Alternative Representation Of women in Hip Hop Music

Missy Elliott-Work it

Missy Elliott is one of the greatest female rappers of all times. She is talented and very successful female artist, she can often be referred to as a multi-faced entertainer as she writes, raps, sings, and produces all her songs. Her music videos are consistently innovative and intriguing as they are very creative and wild. She’s also one of the most versatile hip-hop artists of all time as no other female rapper has ever been able to match Missy's level of success, she has released thousands copy’s of her albums and each one of them has something that will appeal to her audience.

Missy Ellie challenges the stereotypical representation of women through the use of her music videos, the ideology contracted behind her music signify the new found power amongst female artists in the hip hop genre in contemporaryy society today. This reinforces the ideology of women not being able to match a man’s job role but she challenges such parochial society we seem to be living in, as women are degraded and sexually objectified to appeal to the male gaze however her music challenges those stereotypes and values as she is seen to be taking control, as she is shown to be dominate through the use of her lyrics which can be explicit and vulgar which is catered to suit an adult audience. Her lyrics give a funky fresh meaning to the word "bitch", as she even defines herself as one in her very successful single "She's a bitch".

She adds strong characteristic and values of female representation in her music, and this gives women a positive representation, although she is shown to be wearing shorts or sleeveless top in some of their shots she is not sexually objectified unlike the other female artists we see in music videos who are often referred to as ‘Bitches and hoe’s’ of men, as men are showing to be p.i.m.p.s as they are represented as aggressive, controlling and showing to be using women as a symbolic status of power and wealth as women are often referred to as the 'Icing on the cake'

Missy is seen to be wearing clothes that are not so revealing and not showing too much body which may connotes that she is not interested whether if she appeals to the male audience or not as her music should convey her talent though her voice which also suggests that her music is more important and should be the main attraction, however this does not satisfy the male gaze. This is a clear statement that she is not being fetishizated as there does not seem to be any phallic symbols illustrated in the mes-en-scene and her music.

Even though Missy is one of the greatest female hip-hop artist of all time alongside other female artists such as Nicki Minaj and Lil Kim, its arguable that the hip-hop music industry is a male dominated world because women are stereotypically put into their female job roles, this reinforces the fact that women have been sexually objectified thought out history and we are still in a patriarchal society. However this videos gives out a positive representation of women.

Other hip hop female artists include Nicki minaj and lil kim ect.

Media Conference-Chewing gum for the brain: Why do people talk such rubbish about Media Studies?

Why is the media worth studying?
Lecture By: Professor David Buckingham

Media Conference: Articles

Gove's plans send out an anti-education message:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/apr/13/gove-education-plans

Students were studying ‘The Simpson's’ as basic means of understanding the subject, however angry parents accuse the school of ‘Dumbing down’ kids and subjects such as English and maths by showing and teaching them about The Simpson's. Parents believe that kids should not be studying The Simpson's as its not good and they should be studying ‘Shakespeare’. Parents there for put their views, concerns and complained to the Daily Mail Newspaper: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1295062/Angry-parents-accuse-school-dumbing-English-showing-The-Simpsons-class.html

Tories to tackle Media Studies Menace :

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/tories-to-tackle-the-media-studies-menace-1772933.html

The article above suggests that Media Studies and Sociology are a ‘MICKEY MOUSE’ subject which is aimed to brainwash the mind of the children in today’s society as to studying the traditional subjects such as maths and science because they are more academic subject and media is considered to be a basic and a misleading subject also that students should not be studying it because its a "SOFT" subject and is not worth studying.

Media graduates fish up as ‘CLERKS and COOKS’.

Students spurn science in favour of ‘MEDIA STUDIES’

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jan/22/deceive-children-worthless-qualifications


History of Media studies:

Matthew Arnold, Frank and Queenie Leavis used Media studies for new generations to criticise popular culture, to better society- help them get better job, improve civilisation. Frank and Queenie Leavis where the most important person in the education sector.

Media Conference-Online media, Cleggmania, and the Cowell Factor

How do online media and convergence impact on the ways audiences and producers use and create media?
Lecturer By:Dr Julian McDougall


Dr Julian McDougall talked about “How do online media and convergence impact on the ways audiences and producers use and create media?”

He questioned facts such as who has the ‘POWER’ of the media, he started speaking about how there are links between online media, reality TV and democracy, as Web 2.0 has offered the audience more democracy and this has allowed people to express their view, opinions and thought as interactivity allowed more public freedom of speech. ‘ONLY' democracy gives us the right and power.

