1. THEORIST & KEY POINTS HOW TO APPLY TO CASE STUDY
THEORY TITLE TEXTS
Laura Mulvey • Camera is “white, straight, affluent male” therefore the - Beyonce: Videophone
“The male gaze” representations on screen are those that are appealing
to this group. - Rihannah: Rude Boy/ S&M
• White male controls majority of mass media and use
their media outlets to broadcast consistent messages, - 50 Cent: Off and On/Candy Shop
thus maintaining the status quo (cultural hegemony)
• Women are seen as objects or “empty”, to be adapted to - Nelly: Tip Drill
the fantasy of the male viewer
• The women are portrayed based on their appearance
and the ‘ugly’ ones aren’t as successful (e.g. Michelle
from Destiny’s Child...)
• 10-15 years ago music videos and films concentrated on
the women’s faces, whereas the modern day music
videos focus on the female’s body. Audiences become
desensitised to women’s bodies so music videos etc
become more extreme
• Male audience gets pleasure from seeing the females in
the videos, and they also feel a sense of power towards

2. the females, as the women are seen as objects.
• Mulvey discussed how females are viewed by male
audiences ‘The male gaze’ – interpreted as sexual
objects – aren’t seen as people anymore, seen as
objects.
• In male songs the lyrics refer to women in derogatory
ways e.g. words such as ‘ho’, ‘bitch’ are used.
• Present negative portrayals of women, however the
record sales are extremely high so this kind of music
continues to be made (hegemony).
• The music videos are degrading of women; some say
that the women in the videos are ‘given a chance to
shine’. Is this true or are these women brainwashed into
thinking they are empowering themselves? (hegemony)
• The men’s videos are using women’s bodies to sell
records.
• “Ugly women don’t sell records”. (Snoop Dogg, 2008)
http://sandrarose.com/2008/03/snoop-dogg-says-ugly-
women-dont-sell-records/

3. • Women are shown in seductive and sexual ways and
men portrayed are portrayed as strong & egotistic
individuals.
• People now think that the women behave like they do in
real life as they do in the music videos.
• Women on screen are seen as objects of desire.
• Mulvey suggests that there were two distinct modes of
the male gaze – ‘Voyeuristic’ (i.e. Seeing women as
‘whores’) and ‘fetishistic’ (ie. Seeing women as
‘Madonna’s/pure).
POSTCOLONIALISM • Colonialism is the invasion and exploitation of one
country/culture over another. The dominant power
Edward Said
extends control over weaker peoples or areas. An
example would be the British Empire- England sailed
to many different parts of the world (like Asia,
Australia and the Caribbean) and enforced their own
rules, culture and interests on the native population.

4. • Post- colonialism is the theory used to study
whether Western perspectives alter when colonies
gain independence, and how The West still try to
exert power over other cultures and peoples by
insisting on viewing foreign cultures through a very
narrow mindset.
• Categories for post-colonialist theory:
• HOMOGENISATION OF “THE OTHER”: homogenise=
• HOMOGENISATION OF THE OTHER:
to make everything the same. The West is accused of In terms of African American
representation, the American media
perceiving non-Western cultures as one single group,
tend to portray the majority of black
where every individual is the same. men as “gangstas” and the majority
of black women as “hos” until these
• “CORRECTNESS” OF WESTERN VALUES: Western
views become mainstream and
media outlets and populations find it very hard to independent, unfiltered
representations become very hard
comprehend that ideologies other than their own
to find.
are valid. Beliefs that we consider “normal” are given • CORRECTNESS OF WESTERN VALUES:
Western cultures enforce strict
a stronger voice and become socially dominant,
ideals for female beauty, which non-
forcing others to subscribe to them. European, non- white cultures
cannot meet. This leads to a giant
beauty industry built on helping

5. black women achieve these ideals.
• In terms of “Good Hair”, we need to
look at the word “Good”.
“Good”=straight, smooth, pale,
moves when you shake your head.
This is defined by the West and is
taken to mean “correct”, so if you
have “good hair” you have the right
kind of hair according to Western
values. Case study example: Ahkia
(Tyra Show) “straight hair looks
better and more American”
• THE EXOTICISATION OF NON- WESTERN CULTURES
(also known as Orientalism): “exotic” = foreign, not • EXOTICISATION OF NON- WESTERN
CULTURES
native. Something that is strikingly unusual or
• Black women in music videos are
strange in appearance. treated as exotic- body shape in
particular is different to Western
• “exoticise” to treat something as glamorous and body shapes and is focused on.
strange because it is different to what is considered •
“normal”, or to treat something as more attractive
because it is foreign

6. • To use something foreign in a cathartic manner- we
enjoy things that are different to us, knowing we can
leave them behind. (White reception of rap music
and the culture of deprivation it stems from is a
great example of this)
Essay question:
Do you agree that the representation of black American women in these music videos support
Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze?
Postcolonialism task:
Find and send me two examples of black culture being treated as exotic (e.g. Beyonce in a
music video- treated as glamorous and attractive because she is not “normal”)