Representations of women in the media

Ne-yo ‘coming with you’ This is 'coming with you' by Ne-yo fitting with the genre of R&B and soul R&B,and so attracts a youth south London target audience. I am going to analyse this video to see how women are presented in the music video ,and how they both subvert or conform to the media's representation of women, with reference to feminist theories such as that of Friedan and Mulvey.

Within this music video, women are presented as objects of sexual beings, and are significantly contradictory to Ne-yo himself, of which highlights deep routed social separation of men and women, with men holding power and superiority in society, while women occupy a subordinate role, demonstrating weakness and objects of pleasure for men, for this reason too, this video could support Mulvey's view of the male gaze, of which suggests that the media is could be seen as phallus, and only there for the enjoyment and entertainment of men suggesting that women in revealing clothing is primarily for the enjoyment of men.

Deconstruction of women in the ‘coming with you’Here I have chosen a few shots from the music video of coming with you of which I feel hold significant meaning, demonstrating examples of how women

are presented in the media. Here I will use my skills, to analyse each of my chosen shots demonstrating how this presents women in the media, with reference to feminist theories such as that of Mulvey and Freidan.

This shot, of which shows as 0:13 seconds is meaningful in demonstrating the superiority and power men have over women. For example this low angle shot, shows ne-yo on a platform with the audience looking up him, emphasising his superiority over the audience of which is put at a lower pegging them him. In addition, the fact that he is on his own on the platform further emphasises his manly independence, bravery and courage. This in context with the females presented in the music video is greatly contradictory, as the women are seen dancing in groups, emphasising females reliance on each other and their lack of freedom, and competition to gain male attention. Furthermore the high key lighting, again allows the audience to decode, that ne-yo is all powerful an glorified which we can infer is in terms of female attention, by watching the remainder of the video which shows ne-yo in the middle of many women dancing around him, in revealing clothing almost fighting for his attention, again being a signifier that he is in power of all these women, putting women in a position of weakness and dependence on males, which is greatly the case in both the media and society. For this reason we could suggest that this comparison between ne-yo whom is shown in power and displays independence, in comparison to the women who dance in groups demonstrating dependence and reliance on each other, could be supportive of Freidan’s view of ‘the feminine mystique’ in which the way women are presented in the media is indeed how they live throughout their own lives, which explains similarities between the stereotypical dependant nature of women in society alongside the dependence on men represented in this music video, all stemming from the low angle shot of ne-yo shown in power. In addition to the above, ne-yo’s body language encodes feelings of pride and superiority for example the holding/straightening of his jacket is an iconic and symbolic sign of both power and pride stereotypically shown by men and so we can infer that he feels power and superiority of the women shown dancing below him.

This shot, of which shows at 0:18 seconds is very contrasting with the previous shot and so important in showing how females are presented in music videos. This eye level, medium close up shot places the women in the shot in a level of equality with the audience, as we are on the same level as the girls therefore allowing us to infer that we are the same as them. This contrasts with the previous shot where we saw a low angle shot, enabling the audience to look up at ‘ne-yo’ making him appear dominant and superiority which we can infer was because he was male because of the contrasts of males and females in this music video. This coincides with Freidan’s view that the media is a male dominated institution and thus they are in power. In addition to this the mise-en-cence costume code, also emphasises the representation of women as objects which is regularly encountered throughout music videos, of which mulvey would convey is because the media is actually created for a male audience, thus explaining the revealing nature of the clothes the women are wearing in this shot. So we can see here that the costume code is a key signifer that women within the media are viewed upon in a phallus and male gazing way. This is further contrasting with the costume code displayed by ne-yo himself of whom models a ‘dapper’ looking suit of which does not reveal any skin and keeps him looking respectful and authoritive as well as important and smart. For this reason we can infer that the fact that his costume code differs so dramatically and he is evidently not being viewed upon as an object due to his covering clothing, in comparison to the women who wear hardly any clothing and thus as more likely to be seen as objects. This therefore questions the position of women within the media, inferring they are less powerful and subordinate to men. Furthermore ne-yos costume code also emphasises his power because his suited attire is one of which we usually associate with people of authority and power such as businessmen/women, teachers, MPs, managers, socially authoritative members etc.. So therefore this again strongly emphasises the view that ne-yo is in power and almost has power over these women portraying a patrichal nature of this particular music video. This therefore conforms to the media’s representation of women as inferior and less powerful in comparison to men. Furthermore the fact that there are actually 3women in this one shot, suggests that women have less independence and power than men, for example ne-yo is on his own on the podium in his shot whereas these girls are grouped together demonstrating a female reliance and so conforming to the view of traditional women whom are not independent like men.