Simon Cowell is a great example of a man with power as he is arguably the most powerful man in the media even more then a politicians as he create a mass media interests more than any other person, which attracts the audience and they are able to express how they feel and what they think about him and this great shows such as X-factor and Britain’s got talent through the use of interactivity and the media. He also said convergence is a fact of today’s society as web 0.2 allows us to share information, creation and mediation of what we make such as YouTube, face book ect.

Whereas Web 1.0 only allowed people to public content which couldn't’t be altered and changed in any way and people won’t able to comment and leave feedback or their opinion on the matter, but web 0.2 has changed the world of the media and the power of interactivity between people. ‘transmedia’ we are in power of making the ‘MEDIA’.

Relevant Authors:

Don Gillmar
David Gauntlett
Sonia Livingstone
David Buckingham
Annette Hill (Reality TV)
Micheal Wesch
Henry Jenkins
Graeme Turner

Relevant sites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWNXg7Vt-ig&feature=player_embedded
www.mediamagazine.org.uk

Media Conference-Perfecting your production work

How to get the most out of your practical projects:
Lecturer By: Pete Fraser

Keywords:

1. Research and planning
2. blogging and evidence
3. Idea and feedback
4. logistics,equipment and production

Research:
Look at ‘REAL’ examples
Record evidence of your work and research found
Research ‘EVERY’ angle
Codes and Conventions, audience and institutions
Media Magazine

Planning:
Record all your planning- ‘VISUALS’
Plan for what could possibly go ‘WRONG’ - criticise idea
Show process of your ‘JOURNEY’

Blogging:
Evidence
Storyboarding
Script/planning: keep idea’s ‘SIMPLE’
Any visuals
A blog allows you to ‘LINK’ to your research
Begin with a 25 word pitch- to avoid complexity

Logistics:
People, place, props, costume
Get started early
Research all ideas
Rehearse and prepare
Share contact details

Feedback:
Teachers and peers, Family or friends
Keep a record of feedback then Read it, respond to it

Relevant websites

http://www.artofthetitle.com/
http://petesmediablog.blogspot.com/

Mulvey Reading/Essay

Bridget Jone's Diary:

“Bridget Jones’s Diary” is a romantic comedy with a twist as the protagonist in the film is represented as an overweight, clumsy and chain smokes, making her not only real but also easily a lovable and funny character played by (Renee Zellweger) as Bridget Jones. The portrayal of Bridget Jones is far from the ideal or ‘perfect’ women a man is looking for as she is shown to be at her lowest point in life and needs a man because she feels lonely, so she goes on a hunt for Mr Right.

Her character can often reflect on how women seem to be living their lives in this day and age as the older they get the less likely it is for them to find love or Mr Right. As a result this can give out a negative representation of women because not all women are clumsy, chain smoker and overweight but in fact they are classy, independent and very successful in life and with love, I can’t say the same for a comedy character like Bridget.

During her man hunting she stumbles across two men but two men who are completely opposite, first guy is called Daniel (Hugh Grant) and the other Mark (Colin Forth), as she is seen to be trying to please both men as she can’t believe her luck however she struggles to keep up with men. The representations of both men are very different as Daniel is portrayed as the wild, cheeky hunk who is her boss and the person she defines as her ‘fantasy’. Whereas the representation of Mark is that he is respectable, well-mannered and very sweet, he loves her just the way she is, not for getting that Mark is also a childhood friends.

The stages she goes through in order to find her Mr right will determine whether she has chosen the right man as she finds her self-caught between ‘a men who’s too good to be true’ and another men who ‘is so wrong, that he could be RIGHT’, but who will she pick?

The character of Bridget Jones challenges the ’male gaze’ and stereotypical representation of women in contemporary society today. She is not sexually objectified by the male audience or the men in the film as she is shown to be careless about her appearance and the way she acts around men, as this reinforces that fact that she is getting old when she is shown to put her granny pants on in a sense that she needs to finally take control of her life, yet she is not fetishized, as the audience are aware that she has confidence issue ‘’I shall bit be paranoid with weight’’ and that she is not a man’s ideal fantasy. Although her character may not appeal to the male gaze, women can identify with the issues surrounding her weight issues, appearance and not finding Mr right.

This fact reinforces the ideologies of women and how some women can be too into the way they look and how they should appeal to men by achieving a certain image for example, blonde hair and big boobs which can be seen as narcissist and give a negative representation of women as they are being sexually objectified by the male audience. However the image of Bridget Jones appeal to women who struggle with confined tissues and reassures them that it does not matter what we look like, we should use Bridget Jones as an inspiration to all women.

