cultural conventions of our time. Like many music videos today, “I Only Wanna Give It to You” fits into the three to five minute time frame that is ideal for distribution purposes. Another aspect that is commonplace in our culture is advertisement and music videos are not exempt from its reach. In Elle’s video we see the image of many shoes but there is one heel in particular that continues to reappear in the video. This can be interpreted simply as the shoe she loves but it is also a subtle form of advertisement. If someone watching the video takes an interest in this shoe from the first time it is shown and then sees the image of the shoe multiple times throughout the video, the viewer may be inclined to find out more about the shoe and possibly purchase it. 

According to Kellner “The textual analysis of cultural studies thus combines formalist analysis with critique of how cultural meanings convey specific ideologies of gender, race, class, sexuality, nation and other ideological dimensions” (Kellner, 14). When textually analyzed there are clear ideologies of gender, sexuality and race present in “I Only Wanna Give It to You”. Gender ideologies are represented the most by the references made to shoes. In the chorus Elle sings “Cause I only wanna give it to you/And I want you more than a new pair of shoes”, which supports an ideology that women love shoes. The fact that she wants him more than new shoes indicates that she really wants this man. The want for shoes juxtaposed with the want for a man combined with imagery of Elle constantly being surrounded by shoes also reflects the idea that women can be materialistic.

When it comes to sexuality the title alone can be interpreted as suggestive. The “it” the title is not clearly defined but like any word, the meaning can change depending on the context. In this case the title is “I Only Wanna Give It to You”, which says that someone wants to give something to someone else but because of the imagery and the lyrics surrounding this “it”, it is possible to relate it to sex. To support this idea we see Elle positioned and moving in a sexual manner throughout the video. The sexuality is not as overt as it is in many of today’s music videos but it is still noticeably present.

In addition to gender and sexual ideologies, racial ideologies are also present in this music video. The visual theme and setting of the video is one that clearly emulates the 1990’s, which is represented by the bright colors as well as the fashion but it is a more African American image of this time period. The setting is one that resembles a neighborhood that can easily be associated with a minority population. Many of the buildings throughout the video look rundown, and many have their gates pulled down even though it is daytime which may suggest that they are businesses that have closed down. These images are usually associated with urban areas that can be predominantly African American and in addition to this all of the actors in the music video are African American. When looking at the fashion there are many outfits that could be seen on many different races in the 1990’s but what stands out as elements of the African American community in particular were the images of high top fades, and big long chains among the men in the video.

To analyze “I Only Wanna Give It To You” from the perspective of audience reception YouTube serves as a useful tool. Music videos on YouTube often allow the viewer to also comment on the video as well as read the comments of others. Based on the comments for this video, it is clear that many viewers appreciate the “throw-back” value of the video which refers to the imagery of the 1990’s but at the same time there were some comments that indicated that some viewers did not see a representation of the “90s” in the video. The reasons for this are unclear because there is no in-depth information available about the commenters on YouTube that would lead to an explanation for this. To further understand audience reception of this video ethnographic research would be useful. 

Swiffer: Just for women?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIxI05Ipw1M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=9_JpYfScoHs&NR=1

Swiffer cleaning products have been around for years, along with their commercials. Swiffer commercials seem to feature women in desperate need of good cleaning supplies for their ever-dirty house. This notion caught my eye while thinking about a topic for this blog. I found two commercials specifically that I feel illustrate this idea well.

Media:

The first is a commercial featuring a young “cowgirl” who is supposed to portray dirt. The idea alone that this woman is seen as dirt should be enough for the gendered view of this commercial however, she is “picked-up” by a Swiffer product, when no one else would take her. Ironically enough, it is another woman who is doing the cleaning.

The second commercial features two women who are in what seems to be a counseling session where the client is at a loss for a good spring cleaning tool. She is reprimanding her old mop in such a way that it seems as if the mop is her only help around cleaning her house. Once she is introduced to the new Swiffer product, her life (cleaning) becomes much easier.

