Video Vixens

1678 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays on media body image influence on females

As music becomes more and more popular, access to music and music videos continues to rise. Young women are constantly sexualized and degraded within the music world. African American women are especially being negatively portrayed and sexually exploited within music videos in the hip-hop culture. In particular college aged women within the same group. The drive for these artists to make money has caused them to utilize their opposite sex peers in a negative way to attract attention. These women feel the pressure to live up to the standards, size and look wise, portrayed in these hip hop music videos. These standards include being of a certain complexion which is usually a lighter one and a certain body type which is usually a thinner one with emphasized assets such as buttocks and breasts. The women stars of music videos are often referred to as video vixens, which according to Merriam-webster.com a vixen is a sexually attractive woman. Expanding on the definition there is an article entitled, “Effects of Stereotypes on Sexual Decision Making among African American Women” which states; “These images, with their highly sexual undertones, may influence the way in which African American females view themselves as well as influence the way in which others value and interact with them” (Davis and Tucker-Brown 2013). Viewed as nothing more than video vixens on and off screen, young African American women are having difficulty with a healthy self-identity and engaging in healthy relationships with others.
Hip-hop music videos In understanding the detriment caused to African American women by hip hop videos, one would have to know what a hip hop music video consists of. Hip hop is the musical form of expression mostly used by African A...

... middle of paper ...

...Pan African Studies 5.9 (2013): 111. Academic OneFile. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
Henry, Wilma. “Black Female Millennial College Students: Dating Dilemma and Identity Development.” Multicultural Education 16.2 (208):17. Academic OneFile. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
Jackson, Andrea, and Nicole M. West and Henry Wilma. “Hip-Hop’s Influence on the Identity Development of Black Female College Students: A Literature Review.” Journal of College Student Development 51.3 (2010): 237-251. Project MUSE. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
Sharpley-Whiting, T. Denean. Pimps up, Ho's Down: Hip Hop's Hold on Young Black Women.
New York, NY, USA: New York University Press (2007). Print. 6 Dec. @013
Wallert, Kerry and Roger Wessel. “Student Perceptions of the Hip Hop Culture’s Influence on the Undergraduate Experience.” Journal of College Student Development 52.2 (2011): 167-179. Project MUSE. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • Homophobia, Violence And Sexism In Tricia Rose's Hip Hop War

    1998 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hip hop is a form of art that African Americans have been using to get away from oppressions in their lives and allowed their voices to be heard in some type of way. As soon as big corporations seen the attention hip hop brought to the scene, they wanted to capitalize on it. These corporations picked specific types of attributes that some hip hop artists had and allowed it to flourish. The attributes that these artists carried were hypermasculinity, homophobia, violence and sexism. In the book, Hip Hop Wars by Tricia Rose discusses some of these specific attributes. One of the most damaging attribute is when hip hop is used to sexualize and demean everything about being a woman. Tricia Rose writes about this issue in chapter 5 of her book

    Read More

  • Black Women’s Role in Popular Culture: An Analysis of The Venus Hip Hop and the Pink Ghetto

    1165 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hip hop music videos present two-dimensional women that have unrealistic body proportions. Perry states that the women in these music videos are lighter-skinned with “long and straight or loosely curled hair” and have “a ...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Objectification Of Women In Hip Hop Culture

    1128 Words  | 3 Pages

    The article discusses the fact that hip hop “provides a lens [through which white students and faculty at institutions] interpret Black culture” and that because of this not only is the Black female’s view of herself being manipulated, but black males expect what is being promoted by hip hop culture from them, and so does every other person (Henry, West, & Jackson 238). A professor at North Carolina Central University spoke about how he dislikes how hip-hop has influenced the way his students dress, he said “ They look like hoochie mamas, not like they’re coming to class” (as cited in Evelyn

    Read More

  • Masculinity In Hip Hop Culture

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    In black media today the hip hop culture is often referred to when defining what it means to be a black person in society. In particular the

    Read More

  • Jezebel Stereotype

    1887 Words  | 4 Pages

    The healthy relationships portrayed in the media are few and far between, which leaves Black women to make choices based on the options they have and perceive. For that reason, it is not complicated to understand why Black women are the least likely to marry in the environment of the over-sexed woman and a pimp. The portrayal of Black women as lascivious by nature is an enduring stereotype. To understand more fully the media’s role in shaping the culture of African-American experience, one must first examine the stereotypes projected by TV stations like, BET, MTV, and VH1. The songs and music videos created by such hip-hop artists as 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg have built ...