There are aspect of the film or a certain scene which appeal to the male audience such as the scene where she is dressed as a bunny revealing her legs and breasts which appeal to the male gaze, as it for fills the male fantasy, as this factor reinforces the idea of sexual exploration and the need of pleasing the male audience which only identify that we still do live in a patriarchal society, where women need to meet the demands and expectation of men by degrading themselves as the camera angel emphasise on the feature of Bridget’s body to appeal to the male gaze and the gratification of men. On the other hand Daniel also plays up on the expectation of himself (men) to appeal to the female audience, the scene of him in the lift and the scene of him in bed with Bridget, as this allows women to also gain voyeuristic pleasure from looking at the men in the film but the fact that the main focus is on Bridget and Daniel is in the background this signifies the importance of male gaze more than the female gaze.

The film appeals to the male and female audience as it meets the expectation of both genders; however it signifies that the male gaze is important, yet the female audience can gain personal identification about how women are represented through the eyes on men and identify with the issues raised in the film regarding weight, appearance, life and love.

The male gaze: this is a term used by Laura Mulvey, which demonstrates the ‘visual pleasures and narrative cinema’ to describe what is seen through a male’s point of view and a male audience such as a women’s body and how its viewed as a sexual object for the gratification of men.

The female gaze: this term is used when women are shown to view sexual pleasure and they also gain voyeuristic pleasure from looking at a subject or a man, as film techniques such as camera movement can sometimes be used to position the female audience and allow them to do so.

Post-Feminism & Popular Culture: Bridget Jones's Diary

The representation of the protagonist is negative in this film, as she is shown to clumsy,careless,loveless and need a man in her life. she is represented as weak,less dominant character who seeks help from her family,friends and the most important thing in her life, her diary in order to find her Mr.Right. the portrayal of Bridget Jones can come across as misleading and negative because women can be successful,independent and dominant without a men.

"..she has benefited from those institutions (education) which have loosened the ties of tradition and community for women, making it possible for them to be disembedded and re-located to the city to earn an independent living without shame or danger".

"post-feminism positively draws on and invokes feminism as that which can be taken into account, to suggest that equality is achieved, in order to install a whole repertoire of new meanings which emphasise that it is no longer needed, it is a spent force."

"This is a movement detectable across popular culture, a site where “power … is remade at various junctures within everyday life"

".. gentle denunciations of feminism (as in the film Bridget Jones’s Diary) co-exists however with the shrill championing of young women as a “metaphor for social change” on the pages of the right wing press in the UK ( the Daily Mail)

Post-Feminism & Popular Culture: Sex and the City

Sex and the City 2 Trailer

Sex and the city is a great example of how ‘girl power’ is taking over and women in today’s generation are more capable of earning their own living rather than relying on men. The film shows how women are able to take on a more dominant role and that they are able to face the challenges of life, without out needing a man. the text above normalises post-feminism gender anxieties, to re-regulate young women by allowing them make personal choices and freedom but this can often backfire. Sex and the city's gives out a positive representation of women in which they convey women to have more power and control over their own life and the choices they make without any influence of a male presents.

"The new young women are confident enough to declare their anxieties about possible failure in regard to finding a husband, they avoid any aggressive or overtly traditional men, and they brazenly enjoy their sexuality, without fear of the sexual double standard".

"...capable of earning their own living, and the degree of suffering or shame they anticipate in the absence of finding a husband is countered by sexual self-confidence. Being without a husband does not mean they will go without men".

Post-Feminism & Popular Culture: Car Advert

Claudia Schiffer: Car advert

The advert above signifies the fact that this is a self-conscicously ‘Sexist advert’, ” feminist critiques of it are deliberately evoked". "Feminism in the ad is “taken into account,” however is it only shown to be no longer necessary, this is because there is no exploitation here, as her performance of the striptease shows no sexual/female exploitation and there is nothing remotely naıive about it as she seems to be doing it out of choice, and enjoyment not for entertainment of others.

"the shadow of disapproval is introduced (the striptease as site of female exploitation),only instantly to be dismissed as belonging to the past, to a time when feminists used to object to such imagery. To make such an objection nowadays would run the risk of ridicule".

Post-Feminism & Popular Culture: Lad Mags

Every month, magazines such as FHM, and now Zoo and Nuts, serve up page after page of breasts, bottoms and sexual titillation in order to appeal to the male audience.

Link to the article:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-481677/Women-blame-lads-mags-sexual-exploitation--just-guilty.html

The article above question's whether women are to blame as much as men or 'lad's mags' for sexual exploitation and discusses the role's and representation of women in society today and if men and women are both to blame in the way women are represented though media, as the article shows how women are subordinated,degraded and sexually objectified in lad's mags. This article question to what extent this is true and are lads mags to blame for the women's sexual exploitation.

