Research: Influence of Lyrics

  For my research blog I chose to look at how lyrics in a song effect how a person thinks and even views another gender.
  The article I read, "The Influence of Misogynous Rap Music on Sexual Aggression Against Women" is a study of men listening to misogynous rap music and a group of men listening to less extreme rap music and how it affected their views on women.
  In the first group of men who were listening to misogynous rap music the study showed that they viewed more aggression toward woman than the group that listened to more neutral and easy going rap. The men who listened to the neutral rap felt that woman have more respect and dignity.
  The men in the study who were listening to the misogynous rap music listened to about seventeen minutes of rap which is roughly four songs. After they listened to the rap music with lyrics like, "...and the bitch tried to gank me so I had to kill her...loaded up the .44...and smoked the ho...", ...ho's like you, you only come a dime a dozen...".  With lyrics like this being played in a man’s head they were starting to think that this was okay. After the music was over, the next part of the study was to watch short clips from several movies. One of the clips was just a male and a female having a simple conversation about nothing really important. The second clip was a male beating and attacking a woman while his friends stood by and watched, not doing anything to stop the violence. After the men listened to the rap music and watched the short clips, they then had to approach several women who were included within the study and they got to choose which video to show them. Because of the more aggressive rap music, more men chose to show the woman the video of the male beating the woman with his friends standing by watching and not intervening.
  The rest of the article goes on to explain how media has such an impact on what people do and think. It goes on to say how pornography impacts how men treat women and how women view themselves.
  It was a pretty interesting article that offered an interesting study of individuals. I don’t know if woman would react similarly or not to the men if they were in their position but I think it would is a research study that would be work investigating.
  This relates to the class because we’ve talked about how woman and men are viewed differently and don’t have equal rights. If a man treats a woman like dirt he gets called out on it but at the end of the day people don’t say anything or defend the woman. It also relates to the fact that men and women have different standards on how they are allowed to behave and the things they do in public.

~Danielle 

Work Cited

Barongan, Christy, and Gordon C. Nagayama Hall. "Psychology of Women Quarterly." The Influence of Misogynous Rap Music on Sexual Aggression Against Women (1995): 195-207. JSTOR. Web. 22 Apr. 2012.

Research Blog: A Closer Look at Gender Roles in Music Videos

     Music videos are a very important part of today's music industry. However, they have also been a constant topic of debate, and often the question of whether they do more harm than good is raised. There are many different views on the display of gender roles in music videos. A common argument, for example, is that there are generally displays of violent behavior from men, and promiscuous behavior and clothing in women. From this point of view, further arguments can and have been made that women are often degraded in music videos. However, further analysis of the content of some music videos reveals that there may be more to it than that. In fact, according to the article, "Performing Gender: A Content Analysis of Gender Display in Music" by Cara Wallis, music videos need to be looked at more closely.
     From the time they began working their way into the mainstream in the eighties, music videos have been the subject of speculation. This is mostly due to the fact that the target audience is generally young. According to Wallis' article, the earliest studies done on music videos revealed "a proliferation of stereotypical gender roles, particularly as these pertained to negative images of women and women as sex objects", and that "Many studies also focused on violence in music videos, finding that males, compared to females, were more likely to be aggressors as well as victims of violence". (Wallis, 160) Wallis also says that studies done later on in the nineties showed the same results. Those kinds of results may suggest that music videos should not be aired on cable television, because they may be harmful a possibly impressionable younger audience. However, it is not that simple. The production of music videos is an essential part in musicians' success, and leads to their music becoming more popular. For this reason, it is necessary that the videos are closely analyzed in studies, as the one in Wallis' article.
     The concept of these "gender displays" is as follows, according to Wallis: "Gender display, as an aspect of nonverbal behavior, includes touch, facial expressions, eye contact, gestures". (Wallis, 162) Needless to say, the displays can be very subtle, which is why the content of music videos needs closer inspection. Furthermore, most of the data collected on gender roles in music videos comes from studies done in the 1980's and 90's, and is outdated. In order to obtain more current and accurate results, a new study was done.
     In this study, the gender displays of both male and female lead performers were examined. The videos chosen were both performance videos and concept videos that had been aired on both MTV and MTV2. These television networks were chosen because they are the two most popular, with over 86 million households subscribing to it alone. (Wallis 164) To provide an overview of how the study was conducted, Wallis says, "Music videos were selected using a purposive sampling strategy. The goal was to generate a broad sample of pop, rock, and rap music videos popular at the time and that contained sufficient representations of males and females for meaningful comparisons." She also says, "Thirty hours of MTV and 10 hr of MTV2 were videotaped for three weeks during late October 2004 and early November 2004. Videotaping was done on alternating days during rotating three-hour blocks between 5:00 am and 11:00 am, considered “prime time” for music videos because most MTV daytime programming is increasingly devoted to talk shows, game shows, and reality shows. During the sampling period, it became clear that MTV broadcast an overwhelming number of videos with male lead performers, so additional recording of MTV2 was done during the last week of the taping period. This taping added only three additional music videos to the sample". (Wallis 165) There were initially four hypotheses in the study:

1. Female lead performers will display more subordinate nonverbal behavior than will male lead performers
2. Male lead performers will display more dominant modes of nonverbal behavior than will female lead performers
3. Female lead performers will display more overt sexuality than will male lead performers
4. Male lead performers will engage in more nonverbal displays of aggression than will female lead performers.

The results from the study show that all four hypotheses were essentially correct, and that the gender displays occured as predicted.
     
      In conclusion, from Wallis' article and from the results of the more updated study within her article, it is safe to say that perhaps the previous research done on gender roles in music videos is, unfortunately, fairly accurate after all. - Rachel Brooker

Works Cited

Wallis, Cara. "Performing Gender: A Content Analysis of Gender Display in Music Videos." Sex Roles 3-4 64 (2010): 160-72. Print.

Feminism in Pop Music Today- A Collaboration

For this final post, we wanted to bring the team back together. This is an in depth look at pop music today, and if the female icons we see and hear every day are actually helping or hurting this movement.

Rihanna is a questionable role model in my opinion. She is powerful in how she was strong enough to leave Chris Brown when he began beating her, but I questioned her feminism when she returned to him. Her styles could be seen as strong because she owns her body and is free to wear what she wants, or is she simply wearing skimpy clothing to make her appealing so she can sell more records? Rihanna is a bit of an enigma. When looking at her music, songs like Love The Way You Lie, which she was featured in, and We Found Love have some very weak lines, like “..I like the way it hurts” and “you almost wish you could have all the bad stuff back so that you could have the good” sounds like going back to an abusive relationship. These are not very empowering for women. Yet her song Breakin’ Dishes is on the entire other side of the spectrum. In that song, she is breaking dishes out of anger and “… killing time, you know, bleaching your clothes.” This is no longer being in power; this is violent. Rihanna can be seen on both sides of feminism, and only time will tell what side she ends up on. -Hannah

   For this last group blog, I’m looking at Beyoncé and how she has impacted the world of gender, sexuality, and music while being a woman. She started her career out by singing in a female singing group known as Destiny’s Child. When that was over and done with she took off on a solo singing career and became so wildly popular that now at Rutgers University in New Jersey they are offering a class called, “Feminist Perspectives: Politicizing Beyoncé”. 

Not many artists get college classes dedicated to them and the way they are. But because Beyoncé sings about race, gender, and sexuality, she’s a perfect female icon to look at and see the positive that she is doing for a feminist movement.

            

A song that Beyoncé has that is directly related to gender would be her song, “Who Run the World? (Girls)”. The lyrics speak of female empowerment and how women can do what they want. Another song that works with this is from her Destiny Child days, titled, “Independent Women”. These lyrics also contribute to the fact that women can do their own thing and don’t need men to help them accomplish things.

