Video Vixons

http://www.wstudies.pitt.edu/wiki/index.php?title=Representation_of_Sexuality_Through_Music_Videos

In this article, the author is showing a comparison of two music videos. The focus is on women’s representation in each. The two videos are “Candy Shop” by 50 Cent, and “Radio Ladio” by Metronomy. 50 Cent’s video has women portrayed as sex icons, in their skimpy clothes and provocative dancing. Also 50 Cent is acting as if he is Hugh Heffner, while he stands in front of a mansion with the women dancing inside as if he has “ownership” over them. On the other hand, Metronomy’s video is a more artistic approach.  Each member of the band is standing behind a piano, playing their music and the women are fully clothed. Both have great influence on society, and women in the music business struggle the most when music videos such as “Candy Shop” are popular, because they may believe that acting the way these women do is the only way to make it in the music industry. This article specifically reminded me of our studies of hip-hop feminisms, and their struggles to become taken seriously, because of society seeing them as mostly “video-vixons.” It seems as though, most women in music are seen the way they are portrayed in the video “Candy Shop,” when they should be able to be seen as the way they are in the video“Radio Ladio.”