Hip Hop Honeys and Da Hustlaz
Mireille Millers tries to explain that hard core porn and videos has played a positive and compelling role in the black media
industry. She explains that it offers a compelling narrative about the black sexual subjects to define their authority, legitimacy,
and power. She also states that Hip Hop pornography provided black women and men with an arena for labor and accumulation, as well as self respect, mediation, and mobility.
Women, Pop Music, And Pornography
Meredith LeVande Argues that women in the media and music have become extremely Hyper-Sexualized. She Believes that the new pop industry is portraying all women in the same, in a highly sexual light. She thinks that these types of images is what cause pornography to be mainstream, mainly surrounding the images of women. She thinks that the the people who own the media are the ones that cause pornography and the new hyper- sexualized view of women to be so mainstream.
Women in the Media and Pornography
Are women in music videos and pornography being liberated or degraded? I think it can go both ways. I agree with both Miller and Levande. The women that chose to be in businesses such and porn and music videos want to do that. Most of those women are very comfortable with their sexuality and their bodies. Like Miller explains in her article videos such as "Baby Got Back" commodified and commercialized the images of a beautiful black women. Before these images and the media view of black women were non existent. The media mostly portrayed images of the beautiful white women with barbie doll figures. Now there was a new norm of black women with thick bodies and curves. It now liberated African Americans to have strong and power figures in the media.
It can also have a degrading affect on women as well. Although the women in these spots may feel liberated, powerful and beautiful, the average woman in America may not. The video vixens and the playboy models do not show the actual norm and beauty of the everyday woman. Although the average women is sexy, you don't always see those women walking around everyday, half naked. I think that the media makes it too mainstream, at times, and makes the average women have to compete for the way their suppose to look. I agree that Sexiness of a female artist can play a role the success of that artist. Most young, sexy female artist have a lot of fans and success because of their looks. Looks however, does not always determine success, there are a lot of successful female artist who do not go with the mainstream view of women, and dress however they please.
Both Millers and LeVande's point makes sense and are very relevant. I think it really depends on opinion. Everyone has a different opinion on what's normal, sexy, liberating, and degrading. What America chooses to be mainstream is what the majority of America likes. Miller's point of view and the mainstream view of women it is the dominant narrative. The counter narrative would be Levande's point which a lot of people may agree with but still stays in the background.
By, Ariel Emmanuel
5 comments:
Ariel, I agree that there isn’t exactly one way to look at this debate. According to Levande’s article, the pornography industry generates $10-14 billion every year. The pornography industry is first and foremost a business, one where the customers are usually faceless and the producers are judged. There is no way of knowing whether or not a woman who stars in pornographic films feels truly empowered or not, because these women are not generally viewed as being intelligent or worth listening to. It is usually assumed that women who get involved in pornography, have suffered emotional or physical abuse at some point in the past. Their stories are ignored, but you also can’t assume that all women can feel sexually liberated through the porn industry. The porn industry allows for very few women to have an equal part in business decisions concerning filming and sales of the films which they appear in and affect their daily lives, but on the other hand, there are companies in the pornographic industry run by women. However, aren’t there still certain “standards” which have been previously established by the male-run companies which are still being maintained?
It's pretty tough to take a firm opinion one way or another when it comes to occupations like strippers, video girls, and porn stars. It's an ongoing debate of one's right to do as she pleases and about willingly working into the patriarchal agenda of downplaying women and degrading them to "keep them in their place."
Personally, Ariel, I would say to the argument of "women are free to make their own choices and do what they want" the following: "There is no such thing as TRULY free will." I think we have to keep in mind that some of the women who take these roles in society despite the backlash that they are oftentimes not placing themselves in the context of female degradation 100% willingly, but because they are victims of circumstance. If the only way for a young girl to make money and get out of her current living situation is to "degrade" herself by taking off her clothes and dancing in a music video, I wouldn't really call that a choice out of "free will." That is much more reminiscent of being pushed up against a wall.
On the other hand there is the case of people who are perfectly happy taking on an occupation that others would deem as "low" and "demeaning" to women with the purpose of self-empowerment, satire, delivering a message, or just to have fun. The video that we saw in class of Lil' Kim is a prime example, and I think Mireille Millers might agree.
Or perhaps, someone would like to challenge me in saying that the music industry is so overrun with sexuality that the only way for a female artist to make money is to take her clothes off and shake it for the camera?
Clara I would have to disagree with you on some points. There is a thing as free will, however I do agree that they are many cases where females are sold and brought to become sex slaves and child sex-trafficking is a big issues where many young females are being forced to do things against their own will. But it is a different case for some strippers, video models or dancers and porn stars. Many of them choose their occupations and believe or not many are happy with what they do. They are many documentaries about stripper and porn stars and many stories I’ve seen many of the females willingly choose their life style and like it. Many of the females have their reasons why they live the life they do, but many say they like it because they are very sexual and enjoy expressing their sexualities. There is a show on HBO called the Cathouse which is like a reality show about prostitutes. I watched the show a few times and I know that these women are in that business because they want to and can leave when ever. Yes, I do believe money is a factor, but many of them look at it as just a job and people need a job to survive and pay bills. I’m not saying what they doing is right or wrong because who am I to judge, it’s their bodies and their lives, they can do whatever they want with it.
