Satirical music endlessly utilizes the stereotypical representations of people, gender as well as quite possibly the music industry itself. This is because the use of such subjects help to resonate with audiences due to being routed in truth (e.g. the representations actually being presented in the real world). In his book ‘Popular Music, Gender and Postmodernism: Anger Is an Energy', Neil Nehring suggests that ‘Parody may work through irony, but in imitating common sense about a group like women, it proposes an alternative view that one is supposed to prefer to what’s being parodied rather than just remaining suspended between the two.’
Gender roles: 'Hurt Feelings' by Flight of the Conchords
Gender roles are a social construct involving a set of social and behavioral norms that, within a specific culture, are widely considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex. The perception of gender roles includes attitudes, actions, and personality traits associated with a particular gender within that culture. Stereotypically, women are presented as over emotional and expressive, whereas men are presented in the opposite way. The Stereotypical Male role is to be a financial provider, as well as being assertive, competitive, independent, confidant, career‐focused;and to hold his emotions in check. Whereas in this video we see both Bret and Jemaine portray stereotypical female traits such as being emotional, sensitive and dependent - looking for constant assurance from others. This helps to highlight the ridiculousness of trying to put people in a solid category due to their gender - of which they have no influence over- and expect certain things of them based on predetermined and outdated ideas.
Genre: 'Spring Break Anthem' by The Lonely Island
'Rap/Hip Hop' music is a popular genre in contemporary society with people between the ages of 19-34, from a range of nationalities and ethnic groups, the music videos of which tend to feature scantily clad women and sexual themes where the very frequent use of misogynistic images has become entirely normalized, central shots of the performer and some display of wealth through the presence of materialistic items.The most common theme of misogyny found in hip hop videos today is the objectification of women. Women are ever so often there as mere sexual objects, dancing provocatively in revealing clothing, demonstrating sexual innuendos with their bodies’ movements, present in the clips entirely for the heterosexual male artists and viewers’ satisfaction. 'Spring Break Anthem' opens with the stereotypical characteristics of this genre, but later juxtaposes these ideas with the domestic portrayal of gay marriage,of which is something people may not expect to see portrayed in this genre. As a topical text released at the time that gay marriage was legalised, the portrayal of a stereotypical modern male is mocked, possibly in regards to those who were against this legalisation, and thus - especially through the use of famous actors such as Edward Norton, James Franco and Zach Galifianakis- shows support of the recent milestone.
Industry: 'Just Another Boyband' by The Midnight Beast
The Midnight Beast's 'Just Another Boyband' mocks the modern music industry and the idea of manufactured groups, such as those seen on shows such as the X Factor. Similarly, it plays on the idea that members of such groups don't have much skill in the field of music, as well as the fickle nature of popularity and what's 'in' at the time. This is evident through the line 'and when our album flops and all the hype around us dies, I'm the secret weapon that comes out and says that he likes kissing guys', suggesting groups like this rely on personal scandals to stay relevant. This also highlights the ideas of certain tropes in the music industry, such as 'the token rapper guy', as voiced in this video - once again mocking the conduct of the modern music industry and the idea of manufactured boy bands.
An enthusiastic and interesting case study. With satire anybody is up for grabs but there was something distasteful and unfunny in the first two music videos but I thought the 3rd one was clever, funny and apt.
ReplyDeleteAs I said in class, gender roles are not theoretical constructs but are social constructs.
The problem with the media is the reinforcement of specific social groups, for example derogatory images of women, marginalisation of women in film in particular, stereotyping gay people though there is less of this these days probably because this social group have influence in the media, stereotyping/marginalisation of ethic minorities, and the elderly (helpless and stupid) and of course of the disabled (victims). You would have covered this ground in Year 12. The media is dominated in the UK by white middle aged privately educated men and here lies another debate!!!
Well done Sian