This head on shot is a powerful shot in heightening the superiority levels of ne-yo as the only man in this music video. In this shot we see a catwalk in the centre third of the shot. In the front of the catwalk we have ne-yo and at the back we have a row of many women. This in itself is a key signifier that ne-yo is in power and is in control of this whole entire row of women. This deep focus shot shows ne-yo as prominent in the shot, as we see him clearly standing In front of the row of women of whom are blurred at the back indicating that they are less important and insignificant. Thus we can support the view that women within the media are presented as inferior to men and almost their property. In addition this shot makes ne-yo appear more masculine and powerful as one could presume that all these women are “his women” or property further emphasising females inferiority and lack of independence as females on their own. Thus this deep focus shot conforms to typical medias view of women. In addition to this the high key lighting from the sun is almost like a spotlight highlighting ne-yo, whereas the women at the back are more deprived from light- this too spotlights and highlights ne-yo making him appear much more powerful in the shot, of which Friedan would suggests is transferred into society with women actually living out their inferior role in society with men centre of frame and picture. This is the case for other music videos too, for example Jenifer Hudson ‘spotlight’ portrays a similar message of this and thus we can suggest that this is the case for women in the medias and not just this music video. Furthermore the eye line match suggests that ne-yo is addressing us when singing which with the women in the background makes us think that he is presenting these women to us, almost showing of his property which we can therefore infer suggests the message that men see women as their property and enjoy showing their property of to an audience as ne-yo is doing here.

This eye line medium close up shot is very supportive of mulelveys make gaze theory, as we can clearly see ne-yo in the shot looking rather impressed and satisfied with what he is seeing. This is clarified by his demonstrating of wearing his sunglasses of which have a reflective surface. This reflective surface allows the audience to vaguely see the women that are also present within the music video through his glasses. This is extremely powerful in portraying mulveys theory that the medias for the enjoyment and viewing of men and thus we see things through their eyes explaining why women are presented the way they are e.g. limited clothing, as some men would enjoy viewing this. So the fact that the audience can see the women through ne-yo’s glasses enables us to decode and infer that we are viewing the media through a male point of view and male eyes, thus supporting mulveys view that the media is simply for the viewing enjoyment of men. So we are his eyes viewing these women in his point of view ‘the male gaze’ which could be reflective of the media altogether. In addition the medium close up shot allows us to analyse ne-yos facial expressions when seeing the women, of which we can see contentment and satisfaction which concludes that ne-yo is viewing these women collectively as objects of sexual and ascetic pleasure rather than on an emotional, personality basis.

This head on, medium close up shot is one of which supports the view that women are presented as objects and the view that the media is made and established for a male audience- the male gaze theory (mulvey). The fact that she is walking down a catwalk, enables the audience to infer that she is on show and being admired or watched, this then combined with shots such as ne-yo’s glasses suggests that it is a male audience watching her. In addition her mise-en-cence costume code is also very releaving showing off parts of her body in a sexualised manner e.g. her legs and chest. This further suggests that she is showing of her body in a sexualised manner in order to attract a male audience. This supported by a long row of women behind further allows the audience to infer that ne-yo has control of all these women and thus increases his superiority because of his gender as a male verses female inferiority. There is also a suggestion of competition between all the women, of whom seem to be showing themselves of sexually in attempt to attract a male audience and thus we can further support the view that the reason these women are behaving in the way they are is to attract a male dominated media (Friedan) viewing and also suggests tahty a way to get noticed and become established in the media industry is to appeal to a primarily male target audience.

This medium close up shot is very striking in demonstrating comparisons between the men and women in the shot and thus portraying the position of men and women in the media as a whole institution. Both the body language and positioning and the mise-en-cence costume code is powerful in drawing differences between the position of men and women in this shot. The costume code, shows the two women wearing very limited revealing clothing e.g. leotards of which expose the majority of their legs etc., and brightly coloured and patterned jackets- this too makes the women stand out and attention is drawn to them, suggesting that they are on show to a male audience as attention is drawn to their brightly coloured and revealing costume code. This is contradicted by ne-yos costume code of which shows him wearing formal very covered up clothing e.g. a whole suit with a blazer of which means that the audience cant see any of his body parts, furthermore his suit is black which means he is shown as mysterious, maybe even dangerous and limited attention is drawn to him, which suggests with support of the brightly patterned/coloured costume code of the women that indeed the media is in the view of males of whom have pleasure of viewing women, thus the women are presented to stand out and ne-yo is shown as less important, more covered up, less vibrant. If we compare the costume code of the men and the women we can see that the women have to present themselves in a sexualised manner in order to get attention and be shown in the media, by comparison the men are presented with more self-respect and do not have to reveal intimate body parts etc. in order to be prominent within the media.in addition to the costume code this shot conforms to typical male characteristics/ stereotypes for example in this shot we see both women nestling into ne-yo,with his arms around them as if he is protecting them. This conforms to male stereotypes of bravery, protection, courage, breadwinner, family man etc. as we see him looking after and caring for the women. This action then too supports typical female representations and stereotypes for example seeing women as over emotional and in need of protection from males, suggesting women are incapable without men.

