Sexism in Music Videos

Laura Mulvey's theory is that the cinematography used in film and music video denies women human identity. This is the male gaze and it suggests that women are objects to be admired for their physical appearance. The male gaze relegates women as they can only watch a film from a mans perspective. Often the female characters have no real importance and are only exist when in a relationship with the main male character. The presence of a woman in film is to make the male feel or act important.  

If we look at some music videos we can see that they deny women's identity. Lilly Allen's "Hard Out Here" music videos represents the male gaze, but the lyrics of the song address the issue. Watching the video can be confusing because she talks about the common stereotypes that society has on women. She suggests that men can get away with anything but when a female says the same thing they are looked down upon. She doesn't try to mask any issue or hide them in her lyrics. Instead she lets everything go and puts it all in one song. However, if we look at the video we can see that everything she says is not relevant. This is because the video is ironic and it is meant to spread a message.
 

Another song that denies women's identity is "Booty" by Jennifer Lopez and Iggy Azalea. This video represents women as objects and focuses mostly on their faces. Unlike "Hard Out Here" the song is not giving a message about women's inequality and injustice, but it is supporting it. The choreography in the music video and the cinematography of the video work in correlation as the features of the women are highlighted throughout the whole music video. Even though the video relegates women it is understandable. The lyrics of the song match with the type of music video that it is. It talks about sexy women and their features. It encourages women to feel good about how they look and their appearance. 

In conclusion, Laura Maulvey's theory still exists in modern day music videos. Although society knows that it happens people still choose not to opt-out of watching these videos and almost accept the sexism in pop videos. Sometimes the artists have to go with society because they want to give the audience what they want to see and if the artist is comfortable with the male gaze then they don't mind the producing the video.