Lights! Camera! Queue the music! Action! A woman is dressed in all white. Her hair is blowing in the wind while she rides on the back of a majestic black stallion. The horse rears up onto its hind legs in front of a beautiful sunset. This is the first glimpse into Beyoncé's music video "Run the World (Girls)". It is made very clear early in the video that Beyoncé's focus of the video is to promote feminism and female empowerment, but ultimately Beyoncé fails at this. Instead, she reinforces the very ideas feminism is attempting to combat; these include that you must be sexy in order to be empowering woman, that women are sexual objects, and that females must be submissive to males.
What truly makes a woman empowered? This is often quite a
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Although the sexualization of women in not uncommon in most contemporary music videos, it does not make it right nor excusable. In "Run the World (Girls)" Beyoncé claims in her lyrics that a women's power lies in her ability to persuade a man. "My persuasion can build a nation, in this hour, our love we can devour, you'll do anything for me". Beyoncé's lyrical claim can definitely be argued for in a way that promotes feminism, but Beyoncé's major flaw is found in the way she pursues and illustrates this claim. This lyrical phrase makes up the bridge component of the song and like all good bridges is a very pivotal point in both the song and music video. The forward pushing rhythm that is prominent for the majority of the song dramatically changes. The song and music video develop into an overall slowed down and almost euphoric tone. As Beyoncé sings the bridge, her body language changes dramatically. She goes from handling hyenas by chains and commanding an army, to twirling her hair and licking her finger in a very seductive manner. What Beyoncé ultimately ends up conveying to the viewer is that the persuasion she is referring to is purely through the means of seduction and sexualization. We see another example of this same means of persuasion at around 1:40 seconds. Beyoncé uses her over sexualized body as a means of alluring a man into allowing her to take something, which looks to be a wallet, out of his jacket pocket. This illustration not only reiterates the idea that you must be sexy to be empowered, but also promotes the idea that the only way a woman can persuade a man is through lust. I find this to contravene the very ideas surrounding feminism and female empowerment as well as communicates a destructive message to women of all
According to Brenda Allen in the chapter “Power Matters,” she mentions that there dominant ideologies of identity that “reflect perspectives and experiences of ruling groups, whose members construct and circulate beliefs that will most benefit them.” We live in a country where there are dominant ideologies of organizational hierarchy, which “arranges job positions in a stratified structure, with power flowing from the top down.” This exemplifies the ideology of domination, which is a belief system in America that the “superior should rule over the inferior” (32). This ideology is so embedded into our system that most people believe it is natural. The American society we live in values patriarchy, white supremacy, heteronormativity, and a specific culture of wealth and poverty; any identity that falls outside of these dominant ideologies is marginalized and placed in the lower strata of social power.
Women in America have been described as “domestic household slaves” referring to their status in society. Do the documents support this assertion? If so what is the evidence?
As Elie Wiesel once stated, “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented” (“Elie Wiesel Quote”). Michelle Alexander’s book The New Jim Crow, which discusses criminal justice and its role in mass incarceration, promotes a similar idea regarding silence when America’s racial caste system needs to be ended; however, Alexander promotes times when silence would actually be better for “the tormented.” The role of silence and lack of silence in the criminal justice system both contribute to wrongly accused individuals and growing populations behind bars.
The contentious little book titled Women, Power, Politics maintains politics to be devalued, acknowledging the fact that only few people do vote, and women are unable to achieve within the realm of Canadian politics. Sylvia Bashevkin, the author of the book argues that Canadians have a profound unease with women in positions of political authority, what she calls the "women plus power equals discomfort" equation. She evaluates a range of barriers faced by women who enter politics, including the media's biased role of representing the private lives of women in politics, and she wonders why citizens find politics is underrepresented in Canada compared to Belgium. In clear, accessible terms, Bashevkin explains her ideas on how to eliminate “low voters turn-out,” “devaluation of politics,” "gender schemas," and "media framing.” She outlines some compelling solutions to address the stalemate facing women in Canadian politics which are; contesting media portrayals, changing the rule of the game, improving legislative quotas, electoral reform, movement renewals, and so on. This response paper would addresses the reality of a political mainstream, actions which should be taken against the oppressive elements of reality, and the awareness it brings through economic, social, and political environment.
and make fun of black elders. And would talk to them any kind of way.
For years, females have used their sexuality for empowerment. In the fairy tale “The company of Wolves” by Angela Carter uses her sexuality to keep her alive. Then in the story “Yellow Woman” by Leslie Silko her sexuality is her excuse for disappearing. Both story talks about sexuality, but how they empower the situation is different. Which story shows sexuality for empowerment better?
Most generations have been influenced by a trend of music that inspires them to dress, behave, and talk in a certain way. There are people who have the special talent of making others relate to their emotions, thoughts, or ideas by creating music. In current society most artists decide to create videos to make their lyrics visual for their listeners and to earn more profit. The negative thing about the creation of music videos is the way in which females are stereotyped. In a lot of music videos, especially hip-hop/rap, females are portrayed in a negative way, which causes a harmful influence on the people who view them.