Cultural studies approach:

               Swiffer as a company uses the idea that women are the primary caretakers of the American home in their commercials that feature women cleaning. This marketing strategy, according to Kellner, is a way for audiences to identify with the product being marketed (p. 11). Using textual analysis, the viewer of these commercials can break them down to see that the cultural standards of women within the home are being portrayed when they are cleaning. One can also infer that the women are usually seen cleaning an empty house which can be interpreted to mean that her family, i.e. her husband and children, are not around so this leaves her the perfect opportunity to focus on cleaning rather than taking care of her family. Audience reception then plays a large role when analyzing the media because the audience is able to identify with and relate to others, like the women in the commercials, who share similar experiences (Kellner, p. 13). Also, according to Kellner, a cultural studies approach addresses the sexist ways groups of people can be portrayed, in this case women (p. 15). In the Swiffer analysis, women are always the cleaners. This is sexist because it assumes that men within the household do not contribute to cleaning or helping their wives or girlfriends. It also assumes that women have nothing better to do than clean the house, and are always looking for a better cleaning product to make their  home nicer. Kellner also suggests that a cultural studies approach should be critical in the sense that it is also multicultural (p. 16). Swiffer, in this example, uses white women in what appears to be nice houses. Knowing that most of the country does not live this way, it leaves room for the interpretation that in order to have cleaning supplies, such as Swiffer, one must live the same life or else they are going to have a dirty house.

Additional readings:

               In her piece, “Women, Representation and Culture”, Judith Mayne discusses the dichotomy seen in media where women are being portrayed as either the Madonna or the whore (p. 162). This can be clearly seen in the first of the two commercials where the “dirty cowgirl” is seen as someone undesirable and the woman cleaning is coming to save her. Also, according to Mayne, stigmas such as these are created through and reflect the culture that we live in (p. 163). Women tend to be the caretakers of the home so they are seen as being the only ones who clean in the commercials. For younger audiences viewing these commercials, it becomes instilled in them that a) if they are women themselves that it is their job to clean and b) if they are men, they do not have to clean because a woman will do it for them. This idea stems from the notion that we, as a society, turn to media to teach us what is acceptable while also reinforcing some stereotypes such as women in the home (Mayne, p. 163).

In conclusion, women in the media are, and have always been, portrayed in a highly gendered way. Swiffer specifically fits this category because of the many stereotypes used. Keeping in mind that these commercials are only about thirty seconds long, one would not think that they would have such an impact, however, with the amount of times that these commercials are played on countless numbers of television channels, we cannot simply ignore the message.

Britney Spears- Jamie Jessup

Britney Spears: "Slave 4 U"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzybwwf2HoQ

As Kellner states in his article, media culture has a huge impact on how we create ourselves within this society.  We mold and shape our identities in accordance with the images we see projected in both large and small arenas.  With that, our ideas of gender, race, sexuality, and class are born within these depictions of the human body through mainstream outlets.

One example of this can be seen in Britney Spears' music video for her song "I'm a Slave 4 U."  At the beginning of her journey to fame, Britney Spears built her image around this notion of the "good girl." When "Baby One More Time" came out, we saw her in pigtails with a school girl uniform and she was seen as the girl next door, but as her career blossomed, this image seemed to whither away and as she transitioned from the good girl to the sex symbol we are faced with the virgin versus the whore dichotomy that is addressed by Judith Mayne in her article: "Women, Representation, and Culture."  This notion of dualism addresses the issue that the representation of women within the media is based around two images; one being that "impossible perfection" and the other, "impossible evil" (Mayne, 162). The evil, generally exemplifying sexuality.  Britney Spears, within these boundaries, cannot become the sex symbol while remaining the girl next door, she must become one or the other, never both, and certainly not anything that may fall in between these two categories. 

Taking on this approach, we can better understand the political economy aspect of Kellner's three part approach to media analysis.  Through this cultural studies lens, one would say that Britney Spears' image is owned by big name record labels.  They are the ones who essentially decide what songs she will sing, as well as, the image she will portray.  The main goal of these companies is to sell records.  To sell records, they need to captivate an audience and in doing so, they create a person who all the girls want to be like and all the boys want to be with. 

The second part of Kellner's cultural studies approach lies within the textual analysis.  In Britney Spears' song "I'm a Slave 4 U", she opens up with "All you people look at me like I'm a little girl" and with that she is seemingly taking control of herself and stepping away from the "good girl" image that she had previously portrayed.  She is saying to the audience this is how you see me, but this is not how I really am.  Throughout the song, we get a sense of her love for dancing, but in particular, dancing for a guy.  The chorus, possibly being the most potent, says "I'm a slave for you, I won't deny it, I'm not trying to hide it", tying into a bridge that states "I really want to dance tonight with you, I really want to do what you want me to." So, while one might interpret this as her embracing her own sexuality, it is still within limitations of gender norms.  Britney Spears is perpetuating this idea that women should be submissive to a man through the notion that there is a sexiness in becoming a "slave" for them and pleasing them. 

As well as the lyrics in the song, the music video places a lot of emphasis on her body and her movement and what those movements imply.  With this new image of Britney Spears, it is almost impossible to associate her "Baby One More Time" days with this new "Slave 4 U" music video. 

