Event Title

Subversion of Female Stereotypes in Music Video

Presenter Information

Alicia Wall, Colby CollegeFollow

Location

Diamond 123

Start Date

30-4-2015 2:45 PM

End Date

30-4-2015 3:55 PM

Project Type

Presentation

Description

Neoliberalism shapes a media culture in which the emaciated, disciplined body is the glamorized feminine norm. These ideologies become our social ideals due to their pervasiveness in contemporary mass media. The media ensures that images of thin female bodies are everywhere and inescapable, with little alternative body types shown. With these body types come gendered implications about sexuality, assertiveness, and ownership. These ideologies are seen particularly in celebrity culture, as celebrities are constantly in the media and idolized by the public. Through this paper I look at contemporary popular female musicians who are staging controversies regarding body image issues and their implied power relations through various means in their music videos. Artists such as JLo, Nicki Minaj, Lily Allen, and Mariah Carey use various tactics to directly comment on, and often challenge, contemporary body image ideology. I analyze the different ways that these music videos make the viewer question typical common sense notions that the current thin female body ideal and the subordination that comes with it is the only way that women should look and act in our society.

Faculty Sponsor

Laura Saltz

Sponsoring Department

Colby College. American Studies Program

CLAS Field of Study

Interdisciplinary Studies

Event Website

http://www.colby.edu/clas

ID

1460

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Apr 30th, 2:45 PM Apr 30th, 3:55 PM

Subversion of Female Stereotypes in Music Video

Diamond 123

Neoliberalism shapes a media culture in which the emaciated, disciplined body is the glamorized feminine norm. These ideologies become our social ideals due to their pervasiveness in contemporary mass media. The media ensures that images of thin female bodies are everywhere and inescapable, with little alternative body types shown. With these body types come gendered implications about sexuality, assertiveness, and ownership. These ideologies are seen particularly in celebrity culture, as celebrities are constantly in the media and idolized by the public. Through this paper I look at contemporary popular female musicians who are staging controversies regarding body image issues and their implied power relations through various means in their music videos. Artists such as JLo, Nicki Minaj, Lily Allen, and Mariah Carey use various tactics to directly comment on, and often challenge, contemporary body image ideology. I analyze the different ways that these music videos make the viewer question typical common sense notions that the current thin female body ideal and the subordination that comes with it is the only way that women should look and act in our society.

https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2015/program/211