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Friday, March 29, 2019

Representation Of Women In Music Cultural Studies Essay

Representation Of Women In Music heathen Studies EssayIn 1969 when asked why there werent each other strong women in the music industry, Janis Joplin said its not feminine, maybe, to re every last(predicate)y get into music, kind of of float around on the top like most chick singers do. Maybe that is why right away, in the 10s there is a lack of intriguing pistillate artists who truly break d cause boundaries. The contemporary music industry offers very few independent, strong pistillate parting models who do more(prenominal) than simply sell sex to make people buy records.This investigation will focus on the representation of women in music, specifically in ruffian and underground music, from their breakthrough in the 70s to their lack of representation today in the 10s. The primary case studies will be various effeminate punk bands from the 70s to the 90s such as Xray Spex and Siouxsie and The Banshees, with Beth repeat as my contemporary focus. I will analyse music picture shows and song spoken communications, as well as their physical representations. I will examine theorists such as Ger chief(prenominal)e Greer, Naomi animate world and Laura Mulvey to assess how their work can be applied.As second-wave womens lib took break in the 60s, music turned into a political manifesto for womens liberationists, as effeminate singer-songwriters began to campaign for womens rights. Their music often dismantled myths held about women, and enabled women to incarnate their own self- do identity as opposed to that which community and agriculture allocated for them. Janis Joplin was largely unconcerned with the womens liberationist movement, but proceeded to represent a feminist symbol for women in a virile dominated rock culture, influencing generations of female musicians to come.Women were of significant importance to the punk culture of the late 1970s get down in mod York with performers like Patti Smith and Debbie elicit, punk rock give around the world and women in punk music became more gross. As punk music gave them an outlet for their edgy, political, anti-establishment lyrics, and non-adjustist, unconventional female personas, it became perfect for feminist musicians to have their comp cardinalnts heard.Women in punk music had to be strong to have a bun in the oven over against their male contemporaries. By the late 70s, punks peak in London, female-dominated bands like Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Slits and roentgenogram Spex were playing on the same bills as all-male bands like The Clash and the switch on Pistols. These bands gained public recognition not only because of their revolutionary music, but withal by challenging expectations of femininity.Widely considered the most influential woman in punk rock ever to walk the Earth Siouxsie Sioux said in 1974 I dont carry anything for any females, and I hate creation called the scoop female singer cause I think Im better than any male singer as well . These bands didnt want to be classed as a separate category from male musicians they just want to be classed as musicians. Siouxsie Sioux said it was a powerful time for women. Girls were finally picking up instruments and not just being a puppet held up by a man with strings in the background.Laura Mulvey is a feminist media novice who is best know for her seminal essay entitled Visual enjoyment and narrative cinema (Sight Sound 1975). In it she sites the media as o lance for male oppression and that women atomic number 18 seen merely as objects for male gratification. The camera, she argues, sees from the mannish gaze. Mulveys surmisal as well as states that the media satisfies and reinforces the masculine ego and represses the desire of women.The Siouxsie and The Banshees video halcyon House, goes against Laura Mulveys theory that images of women be displayed as sexual objects. In the first archeological site of this video Siouxsie looks fiercely into the camera, her look make up is dark and she has saucy red lips her signature look. She looks androgynous as she is wearing an oversized soft touch outfit with short spiky black hair. No skin is visible except for her face and hands. The camera follows Siouxsie around, demonstrate she is controlling the video, contradicting this quote from Laura Mulvey in their traditional exhibitionist role women ar simultaneously looked at and displayed. As the camera follows her, it is not in a voyeuristic way, she is simply the main focus of the video, and the camera angle remains level with her face throughout the video, showing she is dominant and confident. Despite being the only female seen, she appears more confident than the male members of the band, overshadowing them by controlling the video. Siouxsie is also shown playing instruments, displaying her as equal to the male musicians. This opposes Mulveys idea that men always dominate. Also, she continuously looks crisply at the camera, conveying sh e feels superior to the audience. Nothing in this video suggests Siouxsie is being portrayed as a sex symbol, in fact rather the opposite.Many of these women did not seem to care about being sexually alluring, this contrasts with Germaine Greers theory of there being a dominant image of femininity which rules our culture and to which all women aspire. It also disagrees with Naomi Wolfs argument that women in Western refining are damaged by the pressure to conform to an idealized conception of female beauty. On The Slits first album conceal they are picture topless, covered in mud, look dishevelled, not appearing to have made any effort at all to look good. Despite being topless, this cover is not shot through the male gaze as the women appear dominant and in control as opposed to passive. The women of these bands took their accurate personalities onstage, often involving wearing clothing that reflected their thoughts and attitudes.Siouxsie Sioux frequently performed wearing b lack leather and rubber bondage attire, as well as heavy eye make-up, making overt statements about her sexuality. When asked about her appearance, Siouxsie said image represents in a way, a kind of rejection of a stereotype, a blonde, dumb prettiness that was sought after by most singers, especially female, conveying that she dresses for her own pleasure and not others. Ari Up of The Slits, constructed an image that played on conventions of female sexuality by always sporting long dreadlocks, never exploitation make-up and often wearing underwear over her clothes.In New York, Patti Smith and Debbie Harry of Blondie expressed two very different takes on punk femininity Smith was a cross-dressing, androgynous woman, comfortable with blurring her gender, and Harry was a bleached-blonde former playboy bunny, still playing on the unimaginative conventions of female singers.Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex was a geeky teenr, overweight, and with large metal braces, known for wearing bright abrasive clashing colours onstage. Xray Spex dealt with various issues on their album Germfree Adolescents such as the environment and living in a consumer society where you have to live up to the expectations driven by advertising and consumerism. Even lead singer Poly Styrenes name reflected the fake and plasticness of the society they were living in. The song Plastic Bag reinforces her view as she sings my approximation is like a plastic bag that corresponds to all those ads it sucks up all the rubbish. Art-I-Ficial contains the lyric I know Im artificial but dont put the fiendish on me, I was reared with appliances in a consumer society. When I put on my make-up the pretty little mask not me thats the way a girl should be, this conveys Pollys feminist views and her opposition of societys expectations of women.This theme can also been seen in Xray Spexs most widely known song Oh Bondage Up Yours where Polly begins by saying softly in a childlike voice about people think littl e girls should be seen and not heard, but I think before exploding with a screech of Oh bondage, up yours, turning the girly voice into something more distasteful. This song is about the aversion at being ever scrutinized by mainstream society.After a lack of female punk bands in the 80s, splurge grrrl exploded in the early 90s. It originated from the punk movement, initiated by nonconforming female bands who aimed to stomp out sexism and inequality in receipt and unquestionable into an underground feminist movement in the early 1990s. It is often associated with third-wave feminism and it is sometimes seen as its starting point as a response to the backlash against initiatives and movements created by second-wave feminism. The subculture gave women a place to exist out of the system. Riot grrrl was about 90s women making a stand, screeching against authority and exploring what they wanted a woman to represent.Todays music charts seem only to reflect generated pop-rock, especia lly where females are concerned. The only mainstream female band with political views and strong female role models, who want more than to just be sex symbols currently are Gossip. Competing with artists marketed through the male gaze, its no wonder Gossips Beth Ditto is deemed controversial in todays music sentiment. Whether its because shes openly gay, a non-shaving punk, or morbidly obese, mainstream society sees her as an outsider.30 age ago, it wouldve been typical in the underground music scene to see individuals like this. Beth Ditto is said to be a rooter of Riot Grrrl and states Xray Spex as her biggest influence. Gossips lyrics are often about society and feminist issues, disguised with a mainstream catchy electro-beat. Even Gossips most widely accepted song, Standing in the Way of Control is extremely political as it is attacking George W. Bush in response to same-sex marriage being taboo in some states of the USA, the resistance can be seen in the lyric were standin g in the way of control, we will live our lives.Her unwillingness to conform to societys expectations is clearly visible on the NME issue on which she appears unshaven and sensitive on the front cover. The image shows Beth with her hand on her bottom which has a kiss mark on it and another hand covering her breast. She is looking at the camera, not in the conventional, seductive way female singers are usually photographed, but instead almost snarling as if she doesnt care what anyone thinks of her. The advertise reads Kiss my ass, once again reinforcing her reluctance to conform. This image shocked the teenage audience of the magazine and sparked controversy as it is an image that mainstream society is seldom subjected to. It was also nominated to be crowned the best magazine cover of all time. This image doesnt represent the usual ideology of women and this is why Germaine Greer has praised Ditto on appearing like this on the cover of a mainstream magazine, and also NME for allow ing her to do so. Greer speaks highly of Beth stating her intention is to force acceptance of her body type, 5ft in height(predicate) and 15 stone, and by this strategy to challenge the conventional imagery of women. Laura Mulveys theory of feminism can be seen here Beth Ditto is the dominant female who refuses to be passive to the male viewer.Gossips video Listen Up, follows two transvestites, one male and one female and depicts what it means to be masculine and feminine. This is an selection theme for a music video and so once again Ditto challenges mainstream society. However, in this video, Ditto herself is not shown in her usual contumacious way, but instead appears to be typical of a music video, showing that everyone needs to conform to sell records.My research has established that despite years of feminism and social movement, women are still objectified as sex symbols in the music industry.For my linked production I will be producing a music video in the style of 1970s f emale punk bands to the song Oh Bondage, Up Yours by X-ray Spex. The target audience for the video will be predominately female teenagers who feel their views and values arent represented in mainstream music. The video will not sexualise women and it will reject the male gaze.Word Count 2002

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