The last part of Kellner's cultural studies approach is audience reception.  Keeping this in mind, it is important to understand that many different viewers will interpret and construct their own meanings, independent of other influences.  Some women, no doubt, do feel a sense of empowerment when listening to this song because they do feel that Britney Spears is embracing her own sexuality and embodying a new sex symbol status.  However, I feel that there is something very problematic in the message that is being sent out to girls who do listen to this song.  Women should not feel sexy because they are doing so for a man.  I think that this buys into the idea that our purpose, as women, is to look good for men, to please men, and this is something that is instilled in our minds at a very young age.  When this song first came out, I was, I think, 11 years old and Britney Spears' main audience was made of up pre-teen/teenage girls.  By the time that many reach middle school, girls are doing as much as they can in the hopes of getting a boy to notice them and for some, this need for attention can be incredibly damaging. Britney Spears and the entire music industry behind her are building an image that girls in this society believe that they must obtain: the pretty, skinny, and sexy woman whose biggest desire is to dance for a man.  

Works Cited

Kellner, D. (2011). Cultural studies, multiculturalism, and media culture. In G. Dines & J. Humez (Eds.),Gender, Race, And Class In Media (pp. 7-23). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc

Mayne, J. (2011). Women, representation, and culture. InReading Women's Lives (pp. 161-165). Pearlson Education

That's ma jaam!

                                  That’s ma jaam!”

The view this video, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl3PLQYg6AE. Fast forward to 1:25 to get to the main part of the video.

This video portrays multiple racial ideologies and sexist commentaries in which degrade the African-American community. Kellner’s piece in Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture concluded that it is important to analyze the political economy of culture that creates this video because it has been neglected in many modes of recent cultural studies; therefore, it is important to stress the importance of analyzing cultural texts within their system of production and distribution. In “That’s ma jaam”, the distribution of the video is only throughout YouTube and among other websites in which people distribute it through social networks (e.g., Facebook, Tumblr, ect.). It is important to analyze that the distribution of this video is for a limited audience. As Nakamura points out in Cybertyping and the Work of Race in the Age of Digital Reproduction, the internet consists of a limited audience because people who are low in socioeconomic status are deprived of having technology around them. It is not to say that people who have low wages cannot afford computer, but instead one must see that people who work all the time in order to maintain food and shelter do not have time to access the internet. Nakamura also tells us that it not usually that the poor white family does not have internet access, but instead, the poor African-American family who have difficulty in receiving a job that is well paying because of their skin complexion.

It is important to analyze the text in terms of what it is trying to portray to the public. Kellner stated in his article that the semiotics analyzes how linguistic and nonlinguistic cultural “signs” form systems of meaning. After this, the audience create their own notions of what the author of a text is trying to demonstrate. According to Kellner, ethnographic research is frequently used in an attempt to determine how texts affect audiences and shape their beliefs and behavior. For example, one can analyze the video using ethnographic “That’s ma jaam” and clearly see the demonstrations of African-American women are belittled in this video. However, the creator of this video used comedic paths so that one cannot consider what the presentations actually do to the African-American community. Instead of praising African-American women with what they have accomplished throughout the years, the lyrics and graphics of this video represent them under a negative light. The following is just brief recap of how the author used lyrics throughout the video to portray African-American women negatively:

“You wanna get some booty? I want to get some Gucci. Throw some money at me, and ima let you screw me. Jump in front of the bus, kill yoself, f**k yo health, you aint sh**t, now where yo glue be at, wen u got a lose track, glue that sh**t up and stick it right back.”

These lyrics clearly do not demonstrate any respect for African-American women. The promiscuity is presented by the women’s willingness to throw themselves for sex in return for their financial wealth. In addition, the lyrics demonstrate that African-American women value of life should not be valued, since the song suggests that their existence is not worth anything. Although the creator of this video used cartoon characters that are orange and purple, it is very apparent to whom the theme of the song and video in general is directed to. The author most likely understands what perceptions there will be after the video is out in the public, however, still presents it in a comedic way. According to Hartley from A Cultural Studies Approach to Media: Theory, there are seven “subjectivity positions” that are important in cultural reception-“self, gender, age-group, family, class, nation, and ethnicity”-and proposes adding sexual orientation. One does not need a course in media studies to understand that the lyrics and video has imbedded racial ideologies. What this does is forms confirmation biases to those who already have negative notions of women of color.