DECONSTRUCTION OF WOMEN IN ‘BAD BLOOD’

This is one of the first shots in Taylor swift’s music video of ‘bad blood’. This shot subverts from the media’s typical representation of women. In this medium close up shot we are witness to Taylor and some other women beating up and attacking large groups of men. This is inevitably shocking, as we saw from ne-yo’smusic video we are used to seeing women portrayed as innocent, vulnerable and in need of male protection, however in this shot we see a change in positions with women being in power and in control of the men they are attacking, thus we see men in a state of vulnerability, defenceless and weakness. For this reason this shot is challenging the typical presentation of women and suggesting that the roles between men and women are indeed changing, and thus for this reason we could suggest that Taylor swift and the other women in this video are examples of postmodern women, of whom choice the way they are presented and are in more equal footings in both society and the media today. In Freidan's view this increasing equality in the media between men and women could be the reason why society is seeing more equality between men and women, as Freidan suggests women often act out what they see in the media in their everyday lives, thus we could infer that the media is a powerful institution in bringing about social equality and change. However in this shot some elements could actually conform to the media’s typical representation of women, for example the mise-ence-cence costume code demonstrated by Taylor sees her still in limited clothing, a nude almost transparent top with a tight black skirt. This sexualised feminine representation is similar to most representations of women in music videos as we saw in ne-yos coming with you, and supports mulveys view of women being in the media for the visual enjoyment of men only- the media is indeed constructed around a male point of view- the male gaze. This is contrasted with the male costume code, as the males in this shot although portrayed on a vulnerable manner, for example they are shown being attacked by females while they are blindfolded suggesting they are very much in the dark and have no grasp of what is going on, they are still portraying smart suits with no skin on show and thus are portrayed in a self respecting way.

This spilt screen editing is powerful in demonstrating a postmodernist theme of equality between men and women in this music video, for example not only is there limited numbers of men compared to a majority of females, but furthermore the split screen unites the two suggesting that they are one person and both have superiority of the lyrics, and thus are both in control, as we place them in the same category. This is not the case for many music videos, such as ne-yo coming with you as we saw a number of low angle shots were used to put women in a position of inferiority, and thus we could suggest that this music videos subverts from the media’s stereotypical view of women, and also subverts from mulvey’s male gaze theory as we are seeing women in a position of equality to men. The split screen editing also is at an eye line match, this further emphasises a theme of equality as we presume that we are on the same level as the characters in the shot, whether we be male or female and thus are equal to them. On the other hand the background of the two halves of the screen show very different backgrounds- on one hand we see Taylor with a simple white background of which could portray an elelemnet of innocence and purity, as well as weakness and emotion- which is often the case and representations of females in music video’s, this is too contrasted with the man’s half of which shows background industry, such as buildings, lights etc.. Which makes us presume he is of greater occupation and authority and lives a more luxiourous light and thus is more important, therefore in some ways although the split screen shows equality and unity of both the male and female, we could also suggest that its purpose is to portray a comparison between the two characters, and thus showing differences of lifestyles between men and women conforming to the view that women are viewed as innocent and emotional with men having authority and being viewed as a ‘pimp’.