"...young women endorse (or else refuse to condemn) the ironic normalisation of pornography, where they indicate their approval of and desire to be pin up girls for the centrefolds of the soft porn “lad mags".

"...we are witness to a hyper-culture of commercial sexuality, one aspect of which is the repudiation of a feminism invoked only to be summarily dismissed (see also Rosalind Gill 2003)".

"As a mark of a post-feminist identity young women journalists refuse to condemn the enormous growth of lap dancing clubs despite the opportunities available for them to do so across the media".

Lad's mags often give out a misleading and a negative representation of women,as they are sexually objectified and misunderstood by the audiences, which often related back to the type of soft materials the audience are exposed to such as pornography,DVDs,magazines,television programmes.However according to 'lads mags' its not unusual to pass young women in the street wearing T-shirts bearing phrases such as 'Porn Queen' or 'Pay to touch'' across the breasts, as this refers back to the hyper-culture of commercial sexuality society we are living in where all this has become normal and its not unusual to see or talk about. Going back to the main purpose of the article above;do women are the right to blame 'lads mags' for sexual exploitation or are they themselves just as guilty as men are for the contribution of soft pron in today's society.

Porn Star .... Really?, That's Not 'Cool'

Post-Feminism & Popular Culture: Wonderbra Advert

The original Wonderbra advert featuring supermodel Eva Herzigova.

"The Wonderbra advert showing the model Eva Herzigova looking down admiringly at her substantial cleavage enhanced by the lacy pyrotechnics of the Wonderbra, was through the mid-1990s positioned in major high street locations in the UK on full size billboards."

"The composition of the image had such a textbook “sexist ad” dimension that one could be forgiven for supposing some familiarity with both cultural studies and with feminist critiques of advertising (Judith Williamson 1987)."

"It was, in a sense, taking feminism into account by showing it to be a thing of the past, by provocatively “enacting sexism” while at the same time playing with those debates in film theory about women as the object of the gaze (Laura Mulvey 1975) and even with female desire (Rosalind Coward 1984;Teresa de Lauretis 1988)."

The advert gives a negative representation of women as this is emphasised through the use of the females body language and facial expression, which indicates that it’s appealing to the ''male gaze'' (Laura Malvey), The text on the advert “Hello Boys” reinforces the fact that once again the advert is targeted at the male audience. This can also refer back to the ‘scopophilia’ fact, this means that a finding of pleasure in looking at other people as ‘Objects’. However that the same it’s is could give out a positive representation as its shows that the Wonderbra can make women feel feminine, sexy, confident and as happy as the women in the advert, as this appeals to the female audience.

Wonderbra: Chelsea skipper John Terry's wife Toni has recreated the famous Eva Herzigova Wonderbra advert for a breast cancer charity campaign.

Post-Feminism & Popular Culture Link:
http://weblearn.ox.ac.uk/site/human/women/students/biblio/historiog/McRobbie%20-%20postfeminism.pdf

Understanding Post-Feminism

Clarifying Concepts in order of my opinion:

1) A more positive look at post-feminism:
In raising these questions, I am only at the beginning of figuring out what a more positive kind of post-feminist account of religion and family might look like, and so have no compelling summary to offer, let alone a call to a specific research agenda. In my own work, I do want to take some feminist insights for granted. But I explicitly reject the idea that strong feminist critiques have had their day and must now give way gracefully to approaches that favor a consensual and functional, or even communitarian, interpretation of the good society. I am feeling more combative, or at least constructively critical, about theories that neatly divide society into a “public” and a “private” realm, while systematically devaluing those feminine things (religion, family) assigned to the private (cf., Warner 1999). I am not sure where it will lead, but it feels right to begin pushing back the boundaries of post-feminism by asking a different set of questions.

= This shows that women are now consedred as equal as men after such long period of time,however women are still not completly accepted.

2) Post-feminism as backlash to feminism:
What the hell is postfeminism, anyway? I would think it would refer to a time when complete gender equality has been achieved. That hasn’t happened, of course, but we (especially young women) are supposed to think it has. Postfeminism, as a term, suggests that women have made plenty of progress because of feminism, but that feminism is now irrelevant and even undesirable because it has made millions of women unhappy, unfeminine, childless, lonely, and bitter, prompting them to fill their closets with combat boots and really bad India print skirts.

= By this stage women shown to be in control and coming in power of their lives,however some women may end up lonley,sad and without a family in oder to avoid any asseccotion tp men.

