To see the videos for Day 1 of Class Presentations, go here:
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AQVbz7yQ99-dZGZoNDY0NnpfMTNoaG1oYm42Yg&hl=en
For posting: one or 2 questions about one of the videos, or about the videos as a whole. (No artifact posting)
Duke U seminar on relationship between popular music and masculinities in the United States
9 comments:
My question is on Ciara's "Like a Boy." Although she dresses like a boy at times and does movements usually associated with males (e.g. crotch grabbing), she is also shown as very feminine (i.e. in a dress and with long hair) and doing female dance moves at other times as well. Thus, she asserts her femininity and then criticizes the male role by using the hypothetical situation of acting and dressing like a boy. Is her criticism of masculinity more effective becomes she maintains her feminine character and simply uses "if" statements than if she had completely assumed a masculine character?
While watching the outkast music video of "hey ya", I couldn't help but to think that it was a direct mimic or parody of The Beatles performances and their teenie bop following. Do you think that Outkast purposely attempted this, or do you think that this is just a sign of the culture sustaining through to modern day, or a resurgence of the culture?
Why do you think Outkast wanted to be introduced as “The Love Below” rather than their real band name? Do you think this reference to sexuality emphasized their masculine potency? Or is it simply a reference to their album title and nothing more?
Does Ciara really reverse gender roles in “Like a Boy?” Or does she simply create a feminine form of masculinity? (She dons makeup and jewelry as she wears masculine clothes.)
In other songs, Ciara seems to embrace her femininity strongly, but here she sings about being like a boy. Do you think Ciara is masculinizing her own femininity or feminizing masculinity of the man she is singing about?
After our discussions in class, watching "Hey Ya" I was much more attuned to the transgressive aspects of Outkast's video, but at the same time, realize that transgression of any social norms is dependent upon context and time. Would hair, attention to detail in clothes, use of the falsetto during the chorus, any of that be seen as a transgression of masculine norms/ gender norms by today's standards? What significance do the screaming girl fans, and reluctant woman have (if any) in asserting the (type of)masculinity portrayed in this video?
In "Tonight," Enrique Iglesias is surrounded by naked women toward the end of the music video. I don't think of Iglesias as appropriating macho masculinity. My friends and I always thought of him as "Mr. Sensitivity." Are women presented in this music video in a sexually objectifying manner? And if they are, does that contradict his "Mr. Sensitive" image?
What message do you think Outkast is trying to send to its viewers in terms of their image? Throughout the semester it seemed like when associated darker colored clothing with masculinity. Is the fact the they are wearing flamboyant clothes assert their masculinity that much more?
It is understood that the song and video for "I Just Had Sex" are meant to be taken as a joke and were made purely for comedic purposes (as is the case with all of Lonely Island's music). However, I do wonder how much truth there is behind this parody. Is it usually the case that songs about heterosexual sex center around the male with complete disregard for whether or not the female enjoyed it? Are men typically presented in contemporary music as selfishly sexual beings who will go to bed with just about anyone (including a "pile of manure")?
FIrst of all, how does Kurt Cobain's vocal sensitivity contrast with his seemingly insensitive outward appearance? He seems to be singing about something very close to his heart, yet he does not express the various related emotions on his face and in the way he performs for the audience.
Also, in "Tonight", Enrique initially appears to be walking around the club with an expressionless look - intense, yet not easily interpreted. How does this contrast with his later dominance over the women in the video?
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