Earlier I mentioned that Nakamura’s piece is important when it comes to the music videos that are distributed throughout the internet. The perceptions built around “ghetto” women of color are then confirmed by these videos and then people who know little about other ethnic groups build negative notions about these groups because it would come across to them as more than a “joke”. What is unfortunate is that those who do not have access to computers and the internet do not have the ability to produce videos that portray themselves as something better than what society perceives them to be. Hopefully one day there will be a new generation in media in which creators are sensitive to what ideologies they put out that may connote negativity for subordinate groups.

                                                                            References

Kellner, Douglas. “Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture.” Gender, Race, and Class in Media. Ed. Gail Dines and Jean M. Humez. 3rd ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2011. 7-18. Print.

Nakamura, Lisa. “Cybertyping and the Work of Race in the Age of Digital Reproduction.”

Brandy & Monica Fight Back

Radio, television, film, and other products of media culture provide materials of which we create our identities; our notion of what it means to be male or female (Kellner). The music video I chose to write about is “It All Belongs To Me” by female R&B music artist Monica, featuring Brandy; another female R&B singer. In the details of the video, both Brandy and Monica are sharing their inner monologues and memories about intense love they are in with their boyfriends, but each of their guys’ behavior has made being in love them much harder. They also discuss their aggravation with having to financially support these guys, and they do not even offer to help. Throughout the music video it is clear both; Monica and Brandy, want to kick these guys out and leave everything that was purchased for them. Towards the end of the video, both of the female artistes’ actions can be easily characterized by the cultural studies approach as the typical “Angry Woman”. Women that are scorned by love and feel the need to take everything that she had bought for him and either dramatically destroy it or keep it. In the middle of an argument, Monica uses a scissor to cut her boyfriend shirt and tie while he is still wearing it. While speeding on a back road, Brandy stops the car and kicks her boyfriend out and speeds off leaving him stranded. The end of the video has Monica and Brandy driving away while an expensive car with each of their boyfriends items is being blown up.

            By using enormous houses, extremely attractive main characters, and expensive clothing, the music video falls into the production/political economy of Cultural Studies Approach. The video used already iconic celebrities of fashion, beauty, style, and sexuality to deploy tools of the glamour industry to impact the social media with the ideology of the ruling economic elite (Kellner).  The women who watch the video will feel the need to have similar qualities as these celebrities; i.e , expensive cars, clothes, perfect hair and skin, in order to successfully feel empowered.

            This music video can also been seen as a representation that is functioning to reinforce oppressive standards of feminine behavior and imagine possibilities not typically available to women (Mayne). In a small way, Brandy and Monica have publicly displayed that women are very capable in having a large enough income to support their family, and that they can cut off a man just as easy as a man cut off a female from the money that is being bought into the household. It is not too often women are shown as characters with power; usually they are displayed as fragile people who just got up enough courage to get away from their partner. The video is in a sense a clear statement to society that women can be sexy and do not have to have a man at their side to feel confident or loved. Just the satisfaction that they have money and the ability to buy anything and everything that they want without any help, is good enough. The video also shows women supporting one another, Monica leaning on Brandy as a friend and vice-versa, in their time of need each of these ladies support the other in the quest of seperating themselves from their partner.

Video: http://www.middlechildpromotions.com/wp/2012/03/video-monica-and-brandy-it-all-belongs-to-me/

Kellner, Douglas. "Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture." Gender, Race, and Class in Media. 3rd. ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2011. 7-17. Print.

 

 

Mayne, Judith. "Women, Representation, and Culture." Reading Women's Live

Kacey Jessup - Burger King

Over the years many advertising campaigns have used woman as sexual objects in order to sell their products and even many fast food chains believe that "sex sells."  The Burger King franchise is not the only one that uses women's bodies to sell products and this is not the only Burger King advertisement that has such overt sexual tones (we all remember the Paris Hilton ad).  I will attempt to analyze this particular advertisement using the cultural studies approach expressed by Douglas Kellner.  This approach includes a discussion of production and political economy, a textual analysis, and looks at the audience reception and use of media culture.

According to Kellner the discussion of production and political economy is necessary in a cultural studies approach because it is important to understand the environment in which a text is made and presented.  Being part of a capitalist society, the main focus of the Burger King company is to make a profit and in order to do so they have to sell their products.  However, as Kellner states that the "…products of media culture provide materials out of which we forge our very identities our sense of selfhood…" (Kellner 9) and vice versa.  Our media perpetuates the norms and values of our society in order to sell more products.  As Judith Mayne discusses representations of woman like this one "reflect the culture from which they emerge and have the ability to shape the culture in turn" (Mayne 163).  Kellner also states that "media spectacles demonstrate who has the power and who is the powerless…" (Kellner 9).  It is clear in this advertisement, that women do not hold the power in our society and that they are, in fact, the powerless.  In this advertisement we see that at least when it comes to sex woman must take a submissive role, so much so that they become less than human and more like objects.  Once you see someone as less than human there is no need for mutual respect.  