3) The ambiguity of the prefix “post”:
I’ve come accross the term used in the way Lurker describes, similarly, in academic circles, and for academic reasons I don’t think anyone should use it. The problem lies in the ambiguity of the prefix “post”, because post can mean since something commenced OR since something concluded. So, while technically a “post-feminist society” could mean a society since feminism began to be an influence, there will always be people who think you mean since feminism ended.

= Many people may consider this statment as the end of feminism as 'Post' refers to the past or after,but in todays contemporay society men and women living in a equal society.

4) Post-feminism as a colloquialism:
It’s about deeply held political convictions, not to mention strategy. If there’s a wad of people out there extolling postfeminism and meaning “I think feminism is flawed and I’d like to see some goal-shifting, fresh tactics, and revisiting of contentious topics,” this isn’t just an issue of what’s going on in a speech group that doesn’t overlap with mine. It’s about defending feminism’s ground. Feminism is already doing the work that these (as I have come to think of them) non-evil postfeminists think comes with their prefix. And it’s beyond obvious that feminism suffers from its terrible reputation and from the vast misunderstandings that stunning numbers of people still have about it (no matter how many times it happens, I will never, ever get used to being asked if I hate men). I can’t help but see even the non-evil usage of “postfeminism” as a rejection of and attack on feminism, and an implication that the movement is finished. And that means I need to challenge it at every turn.

= Post feminism is often linked to people who think that is there for women who can no longer stand men.This is not over as the issues rasied by the postfeminism group are still challenging people.

Peer Assess Eassy: Mariams Eassy

Negative representation - Secret Obsession

Women are portrayed as really sexual and the voiceover is sultry as is the editing style it looks like she awoke from sleep naked and the actual advert was banned due to the uncensored sexual content. The primary audience I would say are males due this provocative nature of the advert where the women is self objectifying herself so the male audience take voyeuristic pleasure in looking at her and they may buy this perfume for their partners. The secondary audience I would say would be females as the perfume is for women but the male gaze is dominant so it could be argued that the woman is presented as a femme fatale who allures the audience with her body. Feminists would not approve of this as it reinforces that females are seen as sexual objects by men so therefore the patriarchal society is reinforced.

www: Good use media terminology.

ebi: Explain how this effects society and what are the issues and debates surrounding this text. Check your spelling =)

Bianca's Essay

What are the different representations of women in adverts and how are they signified?

The representation of women can be positive: challenging the roles and expectations of women or negative: reinforcing a patriarchal society. This essay questions how and why these representations are constructed in an advert for Gucci Guilty Perfume and Stella Artois beer.

Firstly the Gucci advert is in widescreen which connotes a dramatic cinematic experience to engage its audience. More attention is gained by the female character first seen in the text and her protagonist is signified through this. The protagonist has female dominance which is signified through the use of colour- everything is in black and white while her hair is gold/blonde. This colour connotes gold, power and divinity signifying her importance in the text.

The use of intertextuality in this text will appeal to a particular audience. The film references a great deal to the neo film noir Sin City, with the use of colour and the female dominant femme fatale character. Sin City appeals to a male audience due to the action genre, this trailer could also appeal to the same audience due to the intertextuality. In terms of the Uses and Gratifications theory, a female audience might realise and accept the protagonist in the text is a form of escapism and also a male gaze, by theorist Mulvey, and therefore might aspire, from Young and Rubicam's 4Cs, to be the object of male gaze too.

Though the protagonist is an object of male gaze, it could be suggested that she sexually objectifies herself to tease the audience. The protagonist puts her leg into the frame of the shot. As she puts into the frame, it signifies self objectification, allowing the audience to fetishise her body. Another shot, a high angle, of their sexual activities signifies CCTV and spying which is voyeuristic. The fact she is on top signifies her control of the situation for both the male character and the audience.

Not only does the protagonist exert her feminity through self objectification she also presents herself as an anarchic character signified by adopting male stereotypes. The advert begins with a long shot of an unknown character speeding down the motorway, which stereotypically would be expected to be a male character. However, the audience's expectations are challenged when a medium shot of the driver shows to be a female.

In contrast, women are negatively represented in the Stella Artois text. The most obvious editing technique used in the advert is the split screen: one side shows the female getting dressed and the other side is of the beer getting "prepared". This use of split screen signifies that neither the beer nor the woman know they have been placed side by side. This puts the audience in position of control as they can voyeur the woman, in a socially acceptable way. Audiences may identify this control as patriarchy, and also identify with the unknown male character whose presence is felt within the text. This text then reinforces the idea of a patriarchal society and that women are subordinated by men.