As for the video girls many of them are college students or aspiring actress and models who just looking for a big break or extra money to pay for college and stuff. Many artists started off from stripping or doing music videos and had to work their way up. Jennifer Lopez is an example; she was an eye candy doing music videos before she became a famous pop artist/actress. I’m not saying if you want to become famous or a Star, you need to go out and strip or dance in some videos.lol. Those types of industries are hard for people to make it big to begin with. Besides that fact those type of industries pay very very well. People should try looking it as more as an occupation, then rather looking it as degrading to women. If a females chooses to pay off their bills and feed their family by stripping or those types of jobs, why people care. Shit! It’s not like anyone else is going to handle these females responsibility and pay their bills.
Female hip-hop artist like, Lil Kim, Trina, Khia, Missy Elliot, Kelis, Foxy and Eve, are strong, independent, women who help changed the views about how females are suppose to be perceive. They are outspoken and express themselves through their music. Many females that express their sexuality or dress too sexy are looked in a bad way. These female artists are trying to send the message that a female could be very sexual and shouldn’t be judge badly for it. They trying to be that dominating role, erasing those images and stereotypes because it’s about time women be seen as equals. This perception needs to change. If a male can be out there and open with their sexuality, females should be able to do the same without being judged. I think any female and every female should have a choice on what they want to do with themselves. If its stripping, prostituting, porn, dancing in music videos, regardless if they doing it for money or just for fun, let them do what they want, as long as they are adults and choose it why is it a problem.
I could argue back in fourth about this issue, bottom line it’s not a problem for those who choose that type of lifestyle, but it’s a big issue for them poor young girls around the world being forced, sold and bought against their will to become sex slaves. Sex does sell, but if we going to blame the media we should be blaming the viewers too because it’s the viewers, the people who are watching, buying, asking for these demands.
vanessa -
once again, i would turn to the fact that it's an unfair world. i'm totally in support of women who embrace their sexuality and even go so far as to have occupations that revolve around what they enjoy. more power to them, i say! however, i bet even they are full aware that it's a man's world, and in the patriarchal society we live in, a woman embracing her sexuality is not the same a man embracing his sexuality.
we have such different scales that we are measured by. it's certainly not fair, but it's reality. for example, if i (for some crazy reason) suddenly wanted to break into the industry of erotic dancing/stripping, i would stand by my rights, interests, and desires to have such a job. but at the same time, i would not close my eyes and pretend that i'm not being judged because i got a stripping gig for all the "right" reasons.
same goes for a lot of things. even a person who has no real desire to help those in need can become a doctor (for the money, or some morbid interest in the human body say) but at surface level, a lot of people will respect him/her simply for the job represents in the context of our current society (aka, one that looks up to status, money, and higher education).
so anyway, i guess what i'm trying to say is... whatever it is women want to do in their own lives is fine - it's a free world, after all, but there's always factors that somehow make that free will a result of circumstances, and other times, the most pure and innocent decisions have repercussions elsewhere.
it def sucks that one woman who loves dancing, her body, and expressing eroticism can't have a job as a stripper without public scorn and ignorant people using that as a reason to think of women as "cheap" and "slutty."
The portraying of women in the music and media industry I believe belongs in the hand of the women. Often time when issues surrounding how women are depicted in hip hop music, we hear accounts of either feminist women or who believe that video girls/strippers accounts for women everywhere. It is rarely that women of these occupations are given the chance to express the reason behind their choice of employment.
As Mireille Miller explains in her article women who are in this business are doing so not for the reason that society perceive, but are in the business for the money and the power they obtain. The role black women play in music videos has not only broaden social acceptance of “the black body” but has also allowed for them to take back the misconception that was once placed on black women body. The images of black women in hip hop videos have led to the commercialization of black bodies in porn which in previous years were rarely seen as profitable. As miller stated in her article hip-hop has provide “an arena for labor and accumulation as well as self- presentation, mediation, and mobility.”
I greatly believe that society lack of acceptance for women in the so call “degrading” workforce are trigged by our lack of acceptance for sexuality. We live in a country with one of the highest teenage pregnancy and sexual infection all due to the fact that were are incapable of discuss the topic “sex” or “sexuality”. Many schools are given extra funding by the government if they teach to their student abstinent instead of safe sex methods. Growing up to believe that sex is bad and humiliating, when we see other publicly displaying sexual behavior that we consider outside of sexual norm we deem them problematic.
I strongly believe that there should be a change in social acceptance of things outside our norm/ comfort zone., because we tend to criticize things that are unfamiliar to us.
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