How and why are representations of gender and race in music videos fuel for moral panics?

Introduction
It is nothing new to learn that music videos do exploit controversial themes in order to make more money. In this case we are primarily looking at the female artists as the victims. Practically everything on MTV Base at some point in time has earned disapproval, mainly because these music videos feature explicit sexuality and representations of gender. So controversy and attempts to ban or censor music videos does not come as a shock to us.

Lets have a look at an older music video that has caused moral panic regarding gender

Eminem- Stan (2000)

Video Background
The song tells the story of a man male named Stan Mitchell who claims to be Eminems biggest fan. He writes letters to Eminem, each sentence becomes angrier and obsessive throughout the song. He gets no reply from Slim Shady (Eminem uses his alter ego) so takes a video recording of himself driving his car into a lake, with his pregnant girlfriend in trunk and we hear her muffled screaming. Slim Shady now comes into the song, attempting to apologise and explain why he hasnt been able reply back, he questions where Stans head is at as he seems troubled. Then he starts talking about a story he heard on the news about a man and woman in a car found in a lake dead and he comes to realistation and figures out it was Stan.

The song, Stan has been considered to be Eminems best songs and one of his signature songs. The song was nominated for multiple awards such as Best Song at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Video of the Year, Best Rap Video, Best Direction, Best Cinematography at the MTV Video Music Awards. But the only award it won was the Best International Artist Video at the MuchMusic Video Awards. The MTV clean version of the song and video is extensively censored with significant portions from the first two verses and most of the third verse removed. Dido British singer-songwriter (Stans girlfriend in the video) stated that she was gagged in third verse of the video, but this was censored so widely that it is almost impossible to find versions where it isnt censored.

This video would most defiantly stir up moral panic in gender seeing as women are represented as the victims and beneathe the men. Stans girlfriend is also pregnant which raises even more concern as she is being mistreated and this makes her come across as vunerable. Even though she is carrying his baby he dismisses this and goes on to put all their lifes in danger. The fact that the character Stan puts her in the trunk and ties her up which suggests he views her as an animal. And not to forget this is a form of physical abuse as he has done this to her without her permission.

In this part of the song we hear Dido screaming and Stan tells her to shut up then goes on to explain why he choose to tie her up instead of slitting her throat.

Now something a little more updated

Rihanna- Pour It Up
Gender & Race

Rihannas music video Pour it Up looks to be exploiting black females which has started an uproar on social networking sites such as Twitter and Youtube. In the music video it is clear she is talking about female strippers which is made clear in this verse, strippers going up and down that pole and to confirm this we see stripper acrobatics,aquatic twerking throughout the video. Its very in your face and you start to become uncomfortable the more the video progresses. The womens bodies are exposed including Rihanna as she is wearing a rhinestone bra (if you can even call it that). The outfits are provocative and are sure to grab the attention of the opposite sex. This video has received mixed opinions like all videos do. Some people thought it worked well with the song itself and others thought it was disrespectful and believe she is saying its alright for women to be seen as mere sexual objects that are there for the mans personal pleasure.

So what do the Youtube audience have to say?

The handful of dollar bills stuffed in her pants represents the stripper lifestyle but it also suggests that women can be brought, like an object on the shelf. Here Rihannas seen to be dominating a golden throne with dollar bills stuffed in the top of her thong.

Rihanna has admitted that the song is a strip club anthem. The whole video is incredibly raunchy. Youve got one dancer twerking including Rihanna herself. These two stills lure males in. And there is proof of this scrolling though the Youtube comments from males commenting on how sexual the video is and the look of the womens bodies.

Rihanna co-directed the music video alongside a bunch of all male directors and producers. Is it possible that she has been lead by them? In her case, probably not seeing as she seems to make risky decisions in her music videos such as S&M, and Man Down and still she is admired by a huge fan base. In September 2013, the previous director Vincent Haycock, tweeted that he was no longer involved with the project due to creative differences. Probably because he didnt want to be involved in a music video that would effect his reputation.

The magazine Rolling Stone said the video which is not of high art certainly matches with the lavish strip-club exploits referenced in the song.

Playboys target audience are males.

HitFix the American entertainment news website gave the video a grade D, "it' s a dimly lit video equivalent of a Playboy photo spread that is meant to serve the very same purpose for the boys and men who view it. And we're all supposed to scrape and bow and talk about how 'artfully' it's shot and pretend that its so very empowering for her to show off her body this way."

Lily Allen- Hard out Here

Regarding gender & race

Lily Allens Hard out Here video has clearly be created to parody female mainstream videos of today. It won quite a lot of praise from viewers pleased with her mockery of sexism, but this quickly backlashed as many people started to question the representation of the race in the video, as black female dancers appeared to be objectified throughout the whole video.

Lily Allen was arguing that the music industry objectified and demeaned women in the interests of men. Although, her video appeared to be doing exactly that.

Here a fan of Lily Allen asks her a question on Twitter and Lily Allen replies.

This shot is very effective as it points out her manager encouraging and controlling her to sexualise herself to the public. The Guardian, Ellie Mae O Hagan wrote: The presence of a besuited old white man in her music videos who encourages her to fellate a banana was very revealing and effective.

Making women in general believe weight loss, bum and breast implants and sexual objectification are the only possible routes to stardom. And I think Lily Allen just wants makes this clear because young girls can be easily fooled into thinking this is the way you should present yourself to the public.

And now with Miley Cyrus and her twerking and raunchy outfits, she has began to confuse her Hannah Montana young viewers into thinking it it acceptable to flaunt your body.

Lily Allen was right to identify these shadowy white men as the source of the problem. Seeing as the men in the music industry who dictate how women should present themselves and their bodies in order to achieve some kind of recognition. Some men in the music business make drastic changes to female artists, if they believe it will earn them more money.

How Sinead O Connor sees it:

Music Industry= Pimp Female artists= Prostitute

Now look at these two still frames from the video. What kind of genre of music would you see this in?

It looks as though Allen attempts to mock the way black women are treated as nothing more than sexual objects in the music video.

Hip Hop Music Videos

Terror Squad Lean Back ft. Fat Joe

The key aspect you see throughout old school hip hop videos in particular is the amount of sea of women dancing behind the rappers and sitting in provocative positions waving and throwing dollar bills around. Is more of a status for the men to have loads of women in the backdrop as if they own these women. Also another thing to point out is the obsessive use of the word bitch, which offended a lot of women when they watched this and similar videos of the Hip Hop genre. The term made lots of women feel dehumanised and degraded.

50 Cent- Candy Shop

This song is about wealth, cars but primarily women. The mansion he visits is full of girls, reminds you of a Playboy Mansion. And he seems to be spoilt for choice hence the title Candy Shop, and the women are dressed in revealing outfits to impress the men. This suggests the females are looked upon as sexual objects and he describes the women by the way they look sexually and not by their personalities like the way you would describe a human.