Sexuality in music videos
The concept of objectification vs reclamation of sexuality in music videos reflects tension between exploitation and empowerment, specifically for women and black individuals.
A 1987 study that analyzed 30 hours of MTV content had similar arguments that music videos released in the 1980s typically depicted women as alluring objects.
[4] In addition to these results, physical contact was displayed in over 50% of music videos, and women were often seen wearing seductive clothing.
[4] Young adults, one of the main audiences of MTV, were heavily affected by the prevalence of sexuality in music videos as it changed the way they viewed their roles in society.
[6] Another example includes Culture Club's music video "Karma Chameleon," in which the cameras are paned underneath women's skirts and zoomed in on cleavage.
[7] At the dawn of music videos, sexuality and gender stereotypes were already prevailing, with the younger generation being an important audience.
Still, some argued female artists like Madonna, who chose to present her sexuality in music videos flauntingly, were impressive and ground-breaking.
[20] Secondly, the study categorized the lead roles into seven main portrayals: artist, poser, comic, actress, superhuman, dancer, or crowd-pleaser.
Artists like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, NSYNC and Backstreet Boys were extremely popular in the early 2000s.
[26] In 2011, a study by Jacob Turner hypothesized that traditional African American music videos—hip-hop, rhythm and blues—would feature the most sexual content and more females dressed in provocative clothing.
[27] In 2004, many family groups and politicians lobbied unsuccessfully to ban Eric Prydz's "Call on Me" video for containing women dancing in a sexually suggestive way.
[28] The increasing sexualization of music videos reflects broader societal trends and continues to spark controversy over the portrayal of women and the influence this content has.
An example of this continuation of sexual content is in Rihanna's music video for the song "S&M," in which she simulates sex with a life-sized doll and wears bondage gear, which generated much media attention and was banned in 11 countries.
A study of college students found that young women with low self-esteem were more likely to view their body in a negative light after exposure to a sexually-objectifying music video.
The same study found exposure to sexually objectifying music videos lessened the extremes of young women's concepts of an ideal body weight.
[33] This shapes the conclusion that sexual content in music videos has a negative impact to self esteem and perception of sex.
Many female artists are choosing to reclaim their agency in sexual relations and become bolder when expressing themselves in music videos.
[39][40] Additionally, in this decade, many artists are exploring beyond the gender binary and pushing boundaries with political and divisive content within their music videos.
[citation needed] Transitioning into the 21st century, social media platforms such as Facebook and MySpace grew in popularity.
[44] The site is possibly creating a countermovement to the increased acceptance furthered by YouTube's growth by de-emphasizing the video itself in favor of the sound.
The rise of social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook contributed significantly to the normalization of sexual themes in music videos, as increased accessibility allowed for broader exposure.
[45] For example, African American women are more likely to be depicted as engaging in sexual behaviors and wearing provocative clothing.
