1) What are your first impressions of the music videos?
2) Are there any similarities between the videos that I have shown you?
3) Are there any differences between the videos that I have shown you?
4) In your opinion, how have the men and women been represented in these videos?
5) Has this representation changed over the years?
6) Would you say that the men and women have been portrayed in a positive or negative light?
Focus group: 13/09/13
Duration: 20 minutes
Location: My house
I asked four people
(Maddie 21, Sam 20, Jen 19 and
Chris 19) to take part in a 20 minute discussion regarding my investigation
which looks into the representation of gender in music videos. I have chosen to
focus on videos of male artists who use women as background characters/dancers.
This is because I found it interesting how their portrayal of men and women,
women in particular, has evolved over the years. The music videos that I am
analysing include Lapdance by N.E.R.D. (2001), Candy Shop by 50 Cent Ft. Olivia
(2005) and Blurred Lines by Robin Thick Ft T.I & Pharrell (2013). I ranged
the videos between 2001-2013 so that I will be able to discuss the development
of gender construction as an evolution. I took my focus group to a quiet room
and played the three 2-3 minute music videos to them; I then asked a series of relevant
questions which I hope will aid my investigation research. Additionally, I
chose to ask the opinions of two females and two males to produce a balanced argument
and a range of judgements.
Chris: They all have lots of hot girls in and they've all been popular songs which have been critiqued for controversy due to their videos.
Maddie: The lyrics are all abit degrading to women. They all centre around sex, and women's purpose being to please men.
Jen: The men are always fully clothed and the women next to naked.
Sam: To an extent, they could all be considered sexist and offensive to women..
Chris: I agree with Sam in the sense that it's almost become acceptable for women to act in a degrading way and men to treat women a certain way. In Blurred Lines he refers to the women as animals and yet, overall, it is still less shocking than the Lapdance video.
Maddie: Regarding camera techniques and lighting, the first two videos (Lapdance and Candy Shop) have very dark lighting which makes it seem dirty, secretive and more private. In contrast, the Blurred Lines video is really bright, with happy colours.
Jen: I think there are more similarities than differences. But I agree with what everyone has said, especially with how the lighting has changed which could represent how their behaviour is more acceptable in our society.
Jen: The men are shown as in control, wealthy, dominant and sleezy. The women are treated like objects and they are more background-central and passive rather than in the limelight.
Chris: In the Blurred Lines video, the men were all wearing sharp, smart suits whereas the women were topless and very revealing. So I think the men are made to look more respectable.
Maddie: The women are represented in a completely sexualised way- quite often dressed like strippers. The men at the beginning looked quite intimidating on their bikes, 50 Cent looked very rich and Robin Thick looked smart in a suit.
Sam: The men wear clothes and the women do not.
All four people agreed that in the N.E.R.D. video (2001) was more 'trashy', 'revealing', and 'shockingly explicit' and that the most recent Robin Thick video (2013) was more 'socially accepted'. When I asked why this was, they said that they are used to seeing women in the media represented in this light. However, men are still objectifying and women are still objectified.
Interviewer (Me): What are your first impressions of the music videos?
Maddie: N.E.R.D.'s video was horrific. I haven't heard the song or seen the video before and I'm really shocked at how sleezy it is. My first thought was 'is this a strip club?' I think Pharrell and the other guys are acting disgusting...so sleezy. The lyrics are as dumb as the video and the women are just lying around not really doing much. The Candy Shop video looked really old, like their outfits are old fashioned and the CGI car at the beginning looks really fake. The women are all catering to 50 Cent's needs and it is very degrading how their jobs are to sell themselves. The Blurred Lines video is the worst. The worst thing about it is how Robin Thick is completely treating the women like objects, and I find it disgusting. Was it really necessary for the producers to strip the women down completely?
Sam: My first impression of the N.E.R.D.'s video is 'wow'. Very explicit. The girls look like prostitutes. And the guys are lapping it up. Not a fan of the video, but catchy tune though. The 50 Cent song is a classic, and to be honest, I'm not surprised at the video because it's expected from the lyrics. I don't think it's as sleezy as the Lapdance video because there aren't as many men exploiting the women. And they are in some sort of mansion, whereas Lapdance is in some dark room... Love the Blurred Lines video, the women are extremely attractive. Great song, great video.