Today, women are not typically seen in higher levels of position in the work force than men. In Anne-Marie Slaughter’s article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All”, she uses her own experience to convey why it is not possible for a woman to work in a higher position, due to women being more emotional than men. People still believe it’s a women’s place to stay at home to cook, clean and take care of the children, while the men go to work to pay the bills. And it’s considered odd if the man is a stay at home father and the woman is working 24/7 and is never home. Even though it is rewarding to be able to always be there to see your child’s milestones in their life. It is always nice to get away from that life for even a moment. I don’t mean going out with the girls or guys, while you hire a babysitter, but helping your husband or wife pay the bills, so you have two rather than one income coming in at the end of the month. In Richard Dorment’s article, “Why Men Still Can’t Have It All” he states that both men and women can’t have it all. I agree with both Slaughter and Dorment, but not entirely. I believe if you want to be a good
Feminism is a word that is stock-full of implications, and has many misconceptions. Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti attempts to give a broad overview of what feminism is, and how you should feel about it (hint: it’s positively). The book is directed primarily towards the younger generation, and talks about a variety of issues relevant to the feminist movement today and in history. The weaknesses of the book include the casual writing, the assumptions Valenti makes, and the contradictory statements that are consistently made. The strengths include providing an entertaining, broad overview of feminism, and discussing ways to contribute to gender equality. Overall, the book is more likely to be a positive experience for high-schoolers that identify as women then college-aged individuals looking for a critical analysis of issues society faces in regards to gender inequality.
Gender socialization is being reinforced for the music video showcases children being subjected to gender roles where the female is set to serve the male. Gender roles are being imposed onto the kids reinforcing the stereotype/norm that females primarily focus is to serve their partner, they fortify the breadwinner-house maker model where the stay at home mother is providing for the family through her house work while the male provides the finances of the household. The music video reinforces masculinity stereotypes, for she dismisses the suiters that do not showcase typical masculine behavior such as being strong, since she dismisses the male that cannot win her a prize at the carnival with his brute strength. White heterosexual hero stereotypes are being reinforced in the music video, since at the end of the she is saved from the torment that is dating by a heterosexual male. Gender roles are being challenges since the main character of the whole video is a women who is being presented to be superior to her male backup dancers, since they carry her around and listen to her instructions showcasing her as a worthy individual. She is also presented as a competent individual who is a rational decision maker defying hegemonic masculinity in that the hierarchy is being redefined and showcasing women as having equal power to men in the process of choosing a
Madonna is a controversial legend whose attitudes and opinions on sexuality have forced the public to take notice and change the image of females in society. Madonna believed women’s sexuality was a natural aspect of life; therefore, she dared to challenge the rules and definitions of femininity and sought to expand the meaning of it. In a male dominated world, she wanted to focus on the importance of women and let them have a voice of their own. Madonna shattered all the myths on traditional beauty standards and made her statement on sexuality and feminism, which changed how society viewed the standards of beauty. She impacted female power by encouraging sex- positivity into her music and her style. It is mainly because of Madonna that ordinary women, and women in modern entertainment have more choices and freedom which continues to influence further generations.
It has been played in many other countries and is listed in many major hit charts in those countries. It became one of her best-selling singles. Beyoncé has been singing about women’s independence since she was in the hit group “Destiny’s Child”. Many of her songs support women’s lifestyle and keep cheering up girls with her powerful and expressive vocals (Armstrong). In addition to her songs and lyrics, her beautiful appearance fascinates many female audiences and influences from teenagers to grown-ups as if she was a role model. A negative side of the video is that the video gives the impression that men are always to be blamed and women are always “victims” of the relationships, which is not
Alice Walker's use of characterization in her novel The Color Purple depicts her main theme of female empowerment and the importance of maintaining an assertive voice. The tyrannical male characters, the victimized female characters, and the development of the protagonist, Celie, express Walker's firm views of female independence in a male dominated society. Her feminist views have been influenced by her experiences with discrimination as an African-American woman as well as her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. These experiences serve as an inspiration for developing the character Celie, a young black woman discovering her own sense of self while battling a male dependent environment. The progression of civil rights for black women that existed throughout the twentieth century mirrors the development Celie makes from a verbally debilitated girl to an adamant young woman. The expression of racism and sexism that evidenced itself during the postmodern era presented Walker with an opportunity to compose a novel that reveals her strong animosity toward discrimination. Without these outlets, Walker would not have had the ability to create a novel with such in-depth insights into the lifestyle of an immensely oppressed woman.
In today’s society, dancehall music is one of the most popular forms of music, however, the themes and lyrics of many songs that fall in this genre tend to be vulgar, offensive, violent and sexist. Sexism in dancehall music is one of the main topics of this paper and is apparent through the negative portrayal of women found in both the lyrics and music videos of such songs. This is an important issue because since dancehall music is so popularized today these negative representation of women, are being popularized to a huge majority of people, potentially giving them the idea that it is acceptable to treat women in such demeaning ways.
Being a musician and a song writer may not be easy as we simply see from afar. It is actually extremely difficult to figure out which one is more intricate, being lyricist or being a vocalist. However Michael Jackson was proficient in both; Writing the song and singing it. He was renowned by "the king of Pop" because most of his songs acquired many prizes. Thus, he was one of the most influential men in this world. He was phenomenal lyricist despite the fact that his life was brimming with disputable diminishes. In any case his works were sufficiently agreeable to make individuals cherished him and loved him. In fact, some people do not know how his personality was, but his songs were exceptionally inspiring and touching.