I personally believe that Beyoncé is all about feminism and standing up for yourself. Even though she has her alter ego of Sasha Fierce who is a lot racier than Beyoncé, it’s still a confidence and finding inner beauty. Beyoncé promotes beauty in everyone and her lyrics are all about going for what you believe in. I think that she’s one of the most powerful female singers there is today. ~Danielle

     Since I've been covering country music, the obvious candidate for me was Taylor Swift. Everything about her screams "don't underestimate me!!!" Taylor posesses a type of power that a lot of women, regardless of age, can and do look up to. Her music shows that she isn't afraid to stand up for herself, and through her lyrics she displays a strong sense of independence, especially in regards to the opposite sex. Although some people mock her for it, she takes past romantic experiences and writes songs about them, which gives her strength to overcome situations that many girls would have a hard time coping with.

     From her first album, "Picture to Burn" and "Should've Said No" are two songs that kind of show her strong side. In "Picture to Burn", she says "You're a redneck heartbreak who's really bad at lying... So watch me strike a match on all my wasted time...As far as I'm concerned you're just another picture to burn", which clearly indicates her resiliance.

   Besides songs that bash her past love interests, Taylor also writes songs that can help girls overcome common high school obstacles like dealing with mean girls, finding courage to "speak now" and be "fearless", and even about lasting memories with her mother. As an artist, she is "pure" in the sense that her lyrics don't have sexual references, she doesn't dress or act promiscuously to gain a bigger fan base, and she engourages a sense of strength and self worth. In my opinion, she's an inspring young woman and a great artist, which is why I couldn't resist talking about her! - Rachel

For this collaboration post I chose to write on Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine. Florence's music is heavily influential and the lyrics are so powerful. I have yet to see anyone else like her. In most sense, her songs are about empowerment, some even about female empowerment. One such song would be "Kiss With A Fist" where she sings about domestic abuse and how she dealt with it. The lyrics state:

You hit me once

I hit you back
You gave a kick
I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed

You hit me once
I hit you back
You gave a kick
I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed

My black eye casts no shadow
Your red eye sees nothing
Your slap don’t stick
Your kicks don’t hit
So we remain the same
Love sticks
Sweat drips
Break the lock if it don’t fit

A kick to the teeth is good for some
A kiss with a fist is better then none

A kiss with a fist is better then none

I broke your jaw once before
I spilled your blood upon the floor
You broke my leg in return
So sit back and watch the bed burn
Love sticks
Sweat drips
Break the lock if it don’t fit

A kick to the teeth is good for some
A kiss with a fist is better then none

A kiss with a fist is better then none

You hit me once
I hit you back
You gave a kick
I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed

You hit me once
I hit you back
You gave a kick
I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed

While this song may seem to send a bad message to women out there, and many state that Florence is simply trivializing domestic violence, in actuality, she is standing up for herself instead of just taking it. I don't whole heartily agree with the overall message of this song, especially the line where she says "a kiss with a fist is better than none," I still admire her courage to write about such things women may go through while in an abusive relationship and subtly tell women to stand up for themselves.

Many of her other songs speak of the typical love and anguish of many female pop stars, but are presented in a different light, so they aren't so cut and dry, I love you, you don't love me, type of song. Some songs deal with feeling berated by the world and the people in it, and dealing with the emotions. It speaks of figuring out who you are and who you want to be, without letting other's tell you otherwise. Her song Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) speaks of just that. Her lyrics say:

The looking glass so shiny and new
How quickly the glamor fades
I start spinning slipping out of time
Was that the wrong pill to take (Raise it up)
You made a deal and now it seems you have to offer up
(Raise it up raise it up)

Here I am a rabbit hearted girl
Frozen in the headlights
It seems I´ve made the final sacrifice