There are many ways to analyze media texts, whether it is quantitative, qualitative, or semiotic.  "Semiotics analyzes how linguistic and nonlinguistic cultural 'signs' form systems of meanings" (Kellner 14) and for this advertisement, I think a semiotic approach will be the most effective given that both are apparent.  The linguistic and the nonlinguistic signs together form a cohesive message that is sent through this advertisement.  It is clear that the woman in this advertisement has become an object.  Her face lacks any emotion and the only part of her body that you see is her head.  Both of which can been seen as submissive, the lack of a body does not allow her to fight back and the lack of emotion could mean that maybe she does not want to.  She becomes a "toy" that people can do what they want with.  The sandwich then becomes a penis that she is clearly suppose to put in her mouth, this is shown not only through her open mouth but also through what is written around her.  The combined message makes her a sex object and the words "It just tastes better," "It'll blow your mind away," etc. imply not only sex, but oral sex.  Advertisements of woman over time have shown this subordination of woman, however we have moved away from the advertisements of the 1950s that show women belong in the kitchen and now they show that women belong in the bedroom.

Kellner emphasizes the importance of understanding how different backgrounds will effect how we interpret media.  Different people are going to feel differently about this advertisement.  She believes that many factors are involved in shaping how we interact with and interpret media that include but are not necessarily limited to class, race or ethnicity, gender, and sexual preferences.  Like Mayne states "representations rely on various forms of cultural understandings" (Mayne 162).  However, so does its interpretation.  A heterosexual, white male may be all for this advertisement, even some heterosexual women may find this advertisement amusing.  The truth is we cannot limit ourselves to one interpretation of the text.  People can have many different feelings about this advertisement based on who they are and where they come from.  However, Kellner also says that "I would warn against a tendency to romanticize that all audiences produce their own meanings and denying that media culture may have have powerful manipulative effects" (Kellner 16).  A large portion of the audience will interpret the text in line with the dominant culture and the intentions of the text.  

Works Cited

Kellner, D. (2011). Cultural studies, multiculturalism, and media culture. In G. Dines & J. Humez (Eds.),Gender, Race, And Class In Media (pp. 7-23). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc

Mayne, J. (2011). Women, representation, and culture. InReading Women's Lives (pp. 161-165). Pearlson Education

Advertising women in Dolce & Gabbana

What are you trying to sell me? Advertising has never and will never be simply focused on the item being advertised. The gaze is a relationship of looking, it is used to designate a subject and an object through customs and norms, supported through cultural and social mechanisms. In my opinion, the gaze is always a negative one, one that reproduces negative stereotypes. Then there is the gendered gaze, which is the relation of looking at female and male bodies. In advertisements the female body is almost always positioned in a way that is for the pleasure of a male spectator. The male gaze or the gendered relation of looking “where the female body is positioned as a passive object of a male dominated gaze.” This is because we live in a patriarchal society that is male centered, male identified, and male dominated.  

In Image-Based Cultures: Advertising and Popular Culture, Sut Jhally states on page 201, “The image-system of the marketplace reflects our desires and dreams, yet we have only the pleasure of the images to sustain us in our actual experience with goods.” Like a diamond is connected to everlasting marriage and happiness, advertising points us in the direction of the good life, or where I as the consumer would like to be. The representation of women is so hegemonic that it does not even seem to stir up problems unless the image is an outrageous representation.

“Radio, television, film, and the other products of media culture provide materials out of which we forge our very identities; our sense of selfhood; our notion of what it means to be male or female; our sense of class, of ethnicity and race, of nationality, of sexuality; and of "us" and "them." Media images help shape our view of the world and our deepest values: what we consider good or bad, positive or negative, moral or evil.”(Kellner 1)

In an ad by Dolce & Gabbana, the scene consists of five people, one women and four men. Two men are half naked, one of which is pinning the girl down, representing domination. All the men are staring at the women as she lay helplessly in a position that appears to be a struggle for her. The men are all Caucasian as is the women, this can also be seen as racial domination. Overall the ad as a whole screams sex and domination, not the selling of mens and women's apparel. I would also say that the ads by Dolce & Gabbana commodify women way too much.