This shot is quite different to the others in this shot as it is very confirmative to Laura mulvey’s male gaze. This close up shot, focuses primarily on ‘Taylors’ breasts stomach and pelvis, three body parts of which are greatly associated with sexual behaviour and intimacy. Thus we can draw links between this shot, suggesting it conforms to Laura mulveys male gaze theory as the sexualised, intimacy of this shot would undoubtley appeal to a male audience, suggesting the media is indeed for the viewing pleasure of men. The fact that we don't see Taylor's whole face, further downgrades her respect and humanity as rather than seeing her as a whole person, we are just witness to intimate body parts thus suggesting she is an object or subject of viewing pleasure rather than an independent female. In this way, we could suggest Taylor is downgraded, however although possibly lacking self respect instead of seeing her in a traditional role, we could infer that she is indeed a postmodernist women as because it is her own music video, we can suggest that she is choosing to be presented in a sexualised manner, of which highlights her intimate body parts, possibly because she has pride of her body and tone. This is supported by shots of her and males, such as the split screen editing we saw in the last shot I analysed, we can further suggest she is a postmodernist women as she has a mix of both equality shots, where we see her as more masculine and respected, similar to the representation of men, and shots where she is sexualised and portrayed in an intimate sexualised manner. Thus her combination of both representations shows that regardless of the fact that some of her shots show her in a position of intimacy and a sexualised manner, and others show her in equal power to men she is choosing to be presented ion this way and thus is a postmodernist women which choice and power over her representation and behaviour. For this reason we could argue that in some ways this shot actually challenges or subverts from mulveus male gaze theory as she is shown as having authority and power to make decisions about her own body and how the audience view her in different arrays of shot's and thus she is simply not an object of male viewing and enjoyment as mulvey would suggest. On the other hand her white costume code (mise-en-cence) could suggest that she is portrayed in a manner of innocence and purity and thus we can draw links between this and a state of vulnerability which is a traditional women representation of women within the media thus supporting fridanss feminine mystique’ view that t5heeemedia is male dominated and thus males within the media have power over females.

This shot is a powerful shot in showing women in a more masculine, authoritative position. This medium close upshot, shows a powerful women, of whom authority and power is emphasised through her black costume code, with black being a colour of danger, enigma and power and, and her misenence makeup and hair code. For example her makeup shows dark, black tinted eye shadow which is often associated with ‘dark deeds’ and often draws links with male behaviour e.g. ‘men in black’ etc.. Furthermore her lipstick, of which is an item of make-up which is often seen as very pretty, feminine and lady like, is challenged by the use of black cherry coloured lipstick, coexisting with the dark black themes of colour and costume further enhancing her masculinity. Thus we can suggest this shot challenges or subverts from the stereotypical representations of women within the media because instead of being sexualised and in the lime light for the male enjoyment of men, this shot dhows the women being portrayed as masculine and thus having more aggression and power. This aggression is emphasised through the hair style demonstrated, for example she wears her hair out curly, of which looks very naturalistic and can also challenge the stereotypical view of women's hair being long, straight luxurious and smooth and silky and for this reason again this shot is challenging the stereotypical representation of women both in the media and in society. Her behaviour being portrayed also conforms to this theme of aggression and power, for example we see that her hand has actually dented the wall of which is made to look as though its material make up is iron, of which is commonly known as very tough and sturdy and thus we are shocked at the fact that this women, can actually dent a whole in this wall, for which is a protective structure not made to be broken. For this reason we associate this women with holding qualities of men, such as physical strength and muscle power to actually be able to make a dent in this wall and a sense of not feeling pain, for example her hand is not protected and thus we see her as a ‘superhero’ character which could fit with prop's narrative theory of character classification, and also challenge the stereotypical portrayal of women with this women posing skills of muscular strength and bravery and ascetically and visually conforming o a more masculine representation through her costume code, make-up and hair. In addition the mise-en-cence of lighting shows low key lighting further emphasising her dangerous nature of which can make the audience feel fear towards her, of which fear Is quite often related and associated with male characters in many media platforms and texts. The typography used in this shot, is also bold, boxy letters in a metallic colour, with the entire word slightly slanted. This makes the audience feel uneasy and supports the shot of the women as being fierce and dangerous and thus further portrays her with masculine qualities. Furthermore the coinciding link between the words almost appearing from the dent in the wall suggests too that she is dangerous and brave, with more masculine qualities and thus we can say this shot or possibly music video as a whole challenges the typical representation of women within the media and is not supportive of many feminine theories such as Laura mulvey and Freidan.

