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
i think that that this song is a good choice for this blog assignment because it features women in places of power over men which they are rarely seen in within the media. brandy and monica both typically portray charcaters as this which is also refreshing because it is not often that one sees african amercian women in this light in the media. branching off, using Mayne's ideas of how woemn are portrayed, brandy and monica are seen as "evil" in the eyes of men who would watch this video but victorious and standing up for eachother to women who would watch the video. i also think that the idea that kellner states as the media is a way for audiences to leanr what it is be be male or female is fitting because for younger viewers, this video can be interpretted as a way for young girls and women to stand up to men that are treating them wrong.
ReplyDelete"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."
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with this statement in general about women, I disagree that it is the message of the video. The video focuses on material things and love that has gone sour. There is no mention of how either woman feels like they don't need a man to be happy, just that they don't want to be in a relationship with an ungrateful man who is dependent on their money. I think the video more portrays the message that some women let their relationships get to the point where they are unhappy and feel the need to take extreme measures to end it, instead of realizing the signs early on. This also speaks to the naiveté of some women in relationships. These types of women tend to be blinded by what they believe to be love and are willing to do anything for their man despite the fact that he is only taking from the relationship.