    Read More

  • Racial Stereotypes Associated With Rap and Hip Hop Music

    682 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...atching MTV music shows or any music channel on television. As we continue to watch these programs, we will then notice that almost all the rap and hip-hop artists being shown are African-Americans. It is the particular lifestyle, and behaviour that is connected to what particular artists chose to vocalize about. This usually can harm the image of African-Americans due to the fact that many artists aid in the misconceptions of their particular race such as the example provided with 50 Cent’s song entitled P.I.M.P. These lyrics and song titles simply reinforce the negative image some individuals may have of both Caucasian’s and people of colour. Rap and hip-hop is one of the most intimate, personal, legitimate and important art form. Instead of perpetuating injustice, and prejudice artists should be addressing these different issues in a different matter.

    Read More

  • African American Femininity: Two sides of a coin

    1577 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...nd attractive. It creates a double consciousness that is difficult to reconcile. Carla Williams argues that “given the legacy of images created of black women… it is an especially complex task for contemporary black women to define their own image, one that necessarily both incorporates and subverts the stereotypes, myths, facts and fantasies that have preceded them. (Wallace-Sanders et.al, 196) The root of the problem lies within our society. While very culpable, mainstream music and advertisements are not the only promoters of female objectification; the key is unwinding the inner tensions between these two groups. There is a need for the promotion of female solidarity, regardless of their skin color. We need to rid society of the evil of racism—only then will conceptions surrounding African Americans parallel and be as positive as those surrounding white women.

    Read More

  • Hip Hop: History And Elements

    1241 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hip hop is both a culture and a lifestyle. As a musical genre it is characterized by its hard hitting beats and rhythms and expressive spoken word lyrics that address topics ranging from economic disparity and inequality, to gun violence and gang affiliated activity. Though the genre emerged with greater popularity in the 1970’s, the musical elements involved and utilized have been around for many years. In this paper, we will cover the history and

    Read More

  • Hip-Hop as a Cultural Movement

    1580 Words  | 4 Pages

    The longevity of Hip-Hop as a cultural movement can most directly be attributed to its humble roots. For multiple generations of young people, Hip-Hop has directly reflected the political, economic, and social realities of their lives. Widely regarded as the “father” of the Hip-Hop, Afrika Bambaataa named the cultural movement and defined its four fundamental elements, which consisted of disc jockeying, break dancing, graffiti art, and rapping. Dating back to its establishment Hip-Hop has always been a cultural movement. Defined by far more then just a style of music, Hip-Hop influences fashion, vernacular, philosophy, and the aesthetic sensibility of a large portion of the youth population (Homolka 2010).

    Read More

  • Hip Hop as an Industry

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    All of the articles dealt with hip hop as an industry and how that industry is portrayed to African Americans through the commercialization of hip hop and stereotypes in society. The articles also discuss how that portrayal influences the opinions of African Americans to others and themselves.

    Read More

  • The History of Hip Hop Music and Its Transition to Popular Music

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, these theorists who explore hip hop all have generalized ideas of what hip hop represents. Johnson is more oriented towards the female side of hip hop, whereas Jeffries is focused on the unity side of what it offers and Smitherman thinks that it is a black CNN. Although each scholar focuses on different aspects of hip hop, it is evident to point out that all these aspects correlate with one another. Hip hop is a cultural tool formed out of a need to take a stance on the issues that relate to the black community. And that it’s a voice to relate and unite people who share the same struggles on which to advocate change.