This entire music video is brimming with powerful women of whom are currently established and well known within the media industry and the media as an institution. For example in the first shot we see well known singer songwriter ‘ellie Golding’ of whom is confirmative of aa similar genre to Taylor swift and so many of the teenage girls whom watch this video will too be familiar with ellie Golding and thus we can suggest that this use of familiar celebrities experts an important influence of young girls and consumers, of whom are the target audience, as they will witness these women of whom they admire posing a powerful position in both this music video and thus in society as a whole and they will themselves aspire to be a powerful, authoritive independent women, of whom does not need male influence to gain power. The costume code in this shot is very supportive of this for example the again black clothing and dark eye shadow and make-up gives off a more masculine feel. Furthermore the props used for example the large weapon she is holding suggests that she is fierce and manly as we often associate war, violence and weapons, with male traditional soldiers etc., and so this challenges a long ingrained image of women within society and the media. In addition in the background of this shot we see other women posing the same kind of representation and thus we see the power of women collaboratively, with no men present in the shot. The typography used in this shot is also very confirmative of this theme, for example harsh, blocked, capital, boxy letters used and slightly tilted. This all gives off a more masculine and macho effect which is being applied to the girls in the shot and thus we associate them with manly characteristics suggesting they are challenging the typical representation of women within the media and society.

The next shot shows celebrity model and actress ‘cara Delavigne a very well known public icon of which many young teens aspire to, thus she is bound to draw attention to the music video as the particular target audience for this genre of music in, my opinion, would be young teen girls. The use of the deep focus shot is effective in allowing the audience to decode that the two women in the sho0t are in power, as the background around them blurred, suggesting its irrelevance. In addition the hair and makeup code is effective in making both girls appear more macho and aggressive, for example the half pulled back hair looks as though one side of their hair is shaved. This hairstyle very edgy and far from feminine. In addition assoisications in wider society with a half shaven head on females, often refers back to butch women and thus this concept could be transferred to the representation of women in this particular shot. However there are still elements in this shot that actually conform to the typical representation for women, rather than subverting from it. For example, both women are demonstrating ‘bralets’ crop tops. These emphasise their bust area and thus would suggestively appeal to a male audience, supporting mulveys view that the media is present for the male viewing pleasure. On the other hand, this sexualised representation could be representive of a postmodernist women, with both choosing to present themselves in a sexualised, revealing way, rather than being expected of them. For example on Taylor's bralet,t ere are studded spikes, which of course is more masculine and aggressive looking, but in addition to this, it is suggestive in almost restricting men from looking or being interested in her bust, for example spikes are usually there to restrict entry. For this reason it further emphasises her postmodernist women representation because we see her as choosing to look ‘sexy’ however forbidding men to use this representation as an invitation to touch or enjoy this representation, suggesting's eh ahs choice over her body and its representation.

The final shot, shows actress Jessica alba, another well-known public icon. This shot is similar to the others in portraying women in a challenging way to the typical media's representation, for example in this hot, we see both women come off motorbikes, an activity and mode of transport of which has been and still is primarily associated with men. In addition this shot is a medium close up, deep focus shot, both these elements suggest that the women in the shot are much more important than the blurred out surroundings and thus we infer that women are more important. The lack of men within all these shots further suggests that they are of very little significance and woman are more than capable of looking after themselves.

COMPARISONS BETWEEN COMING WITH YOU AND BAD

BLOOD:

In these two shots we can identify many differences between the way men and women are positioned as a means of demonstrating their authority, for example in Taylor swift bad blood the split screen editing shows both them in the shot as equal because they both share the same amount of the frame, half each, and their faces are meant to be seen as merging as one. This mergence therefore suggests that even though they have differing gender’s their both in equal footings and positioning in both this video and society too. This is contradicted by neyo’s coming with you shot where we see him standing quite far in front of a row of women of which we can infer for this reason he is in charge of because they are in the background suggesting their insignifance compared to him, furthermore because he stands in front of them we can infer that he has power over them, demonstrating a common theme of gender inequality present too within society.

The costume code demonstrated in both music videos is very contradictory to each other. For example in Taylor swift's bad blood shot we see her demonstrating a roll neck white top. This suggests that she is not revealing any of her body parrts and has self respect and dignity. For this reason it challenges the typical stereotype of women within the media, of which feminists such as muley would suggest shows women in revealing manners for the viewing pleasure of men. His is contradicted by ne-yo’s shot of which the women are shown wearing very little clothing of which reveals many intimate parts of their body. Thus this supports mulveys’s male gaze theory and also emphasises their need to be viewed in a sexualised nature in order to gain approval and significance within the media. Thus we can draw many differences between the two representations of females through the demonstrated costume code, of which both costume codes are representative of the genre and message protrayued within their videos.

Here I have chosen two shots from both Taylor swift and ne-yo’s music videos of which I feel are very powerful in demonstrating representations of women within the media. I have then drawn comparisons between the two so that I can analyse whether all music videos portray gender’s in the same way and representation.