In 1981, MTV started the music video trend with “Video Killed the Radio Star.” This song and the music video along with it introduced a new concept which took over the music industry. The music videos got the listeners involved in the music and it was more enjoyable since they could see the artist as well. Back when the music videos first started, women in them were portrayed as sex objects because of their little clothing and their actions around and for the men in the videos. Their actions consisted of dancing on or around the men and seeming like they were controlled by the men. Women are also seen as a type of prize or currency; guys who get a lot of girls are seen as successful and it is an underlying message that they made it in the industry.
Sex sells in any type of industry today. This is why this trend with women in music videos has continued throughout many years. Many music videos include sexy women because it appeals to the main audience, men. In the videos, it is shown that women are used for their bodies and not for their brains or personality. They are not seen as humans; they are shown as objects. A woman’s body is the main thing that causes men to pay attention to them. This led to the concept that women always listen to men instead of men listening to women’s opinions. Women seemed to be defined by how much men find them attractive which can cause younger girls who watch these videos to assume that is the way it goes. Because of this, girls would change themselves to appeal for a man because it was the way they were trained through the music industry.
Although women are portrayed wrongly in music videos, men are not shown correctly either. Black men are shown as violent and threatening because it is assumed that they are all thugs and pimps. This is a racist image that falsely represents black men in the music industry. In today’s culture men are made to believe that they have to obtain fancy watches, cars and have women with them to be successful. With men having this mindset, this could cause women to feel as though they have to act a certain way to please the men.
Recently, with feminism on the rise, women in the music industry have taken a stand to protect their image. Some examples of female artists are Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and India-Arie. In Beyoncé’s “Run the World,” her lyrics, “Disrespect us, no they won’t. Boy don’t even try to touch this” show her attempt in letting the music industry know that women are independent and don’t need men. Also in the music video, they were fighting against men instead of being with them which is powerful because she, along with other women are finally standing their ground. In Alicia Key’s “Girl On Fire,” the video shows her paying bills, cleaning the house, working and taking care of her children all on her own. This is another example of women proving they don’t need a man to be successful and that they are more than a sex object.
These stereotypes shown in music videos caused our culture’s thoughts to shift and now perceive people as they were portrayed in music videos for decades. In reality, our culture requires successful people to make a sacrifice and in the music industry, that sacrifice is women giving up their power and image in order to be successful. Due to women realizing that this societal norm is not fair, many have started to take a stand and a rise in feminism has started to develop. This rise in feminism over time can allow the image of women to become more positive and change the music industry.
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