Not only does the female share the screen with the beer, but the screen is split equally between the two "objects" which connotes the woman is equally objectified to the status of beer. It is suggested the audience is male due to the female and beer subject. Though the advert is targeted at men, it also negatively stereotypes men as people who have little respect for women which however is a dominant representation.

A range of close up shots of the female are used to fetishise her body. There is a close up shot of the female's leg slowly and elegantly rising from the bath tub. On one hand this could signify femininity and her control over it which is the oppositional reading. However, the more dominant reading is that her legs are an important part of the female body and connotes a male audience who can voyeur her body.

The text near the beginning of the trailer says "the preparation" which is an enigma code as the audience question "what event is the preparation for?". It is signified through the shots that the woman and beer preparation is for the male through the use of action codes. Action codes of both the preparation of the woman and the glass of beer are the same.

Women are represented as people who prioritise their looks and appearance, and this ad reinforces this ideology. Action codes including close ups of her: brushing her hair, doing her make up and putting on heels strongly represent women as image conscious. It could be said that the advert reinforces this representation, which is always seen in the media. Funnily enough, it could also be said that the media itself is the cause of this representation as this ideal, perfect woman is always represented in the media, and women feel they have to aspire to it.

In conclusion, both texts females are the protagonists and are sexually objectified for male audiences to fetishise and vouyer their bodies. However, while Gucci’s advert’s protagonist controls her sexuality through self objectification, the Stella Artois’ protagonist is objectified by an unknown but present male character.

In the Gucci’s ad, there are many examples in the text that signify the protagonist’s female dominance, but it is arguable whether this could be seen as a positive representation. The dominant reading is that the protagonist exerts her female dominance over the male challenging the historical patriarchal society and even subordinating males as easily manipulated and easily tempted by women and sex and this would favour feminism. However the oppositional reading which would favour the ideologies of the Stella Artois advert, might be that females can control their sexuality, but it is still for the male gaze and male dominant society.


GUCCI GUILTY OFFICIAL COMMERCIAL


Stella Artois Bath Commercial [Style is Everything]

Gender & Advertising:

1. What sort of images of women and men dominated advertising pre-1970s? Why was this the case?

The commercials in the pre-1970 were mostly shown to represent women in their stereotypical job role relating to the home environment such as the kitchen. The adverts back then portrayed women in commercial for the kitchen products or bathrooms and any other home related equipment. Women did not have a voice as they were shown to be dominated by men at home or in the working environment as women were subordinate by men. This was naturalized and accepted by society in the 1970’s because women did not have much equality to men and were considered as less important unlike the men.

2. How did the advertising of the 1970’s continue to perpetuate the stereotype of women, despite depicting women in a greater range of roles?

Even after depicting women in a greater range of role, they were still shown to be less important compared to men. They were represented as housewives and counting the jobs of motherhood, as women were seen only in adverts for cleanliness, beauty products and family orientated commercials aimed at other mother and the female audience.

3. Can Gaye Tuchman’s quote regarding under-representation and the ‘symbolic annihilation of women’ still be applied in 21st Century advertising? If so, how?

Regardless of Gaye Tuchman’s quote, women can still be applied in the 21st Century advertising, as they are being ‘symbolically annihilated’ and are often sexually objectified in adverts today. Even though women now have a wide range of advertising options and a voice, they are not yet fully dominated the advertising industry as women and men are still imbalanced in their job roles.

4. Do you agree that adverts, such as those for the 1990’s Boots No. 7, ‘It’s not make-up. It’s ammunition.’ campaign, are post-feminist (thereby representing women as better than men?). Explain your answer.

This statement can be arguable in the way women are represented and whether women are better than men or not. The Boots No.7 advert may suggest women are becoming more dominant but at the same time need make-up product to feel and look good as they need more than natural beauty to please men, however it can also connote that the power is in the females hands as they can look good if they wanted to attract men or have a greater sex appeal but they can also control them by not looking good and pleasing men all the time. The words “It’s not make-up. Its ammunition” gives as sense of power and control as the word “ammunition” sounds very manly and dominant which indicated that women are fighting back and demand a greater role in the advertising industry. Boots has always back up women and gave them the option of looking and feeling confident. Overall I think that the women are represented more positively and are considered to be better than men.

5. Is the representation of women by the media accountable for the results of a survey in which ‘women were up to ten times more likely than men to be unhappy with their body image’?