I was unable to find a Dolce & Gabbana ad that a women was not surrounded by male spectators and fully clothed. Using Kellner’s semiotic analysis method, which he defines as a method “to reveal how the codes and forms of particular genres follow certain meanings.”(Kellner 6) The first thing I see in almost all the ads is male domination. The objectification and stereotyping that advertising does to the female body is unbelievable. Perfume ads, clothing ads, sports ads, car ads, any ad that has a female body in it, relates to sex and domination in some sort of way. Dolce & Gabbana advertises in a sexual and provocative manner that often involves men in perfect shape all pining over a female with features that are generally unattainable for most females. The gaze works by drawing our attention to the idea that if you wear Dolce & Gabbana and look the way these people look, that you will be the center of attention. Susan Bordo comments “It’s ‘never just bodies’ in images and advertisements; They offer meaning about what’s valued in our culture and evoke desire in us through those norms and meanings.” I could never agree more with what she has to say. Societies notion that it is a females desire to be chased after by men, that females should be ‘gazed’ upon in a way that elicits sexual openness. The power that advertisement has over people is generally unseen. A simple picture ad in a fashion magazine can influence people of all ages, targeting the female gender the hardest.

The ads portray heteronormativity, femininity, desire, and masculinity. Heteronormativity is cultural bias that is in favor of opposite sex relationships. The feminine and masculine qualities that are seen in the men and women are also conventional characteristics that are understood as normal gender qualities. Lastly desire is another visible sign that we see in Dolce & Gabbana ads. This desire is always a want or a wish for something/someone of sexual attraction.

Kellner, Douglas. "Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture." Gender, Race, and  Class in Media. 3rd. ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2011. 7-17. Print.

Jhally, Sut. "Image­Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture." Gender, Race, Culture. Print.

Slides from class notes

Social Norms Embedded in Our Society Through Music Videos

         We live in a society that’s based around the media. But why is media so important in culture? “Media images help shape our view of the world and our deepest values” states Douglas Kellner. It
reveals what is idealized in society, which alters our behavior and the way we think. The media portrays gender, race, class, and sexuality in a way that is seen to be the “norm.” We conform to these norms without even realizing it and accept them because they become a part of our everyday life, when in reality, a lot of what we see in the media is unattainable. The media can have a bigger
influence on us than our friends and family because of how often we are exposed to these texts, whether it be written or visual images. They are being processed and stored in our brains to form views that teach us how to look, dress, feel, believe, desire, and act. They also teach us what’s popular and how to avoid failure. The media becomes part of our culture and helps us to form our
identities. It teaches us especially the norms of being a man or woman.

            Being masculine or feminine is something we develop over time. It is not something we are born with. It is socially constructed through our interactions with other people and what is
current in popular culture. Hegemonic femininity is the universal and dominant traits of a woman, which females are exposed to in the media.

An example of hegemonic femininity in the media is the music video “I’m a Slave 4 U” by Britney Spears. The whole point of the song is her telling the audience that she wants to dance, in
particular with a guy. It shows how women are supposed to be sexy and on display for men. Women are seen as objects, not as people, who fulfill the
needs of men.

In this music video, some may say she is subordinate to men, while others may say she shows a sense of empowerment.Throughout the whole video she is dressed in very little clothing exposing vast amounts of skin. How is this music video seen as subordinate verses empowering? She is an object of male attention. She is nothing more than a hot body for male pleasure. On the other hand, this can be viewed as empowering because she is the one performing and taking control. By exposing so much skin and putting her body on display, she is viewed as being sexy and attractive which is what every
girl wants.

            Music videos typically send out the message
that the most important aspect of the female body is her sexuality.  In Jhally’s film “Dreamworlds 3,” he unravels how women’s sexuality is portrayed in music videos. Not just in this music video, but in many music videos, women wear very limited clothing and are constantly being perceived as always being in a state of arousal and they need men to boost their self-esteem and confidence and without it they feel down about themselves. They are continually serving men, in any way possible, whether it’s washing their car or pouring them drinks, or in this case for sexual pleasure by dancing on them, of course with little clothing on. The lyrics and music video definitely support this theme that women are expected to cater to men. She constantly talks about how she needs to dance with a guy to
prove she is sexy and in order to be sexy she needs to show she is not a little girl. Wet female bodies are typically present. This represents a predominant male fantasy which aids in the video’s success. Another stereotype of women in music videos is that no matter what location they are at, whether it’s on a boat, a plane, by the pool or at a house, they are constantly shown partying and as stated before, only partially clothed. This helps reassure the idea that women’s identities are based solely on their sexuality.

