Representation

WHAT IS REPRESENTATION?

Representation refers to the construction in any medium (especially

the mass media) of aspects of ‘reality’ such as people, places, objects, events,

cultural identities and other abstract concepts. Such representations may be

in speech or writing as well as still or moving pictures.

Theorists: Andrew Goodwin

“Andrew Goodwin’s 6 Features of Music Videos1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).    [this is also known as iconography] 2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting). 3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting). 4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style). 5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body. 6. There are often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).”

Chris Brown - Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

EXAMPLE ANALYSIS

At the beginning of the clip a car enters the frame and transforms into a male which directly relates to the movie ‘Transformers’ therefore illustrating Andrew Goodwin’s Theory that typically there are references to movies within a lot of music videos.We also view the singer spraying graffiti on a wall, highlighting his rebellious and masculine ways which artists of this genre typically try to convey.

This is the first example of the voyeuristic treatment of the female body. The woman is in a provocative position and her face is barely shown, showing that her body is the most important part of her: This is portrayed a lot in this hip-hop/rap genre.

The music video also includes lots of cars and other vehicles, this one looking particularly like an army vehicle to emphasise the males’ power and authority.

Here is another example of how women are objectified in hip-hop/rap videos. The woman is not facing the camera, the audience can not even see her face, highlighting that only her body is worth looking at. This agrees with Goodwins’ theory as he suggests one of the six features of a music video is ‘voyeuristic treatment of the female body’The lyrics:

The lyrics not only provide intertextual references to the ‘Tranformers’ franchise but also suggest that they can ‘transform’ a woman to be what they want her to be; another example of the imbalanced treatment of women in music videos.The reference to ‘Transformers’ therefore amplifies the lyrics and the relationship between the lyrics and visuals

A Counter Example:Missy Elliott

Rejects conventional representations of women – free from objectification

Does not conform to stereotypical gender representations

Missy is not passive; she narrates the action – lyrics are not self exploiting

The Gaze

Laura Mulvey

What is the male gaze?A technical term in Media Studies.Refers to how an audience views the way people are represented in the Media.

The concept of gaze is one that deals with how an audience views the people presented.For feminists it can be thought of in 3 ways:How men look at womenHow women look at themselvesHow women look at other women

Laura Mulvey coined the term ‘male gaze’ in 1975. She believes that in film audiences to have to ‘view’ characters from the perspective of a hetrosexual male.

Features of the male gaze

The camera lingers on the curves of the female body, and events which occur to women are presented largely in the context of the man’s reaction to these events.

It relegates women to the status of objects. The female viewer must experience the narrative secondarily, by identification with the male.

David Gauntlett Theory – Girl Power

One of the most obvious developments in recent pop culture has been the emergence of the icons and rhetoric of 'girl power', a phrase slapped into mainstream culture by the Spice Girls and subsequently incorporated into the language of government bodies as well as journalists, educationalists, culture critics, and pop fans themselves. Magazines for young women are emphatic in their determination that women must do their own thing, be themselves, and be as outrageously sassy and sexy as possible. Several recent movies have featured self-confident, tough, intelligent female lead characters. Female pop stars sing about financial and emotional independence, inner strength, and how they don't need a man; and the self-help books make women think they can become just as powerful as these icons, if they cultivate their confidence and self-belief.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe4Ic7fHWf8

Rihanna – Te Amo

Analyse this music video using Goodwin’s theory.