Males and Females are represented in very different ways in music videos, they conform to typical gender stereotypes which portray men and women in these ways:
Males
.Higher status
.Dominating surrounded by submissive girls
.Rich
.Gang-oriented
.Drugs
.Violent
.Follow genre trends, no quirky, individual styles
Main character types:
.Macho/ Player
.Gangster
.Poet
Examples of these:
Macho/ Player...
Jason Derulo- Trumpets
This video shows the complete sexualisation of women, with inappropriate amounts of voyeurism the artist just sits there looking at the women. This plays up to the macho/ player stereotype who objectify women.
.Gangster...
Eminem- When I'm Gone
This shows the typical 'gangster'/ rapper image through his baggy clothes, chain necklaces and his body movements. Although the song is talking about someone's daughter the artist is still portrayed in rehab showcasing the typical gangster image
Poet... Ed Sheeran- Thinking Out Loud
This video, and many other Ed Sheeran videos, showcases the typical 'poet'. He is ballroom dancing with his love which portrays a 'soft' and loving nature that appeals to his target audience. However even though this passive, soft video it still portrays men as
dominant- men lead in dances.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Females
.Dance/ Performance (Stereotypically women things to do)
.More experimental/ More individual
.Sex Appeal-focus on sexuality
(None of these characteristics are shown in males which suggests that women have to 'do more' to be noticed)
.Usually focussed on relationships/ men
Main character types:
.Sex objects
.Heart broken/ emotional
.Vulnerable
Examples of these:
Sex Objects... Pitball ft. G.R.L- Wild Wild Love
Even the setting of this video ('Playboy Mansion') shows that women are just going to be objectified in it. Throughout the video we see women bending over the main artist, twirling their hair, close-ups of feminine areas and costumes that accentuate these areas. By doing this shows the sexual objection of women, dominance of men and portrays the women as stupid, image obsessed women that are only there to 'please' men.
Heart broken/ emotional... Rihanna-Stay
This video shows the artist crying in a bath for the duration of the video whilst the featuring artist (male) sits on the side. The contrast between the two shows how women are stereotypically more emotional and sad when there is a break up.
Vulnerable:
Attempts at counter-typing these representations:
Mainly in female videos there is a attempt to break away from the stereotypes that they face and they produce songs about female power however most of the time the music videos that go with these 'powerful' songs are still twisted into the main character types again...
Examples...
Lily Allen- Hard Out Here
This video is a perfect example of what I was saying above. The song's lyrics are all about the pressures that women face and how men have it easy in comparison. However the artist then gets up with a group of women who then proceed to dance and shake their 'feminine areas' which completely falls back into the sexual object character type again.
G.R.L- Ugly Heart
In this song the band is saying that they don't need this man anymore because of his 'ugly heart' which implies that they are strong willed and independent, however the basis for the video (or at least that is what it looks like) is that they are being arrested for being prostitutes which again is portraying women as sexual objects that rely on men.
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