By Sydney Secuskie
Classic
rock ‘n’ roll has often been considered a genre full of male dominating groups,
with women in the background. Let’s face it, the common phrase “sex, drugs, and
rock ‘n’ roll” has undertones of misogynistic issues and references in just the
four word saying. When we delve deeper into the lyrics and backgrounds of this
genre, many problems come about with the portrayal of women in the genre.
Historically, this category of music has placed women as sexual objects that
belong in leather pants, tight tops, and high heels to the sky in order to
please the men serenading them. Lyrics, style of clothing, and music videos all
give representations of women as objects, rather than just human beings.
In
an article written by Jacob Turner, Turner explains that “music video content
from the 1980s and the 1990s was sexy”, but also suggested “sexual innuendos”.
This study holds true for many classic rock ‘n’ roll bands in the videos they
produced for their audiences (Turner, 2010). During an era of hair bands like Guns
‘N Roses and Def Leppard, lyrics, music videos, and choreography was sexually
charged towards women. Lyrics like “Turn around b*tch I got a use for you/
Besides you ain’t got nothin’ better to do/ And I’m bored” were not completely
uncommon to for fans to listen to and suggested sexual innuendos (Guns ‘N
Roses, 2018, 2:24). Although there is no direct word that says what the singer
wants is sex in these lyrics, once paired with the music video the listeners
can draw ideas about what the lyrics mean. In the music video produced by the
band, women are portrayed in little clothing and tied up as sex objects for the
band members. In many other rock music videos, similar sexual hints and use of
women in videos can be found.
So
what’s the issue with a little bit of skin showing and a few women looking
“sexy”? Popular rock culture allowed women to become represented as objects
that belonged to men, rather than seen as bodies that belonged only to
themselves. This representation sent women back in the rock industry. As
a result of the strong male support in rock ‘n’ roll, the large majority of the rockers in The Rock
Hall of Fame are men. Of the 317 rockstars in the hall of fame, only 43 of that
number are women (Stoneback, 2017). Only 43 women made the ranks, 13.5%,
represented in the Rock Hall of Fame for a genre that was developed in the
1950s. This style of music has transformed over the almost 70s years it has
been around; however, there has been little shift in the gender dominance of
males.
References
Guns ‘N Roses. (2018, May 27). It’s So Easy [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMbl1ntpIXQ
Stoneback, S. (2017, April 28). The Rock Hall Of Fame Has A Sexism Problem, Here's How To Change It. Retrieved from https://uproxx.com/music/women-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/
Turner, J. S. (2011). Sex and the spectacle of music videos: an examination of the portrayal of race and sexuality in music videos. Sex Roles, 64(3-4), 173-191.
Word Count: 536
Sydney,
ReplyDeleteGlad to see rock n roll undergoing some critical scrutiny in this post. It certainly a topic ripe for analysis when it comes to the genre's representational politics.
So far so good. But your effort suffers from common errors of formatting, punctuation, awkward sentence construction and less than effective use of the academic literature. Let's take each of these issues in turn.
Take a closer look at your post and note the inconsistent use of font size and color throughout. This is especially apparent in your reference list.
Punctuation problems, especially around quotations, further undermine your effort. Equally important, some of your sentences are wordy and hard to follow. For instance, at one point you write, "... were not completely uncommon to for fans ..." I get it, but you can should state this with greater clarity.
As for the literature you've consulted, you've located an academic source (Turner) and one from the popular press (Stoneback) that are clearly relevant. Your use of Stoneback is fine and helps to support your analysis. You're less successful in applying Turner's findings here. For instance, you write, "...but also suggested sexual innuendos." This isn't clear.
That's not to suggest Turner isn't applicable to your efforts here. It's simply a matter of making more effective use of this material. Moving forward, take a closer look at the way scholars make use of these secondary sources in their work.
In sum, Sydney, this has some promise, but the execution is a little faulty. I urge you to work on some of your writing mechanics and refine your use of academic sources.
Happy to elaborate on any and all of this if you like.
25/30 pts.
Sydney,
ReplyDeleteI like how you chose to write about rock 'n' roll because unless I am wrong, there are not many people who listen to this genre (at least in our age group). I for one, never do, and I certainly never watched any of the music videos. But before reading this, I honestly had no clue that the this was a problem in the genre. I think you had a good example that personally helped me understand your main argument. I think it would have been an interesting comparison to put in a statistic of how many women are in the industry in general and not just the hall of fame. The music industry is known for this objectification of women, as Pia wrote about Beyonce and how she is taking control of her own body and not letting others objectify her. But, it is a known fact that sex sells, especially in the United States, where we sexualize women's bodies more than any other country. So what exactly is the solution to this if people keep "buying" into it. Overall, good post, I enjoyed reading it and learning something new.