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
I think there is a lot of controversy behind Britney Spears. And like many women she was forced into this double bind where she has to define herself as the virgin or the whore. She has attempted both. But I think the pressure from the media, her fans, her recording company, etc. hasn't allowed her to be who she is. She's stuck between what she wants and who she is expected to be. But I also feel that in doing so she has perpetuated our society's idea of what women look like. Like Jamie said "Britney Spears and the entire music industry her are building an image that girls in this society believe they must obtain: the pretty, skinny, sexy woman whose biggest desire is to dance for a man."
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