    Read More

  • Hip Hop's Effect on American Culture

    3349 Words  | 7 Pages

    Hip hop has permeated popular culture in an unprecedented fashion. Because of its crossover appeal, it is a great unifier of diverse populations. Although created by black youth on the streets, hip hop's influence has become well received by a number of different races in this country. A large number of the rap and hip hop audience is non-black. It has gone from the fringes, to the suburbs, and into the corporate boardrooms. Because it has become the fastest growing music genre in the U.S., companies and corporate giants have used its appeal to capitalize on it. Although critics of rap music and hip hop seem to be fixated on the messages of sex, violence, and harsh language, this genre offers a new paradigm of what can be (Lewis, 1998.) The potential of this art form to mend ethnic relations is substantial. Hip hop has challenged the system in ways that have unified individuals across a rich ethnic spectrum. This art form was once considered a fad has kept going strong for more than three decades. Generations consisting of Blacks, Whites, Latinos, and Asians have grown up immersed in hip-hop. Hip hop represents a realignment of America?s cultural aesthetics. Rap songs deliver a message, again and again, to keep it real. It has influenced young people of all races to search for excitement, artistic fulfillment, and a sense of identity by exploring the black underclass (Foreman, 2002). Though it is music, many people do not realize that it is much more than that. Hip hop is a form of art and culture, style, and language, and extension of commerce, and for many, a natural means of living. The purpose of this paper is to examine hip hop and its effect on American culture. Different aspects of hip hop will also be examined to shed some light that helps readers to what hip hop actually is. In order to see hip hop as a cultural influence we need to take a look at its history.

    Read More

  • Negative Effects Of Racial Discrimination

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    Loyd and Williams (2016) define ethnic-racial identity as a “multidimensional psychological construct that represents the aspect of a person's overall identity that is associated with race or ethnicity.” These facets of racial identity develop and consolidate when a person continuously explores and associates with a specific racial group (Loyd & Williams, 2016). The more positive people feel about membership of a specific group, the stronger their racial identity will be. Neville and Cross (2017) conceptualize Black racial identity through the emphasis of being cognizant and conscious of what it means to be Black mentally, politically and socially. Sellers and Colleagues (1998) define racial identity as the importance and specific meaning one attaches to their racial group. They consider both the historical and cultural background associated with African Americans when examining their group membership. They primarily focus on the status of one's racial identity as opposed to the process of the formation of it. Sellers and Colleagues (1998) define racial identity in African Americans as “the significance and qualitative meaning that individuals attribute to their membership within the Black community.” Our current study uses Sellers and Colleagues (1998) definition of racial identity. There are four main dimensions of the MMRI: Racial Salience, Racial Centrality, Racial Regard and Racial Ideology

    Read More

  • Bad Influence of Hip Hop on Youth

    1022 Words  | 3 Pages

    How Hip-Hop Destroys the Potential of Black Youth. N.p., n.d.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Eight Stages Of Psychosocial Development

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main issue that children face during this stage is self-identification. Adolescents are making the transition to adulthood and trying to figure out exactly who they are. Children during this time, often experience an identity crisis as they explore many different beliefs and value systems in the search for self-identity (Woolfolk, 2013, p.102). Societal forces, such as race, sex and class, also play an important role in self-identification, especially in regards to African American youth. Erikson believed that the search for identity encompassed not only how an individual viewed him or herself but also how they were viewed by society (Brittian 2012). African Americans, between the ages of 12 and 18, grapple with the same issues all adolescents experience, such as physical changes and the desire for autonomy. However, African American adolescents also deal with racial prejudice and the role that it plays in shaping their self-perception. According to Brittian (2012), the way that African Americans handle issues of race, rather problematic or constructive, has a major impact on the formation of their self-identity. Identity is the focal point of the adolescence stage and when children can’t decide who they are or their place in society, they become hampered by an identity

    Read More

More about Video Vixens

Open Document