            The song is about her growing up and growing into her sexuality. It is very suggestive. She starts off by saying, “All you people think I’m a little girl. Well did you ever think it was okay
for me to step into this world?” She’s trying to prove herself to others but specifically men. She proceeds to say, “Baby don’t you wanna dance up on me? Leaving behind my name and age?” While she is being depicted as an object, rather than a person who is just used to please men, she is asking for it. She is asking to be the center of male attention. As she is dancing, she is hot and
sweaty which supports the male fantasy of females having a wet body. She is always dancing and shaking her body, whether it’s by herself with others watching, or with a man.

            Spears is representing the world around us, even if it’s just a dream or fantasy for those watching. Mayne mentions in her article “Women, Representation, and Culture,” “represention,
then, is both a form of socialization and a form of utopia.” Girls can dream of being like Spears and men can dream of being with her. A dreamworld, or utopia, is formed around this one music video.  

Works Cited

Kellner, Douglas. "Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture." Gender, Race, and     Class in Media. 3rd. ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2011. 7-17. Print.

Mayne, Judith. "Women, Representation, and Culture." Reading Women's Live

Disney’s Mulan

Danielle Trumbull
Disney’s Mulan

Cultural artifacts of Disney have given us representations of gender, class, race, ethnicity and social background throughout most of our childhoods. Females were most often conveyed as the dainty princess who relied on her prince to rescue her or were considered to have no control over her decisions such as the character of “Jasmine” in the Disney production of “Aladdin”. Males were seen as first class citizens a good percentage of the time and were conveyed as strong and independent heroes who saved the day. I want to focus on a particular Disney movie known as “Mulan”. A specific scene featuring the song “I’ll Make a Man out of you” has very strong representations of how men and woman should be and are in our culture. The warriors are preparing for battle and of course Mulan is disguised as a male fighter. The scenes show her struggling to keep up with a male character that plays the ultimate alpha male throughout the movie. She is not as quick and agile and of course not as strong and capable. She is supposed to be perceived as having learned the skills she needs to but only because she had the “alpha male” to teach her.

According to Kellner, the best way to analyze cultural media and texts is a three step process. First, we look at how production and political economy play a role in the analysis. The audience this film is directed towards is mostly children so political economy puts an emphasis on production concerning what can or cannot be put in the film based on what is appropriate for children. Children, from this film, will learn that women are to be submissive and feminine and that Mulan is breaking this societal norm by going to war. This perspective depends on what type of audience is viewing the film however. According to Mayne, Mulan, because of her sexuality and what she portrays in her actions would be considered good because that is what she is displaying. This movie also both reinforces a sense of patriarchal stereotypes and provides female viewers with a sense of empowerment that they can do unimaginable things that only men are usually given the opportunity to do. Like “Watermelon Woman”, the film can be broken down into a perception of the revision of women’s lives.

Kellner’s second stage of analysis is textual analysis. Cultural signs throughout “Mulan” are frequent. The sword and armor for example, are designated to represent her father’s honor as well as her bravery in stepping out of the societal norm. These meanings are seen as representations and ideologies of feudal China at that time. It is clear that their ideologies reflect their systems of ideas concerning men and women and the specific roles they should play in that culture. The textual analysis shows how the symbols and meanings combined with formalist analysis is the production of the specific ideologies that were present in feudal China’s culture. Audiences will perceive these meanings differently depending on their race, class, and gender. Age will also play a role due to levels of ability to understand concepts.

The last step in Kellner’s suggested method is “Audience Reception and use of Media Culture.” This describes how those with different backgrounds will perceive things differently. Obviously, those from a Chinese background are more likely to understand things differently than those from a European or American background. Some fans will remake the film into something that they better understand and some may see a woman being submissive to expectations set upon her in that culture because of how Mulan transforms back into the dainty ageisha at the end of the film. Others may view the film as empowering because of focusing on the segments of the film that show Mulan defying societies standards and fighting as a warrior in a male role. The film can be seen as submission of a female or as empowerment for women because of the role she takes on the central part of the movie. However, it is very possible one may argue more towards the submissive message because even when she is a warrior, it is shown clearly throughout “I’ll Make a Man out of You” that she is in submission to the alpha male serving as the teacher. She is displayed as weaker and dependent in the sense that she needs him to learn. Seven subjectivity positions that are important to cultural media analysis are gender, age, self, group, family, class, nation and ethnicity. The perception of the messages, meanings and perceptions throughout the film depend on these seven factors. Textual analysis should have a focus on various perspectives on a wide range of subjects so that different viewpoints can be recognized. Movies like Mulan can most definitely empower audiences to pursue their freedom and individuality due to exposure to mainstream societal standards that are displayed in the movie.