We raise it up

This is a gift it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight

I look around but I can't find you
(Raise it up)
If only I could see your face
(Raise it up)
I start rushing towards the skyline
(Raise it up) 
I wish that I could just be brave

I must become a lion hearted girl
Ready for a fight
Before I make the final sacrifice

We raise it up 

This is a gift it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight

(Raise it up raise it up)

And in the spring I she'd my skin
And it blows away with the changing wind
The waters turn from blue to red
As towards the sky I offer it

This is a gift it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight

This is a gift it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight

This is a gift

This song and several others, such as Shake It Out and I'm Not Calling You A Liar are about female empowerment, but then there are songs such as Lover to Lover, where she sings about not knowing which man to choose, and she feels awful for cheating on her boyfriend/lover. It engulfs her in guilt and she feels like nothing will ever be right again, that she will pay hard for her sins. She's losing sleep, she can't focus. Her worries are keeping her up at night. The lines "I've been wandering streets/for days and days and days" leads me to believe that the other man might be some distance away, or perhaps she sees him so frequently that she feels like she's been "wandering" back and forth between the two. She knows that there's not going to be pretty; leaving her boyfriend/husband is going to be the most difficult thing she's ever had to do. "Heading down" might allude to her ever-growing sense of dread for the final confrontation, but in the end, it's all going to be alright. 

All in all Florence + The Machine is a heavily influential band, or singer, and I cannot express how much power she seems to sing about, how moving and empowering her lyrics are. She is truly one of a kind and a very influential person. Her songs are like no others and they are all meaningful in some way. Florence is truly a remarkable singer.

-Kaitlyn

t.A.T.u. and Eurovision

            t.A.T.u is a Russian pop group consisting of two females. They competed in the European music competition in 2003, but stirred up quite a bit of controversy. Dana Heller’s article “t.A.T.u. You! Russia, the Global Politics of Eurovision, and Lesbian Pop” looks closely at the group and the competition to see if this group is an exploitation of women’s sexuality and if Eurovision should be responsible.

Eurovision is a song contest that was made to unite Europe post-war. It began in 1956 and inspired by the San Remo Festival.  It has started the careers of people like ABBA, Celine Dion, and Riverdance. The name t.A.T.u is an acronym for this one loves that one.  The duo was formed when they were 14 and was made because a child psychologist turned advertizing executive found them to have a homoerotic air around them. He put them into this group to meet the needs of people (these needs being to watch young girls being sexual with each other).  These girls are not lesbians, but have boyfriends and consider this more of an image for stage, not an actual representation of who they are. In the Eurovision competition, they got third place, which was a huge disappointment for Russia. Much blame is based on homophobia and a sore throat.

This article also delves into Russia’s identity problems after the fall of the soviet union. At first, the people felt cut off from the rest of the world, but now they feel connected. “Everything here from the West” (Heller 201) states Pilkington young associate. But, for some Russians, this is not what they want. They are content with how Russia is and don’t want any influence from the West, so when t.A.T.u did not win, this was even harder because they were not superior.

While this article looks down on Eurovision because of the politics, I don’t believe Eurovision should be blamed for any of t.A.T.u’s transgressions. They even state that they do what they want to do, even “…threatening to perform naked” (Heller 198).  These women do not abide by the rules of places like NBC and they shouldn’t be seen as innocents that were thrown into this situation. Moving the blame to Eurovision seems like a low blow and ignores the fact that t.A.T.u did the instigating.  The other aspect of this that bothered me was that the excuses were something as strong as homophobia and then suggests something as simple as a sore throat. That kind of accusation could be seen if it was not common knowledge that these women are not actually homosexual. Although the implication of homosexual acts could cause some people to panic, those viewing know it is an act. The act itself is a bit offensive, but homophobia seems an unlikely cause. 

Work Cited

-Heller, Dana. "t.A.T.u. You! Russia, the Global Politics of Eurovision, and Lesbian Pop." Cambridge Journal. 26.2 (2007): 195-210. Print.

-Hannah