In today’s contemporary society, women are always seeking help and working towards achieving the so called ‘Prefect’ Body though the use of the media and magazines. Depression and unhappiness in women are rising as they don’t seem to be happy with their body image, as they are almost brainwashed and overpowered by what they see on TV, which is often misleading and untrue. This can impact on what society consider as real beauty and whether women are naturally beautiful or need to be covered in cosmetics from head to toe in order to be accepted in society. This creates a negative representation and impact on women as they often look down on themselves and feeling embarrassed, whereas men seem to have pride and they never admit that they are unhappy about their bodies as are not exposed or put under pressure to look good by the media. As a result I think the media are held responsible for giving a negative portrayal of women and are accountable for these results.

6. Is the contemporary representation of men in advertising perhaps also a negative one where they too are treated as sex objects?

Men are too being depicted as sex objects as there is a rise often in perfume adverts or men’s underwear, in recent years the rise of men in advert that are being sexually objectified as this is become more acceptable and appealing to the audience. This creates a negative representation of men as for hundreds of year men were represented as the dominant, powerful and strong men. However we as the audience have seen a change in the way men are represented as well as women.

Female Representation:

Marks and Spencer advert April 2010:(Positive)

The women in this advert appear to be dominant, confident, happy and funky as they are represented in a positive way. The advert consists of powerful and famous women as such Danni Minogue, well known on the X-factor and Lisa Snowdon. These women are used to advertise the new range of clothing for Marks and Spencer’s (M&S) for the style and fashion to suit every occasion and it’s catered for different women of different ages and sizes, as they are successful and famous, the female audience can identify with them and relate to their motherly quality’s such as Danni Minogue. The mise en scene and the funky parallel music played in the background gives out a sense of liveliness and creates a happy atmosphere, although some off the women are shown in their underwear or swim wear they are not sexually objectified but portrays there femininity in their seductive clothes and they are shown to be in control. The mise en sense also includes the beaches, sunshine and the forest which connotes the natural surroundings and also suggests the clothes are suitable for these types of environment, the facial expressions of the women reflect on their own natural beauty. The women are not represented in their stereotypical job role such as the kitchen or doing the washing up but out door in a non- stereotypical environment which indicates the alternative representation of women and ‘girl power’. Overall the representation of women in this advert is positive and inspiring the target audience.

Little woods Advert:(Positive)
The egg symbolises a re-birth of new fashion and women.'little Woods.com' is associated with great family products, and stereotypically speaking women 'Love' shopping and this advert shows how the women can provide the best Christmas for their family's by shopping at 'Little Woods'.

Historical And Contemporary 'Fairy' New Advert:(Negative)

Even in today’s modern world, women are still living in a patriarchal society as they are being considered as less dominant than men. The advert above is a good example and proof that women are represented negatively and classed into their stereotypical roles. This advert reinforces the ideologies that women belong in the kitchen and are associated with the washing and cleaning. The kitchen is shown to be a motherly and environmentally friendly through the use of the mise en scene, as this connotes that the women is put in her place, were she’s used to the environment. The advert is shown to stay the same throughout the years, the women and the child is shown to be changing and revolving to suit the audience, however men are not shown in the advert, this indicates that men don’t belong in the kitchen and they take on a more dominate role as this refers back to the patriarchal society we are brought up in to.

Throughout the different shots used in the advert the women is shown to be occupied by the little girl supposedly her daughter and the little girl’s facial expression shows that she is happy to be in the kitchen with her mum, as this can also connote that the mum is passing on your skills in the kitchen to her daughter. This gives out a negative representation as it shows that from a young age girls are put in their stereotypical role as this is 'naturalized' in society by the media. The moral of the advert is that women belong in the kitchen; this is why the fairy liquid advert is used though generation as it suits it purpose by almost glamorising the kitchen environment and the female role through the use of this advert.

Another Example: (1960's) Vintage ‘Dove’ Advert Commercial: (Negative)

Again, this is another example of the a historical advert which gives a negative representation of women as they are stereotypically associated with the washing up and cleaning of the house. this advert of the 'Dove' washing up liquid is portrayed to makes women's hands feel soft and smooth as typically speaking women spend most of their time in the kitchen and washing up.

Interesting Advert: D&G - Light Blue Advert

This advert is a classic example of when the male and female being sexually objectified, as the representation of both genders are show to be sexually attracted to each other signifying the purpose of the fragrance. This also signify the protagonist's male dominance as he is shown to take the fist steps and taking control, but it can arguable whether this could be seen as a positive or a negative representation of the male or the female, this appeals to the male audience as its shown almost like a dream or a fantasy to be in such a beautiful,sunny place with a sexy female but at the same times this advert would also appeal to many of the female audiences as the protagonist is shown to wearing next to nothing, too much body on show and this fulfills the female gaze theory and satisfaction, we can say he is very much represented as an 'Eye-Candy', however this can also covey's how males are easily manipulated and tempted by women , this is shown when the women is putting her hair back and look comfortable while looking in his eyes, this would favour feminism and power but as the protagonist is more dominant and over powering the women by standing over her, the oppositional reading would be that men are still in power and its still very much a male dominated society.