Jen: I really hated all the video's if I'm honest. The N.E.R.D video was really offensive because the women are so completely and utterly sexualised. The men are so disgusting in that video too. The lyrics are rubbish, total rubbish. The 50 Cent video also made the women look like their purpose was just sex. It wasn't as bad as Pharrell's video though... The blurred Lines video makes the sexualisation of women seem acceptable. I've heard so many people say they love the song and they love the video. I suppose, from a male point of view, I can understand.
Chris: I have to admit, I was quite shocked at the Lapdance video, purely because it was so explicit. You would expect girls to be in a video like that, but it was too slutty. The 50 Cent video maps out a pretty common male fantasy. The Blurred Lines video is full of beautiful, topless women, dancing to a great and catchy tune...what's not to love?
Jen: I really hated all the video's if I'm honest. The N.E.R.D video was really offensive because the women are so completely and utterly sexualised. The men are so disgusting in that video too. The lyrics are rubbish, total rubbish. The 50 Cent video also made the women look like their purpose was just sex. It wasn't as bad as Pharrell's video though... The blurred Lines video makes the sexualisation of women seem acceptable. I've heard so many people say they love the song and they love the video. I suppose, from a male point of view, I can understand.
Chris: I have to admit, I was quite shocked at the Lapdance video, purely because it was so explicit. You would expect girls to be in a video like that, but it was too slutty. The 50 Cent video maps out a pretty common male fantasy. The Blurred Lines video is full of beautiful, topless women, dancing to a great and catchy tune...what's not to love?
Interviewer (Me): Are there any similarities between the videos that I have shown you?
Chris: They all have lots of hot girls in and they've all been popular songs which have been critiqued for controversy due to their videos.Maddie: The lyrics are all abit degrading to women. They all centre around sex, and women's purpose being to please men.
Jen: The men are always fully clothed and the women next to naked.
Sam: To an extent, they could all be considered sexist and offensive to women..
Interviewer (Me): Are there any differences between the videos that I have shown you?
Sam: The first video (N.E.R.D.) seems alot more trashy than the Blurred Lines video. Both have naked women in but for some reason, it is less shocking and more enjoyable through Robin Thick's video...Chris: I agree with Sam in the sense that it's almost become acceptable for women to act in a degrading way and men to treat women a certain way. In Blurred Lines he refers to the women as animals and yet, overall, it is still less shocking than the Lapdance video.
Maddie: Regarding camera techniques and lighting, the first two videos (Lapdance and Candy Shop) have very dark lighting which makes it seem dirty, secretive and more private. In contrast, the Blurred Lines video is really bright, with happy colours.
Jen: I think there are more similarities than differences. But I agree with what everyone has said, especially with how the lighting has changed which could represent how their behaviour is more acceptable in our society.
Interviewer (Me): In your opinion, how have the men and women been represented in these videos?
Jen: The men are shown as in control, wealthy, dominant and sleezy. The women are treated like objects and they are more background-central and passive rather than in the limelight.Chris: In the Blurred Lines video, the men were all wearing sharp, smart suits whereas the women were topless and very revealing. So I think the men are made to look more respectable.
Maddie: The women are represented in a completely sexualised way- quite often dressed like strippers. The men at the beginning looked quite intimidating on their bikes, 50 Cent looked very rich and Robin Thick looked smart in a suit.
Sam: The men wear clothes and the women do not.
Interviewer (Me): Has this representation changed over the years?
All four people agreed that in the N.E.R.D. video (2001) was more 'trashy', 'revealing', and 'shockingly explicit' and that the most recent Robin Thick video (2013) was more 'socially accepted'. When I asked why this was, they said that they are used to seeing women in the media represented in this light. However, men are still objectifying and women are still objectified.
Interviewer (Me): Would you say that the men and women have been portrayed in a positive or negative light?
Chris: The men are shown in a positive light because they have lots of money, nice clothes, gold chains, expensive suits etc. It makes them seem powerful and authoritative. I wouldn't say that the women are shown negatively, just not as respected as the men.
Jen: I would say that the women are shown in a negative light because they are made out to be completely sex-driven. They are not given any personalities, just made to dance and lie around in the background. I agree that the men look respected and dominant.
Maddie: The men are portrayed positively and the women negatively because of sexism and the idea that women are only good for one thing.
Sam: Both could be seen as negative- The women are being treated like objects and the men are acting sleezy.
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