To sum up an efficient analysis of cultural media and perception, we must recognize Kellner’s three step method. Production and political economy, textual analysis and audience reception with various perceptions are crucial to a thorough and accurate reading of cultural artifacts, cultural media and cultural texts.

1.) Kellner, Douglas. "Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture" Gender, Race, and Class in Media.
California: Sage Publications 2003.

2.) Mayne, Judith. “Women, Representations and Culture” Reading Women’s Lives,3^rd Edition. Pearson Custom Publishing

Youtube video for Mulan “I’ll Make a Man Out of You”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSS5dEeMX64

Death Rap-Degrading Women

http://www.metrolyrics.com/light-my-fire-lyrics-necro.html

                        

Rap music has changed dramatically over the years. This change, I believe has been for the worse. Rap music goes all the way back to Africa when people were performing stories in a rhythmic matter. Slaves used to sing about the hard work they endured and their struggles. Rap artists today believe that they are doing something similar when they talk about their “struggles” growing up and how they got to where they are now, but the fact of the matter is, is that degrading women in songs has nothing to do with struggles one grew up with unless you have a pure hatred for women by some traumatizing experience. Unlikely. What’s even worse is that there is now a subgenre of rap referred to as death rap. In the song “Light my Fire” by Necro, he degrades women in a way I have never heard before. There is absolutely no care in how he is portraying women. He manages to objectify women in every way possible and use profanities all the way through. Necro makes it clear throughout the song that all women are good for is sex and doing anything to please a man.

According to Kellner, “in an era of globalization, one must be aware of the global networks that produce and distribute culture in the interests of profit and corporate hegemony” (Kellner, p.11).  The reason why songs like this are able to be sold is because it is what the people want. If a rap artist isn’t willing to degrade women and talk about all of the “bitches” and “hoes” out there, then chances are the music will not be as popular. Similarly to female artists, if they aren’t willing to be sexualized then they won’t be able to make it to the point of fame that they desire nor have the fan base that they want. Ultimately, these artists are forced to be sell-outs. This is what Kellner would refer to as the political economy of culture.

There are several ways that Necro goes about degrading women in his song through his lyrics. Kellner states, “Traditionally, the qualitative analysis of texts was the task of formalist literary criticism, which explicates the central meanings, values, symbols, and ideologies in cultural artifacts by attending to the formal properties of imaginative literature texts-such as style, verbal imagery, characterization, narrative structure and point of view, and other formal elements of artifact” (Kellner 11). There are several lyrics in the song that prove the attitude and ideas that Necro is trying to convey through his music. One of the first things he says in the song is, “fuckin whorebags.” He has no respect for women. Necro also gives off the notion that women will do absolutely anything for a man. In the article “There Are Bitches and Hoes” by Tricia Rose, she says “Some hip hop artists defend their endless salf-aggrandizing talk about dominating bitches and hoes by saying that they are not talking about all women” (322) but he places all women into this category, “work it, you’re all babes doin it/Bitches down to drink piss, fluid, plus manure shit.” He makes it seem as though women have no morals. Another idea that Necro conveys through his text is that there is no need to reciprocate any sexual favors. Male dominance is portrayed throughout the song as well because he is always directing the women what to do, “suck my dick, show me your tits, rub your clit, you’re a fuckin twit.”  He is making a mockery of women because he is saying that women are stupid enough to act like this. Although all of these lyrics are horrible, the section that really gets to me is “I feel women should be stripping and sinning, syringes in em’ trippin’ while their pimp brainwashes them in a building, you OD’d now you hooked up to an intravenous, it’s a minor inconvenience from the hospital bed you’ll suck penis.” This statement touches upon the idea of radical feminism and focuses on the idea of patriarchy and men trying to oppress woman. Necro’s lyrics definitely display his values and ideologies.

“Members of distinct genders, classes, races, nations, regions, sexual preferences, and political ideologies are going to read texts differently, and cultural studies can illuminate why diverse audiences interpret texts in various, sometimes conflicting ways” (Kellner 13). Different people interpret things differently. One person may interpret these lyrics as totally vulgar and offensive but another may not take them seriously because this is what the music industry has become unfortunately. Music is all about the audience and there are different kinds of people who are into different genres of music so what one person is into another person may not. There is no winning in this category because there is no way that everyone is going to be happy.  

Works Cited

Kellner, Douglas. “Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture.” Gender, Race, and Class in Media. Ed. Gail Dines and Jean M. Humez. 3rd ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2011. 7-18. Print.

Rose, Tricia. " There Are Bitches and Hoes." In The hip-hop wars ( pp. 167-185). New York: Perseus.