Male Representation:

'Diet Coke' - 11.30 Appointment Advert':(Objectified)

This is a historical and contemporary advert that signifies the"female gaze" as it is a classic example of the protagonist being sexually objectified in the advert, which shows that the women are the dominant ones for a change and this also conveys 'girl power' which shows a dramatic change in society compared to historical adverts, because back than man were shown to be in power and take on more of the dominant role. This can also be arguable as it covers the 'Gender trouble' theory which refers to any behaviour or representation that disputes culturally acceptance where women can get sexual pleasure by sexually objectifying men as women themselves are represented as a passive objects in today's media and contemporary society.

This advert is over emphasised on sexual appearance on the man, as he is shown to be topless, showing off his physical appearance which again refers back to the 'female gaze', which subordinates (Mulvey's theory) of the 'male gaze', while the women freeze to take a look and while biting their lips and turning heads. However there is still a great deal of division between the representation of men and women in contemporary adverts today as the media's representation of women are 'naturalised', as women as still associated to motherhood,careers and housewives.

Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme Advert (Positive)
This is a advert by James Franco, he is represented as a sharp,smart and powerful protagonist, he is shown to be dominant as he is the only one in the advert which implies that he is in control, we as the audience will also get a sense of being overpowered as he looks directly to the camera, making eye contact with the audience showing not only his control but also female attraction, which refers back to the 'female gaze' even though he is not sexually objectified as he is presented in a black uniform in contrast with the black and white theme, which connotes attraction and center of attention. The use of celebrity will appeal to the audience and even though this is Gucci fragrance advert for men, the female can also be attracted to him while the men may aspire to be him. The use of his voice also connotes the narrative of the advert with a binary opposition of the music, as the advert is targeted at the male audience but the sound track is by a women as he repeats the words of the music suiting the purpose of the advert.

(1960s) Folgers Coffee TV Commercials:(Negative)

This is a historic advert from the 1960’s which reinforces a patriarchal society and the expectations of the female role as it is shown to be a sexist and stereotyped advert, which represented the men being more dominate within the household and it overpowering women. The man is shown to not be pleased with the service provided by his wife and come across as ungrateful and harsh, as he compares his wife coffee to the girls at work. The advert emphasises on the tone of his voice through the use of his angry body language and the diegetic sound from the speaker and close up shot of his face while speaking which shows that he is complain and raising his voice, which shows his dominate role. However this is a negative representation as it shows he had no respect and that he is very much stereotyped to how the men in the 1960’s behaved but all he needs is a great 'Folgers coffee'.The women are also shown to meet at the shopping car park which stereotypes the typical job role of a female as mothers and housewives.

Post Feminism:

'Here come the girls':Boots advert:(Post feminist)

The above advert is for Boot Christmas special advert, this can be called a post feminist advert has it shows women are in the typical working place and shown to be in control through the use of them being positioned in the middle of the frames in the center of attention. Man are not the main attraction in this advert as they are seen to be totally ignored by the women, this challenges the stereotype of man been the centre of attention but through the use of this advert the women are shown to be in their own girl world where they can’t be influenced by the men or sexually objectified by men. Their facial expression indicates a sense of ‘guilty pleasure’ and happiness by using the product. Even thought the female are shown to by touching their own legs while applying cream and make-up, or shown skin but not too much, they are not sexually objectified and are not appealing to the ‘male gaze’.

The use of the music also signifies the power the women and how they are taking over in their hundreds ‘Here come the girls’ gives out a message of the women being positively represented as they are the dominant ones in the advert and the marching drum sound could suggest that they are on a mission, while the men are being over shadowed by the much beautiful and confident women. The use of the long shots helps the audience to identify with the women, as they are shown with new clothes and shoes and make-up in order to look confident and attractive and by also using close up shots it shows the effect of the product, for example the close up of the women appealing make-up or other products, the effect of it makes them look and feel gorgeous. The logo that the end ‘it's a season to be gorgeous’ makes the audience feel to look as good as those women in the advert and make them feel glamorized. The use of the women marching on the street connotes girl power and confident.

Examples Of Positive and Negative Representation