Sexism in pop

Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory

The theory suggests that the male gaze denies women human identity, relegating them to the status of objects to be admired for physical appearance. The theory suggests woman can more often than not only watch a film from a secondary perspective and only view themselves from a man’s perspective. 

Miley Cyrus 'Wrecking ball' 

This video came as a shock to people as it was completely unlike Miley Cyrus's Disney image. Hannah Montana was a female role model for young girls she had the good girl image that many parents liked to expose their children to. This very sexually provocative video came as a shock and sparked a lot of controversy Miley's nudity and sexually provocative actions (such as licking the hummer) in this video is a completely contrast to the emotion in the song. This video is Miley's way of getting rid of her 'disney' image. Part of this could have to do with the record label that she signed to , her image would have had to be updated because 'sex sells'. Sinead O’Connor warned Miley from her own experience that she was being exploited which I believe is true. The music industry is very male dominates therefore the female artists they produce are male objects of erotic desire.

This video is a prime example of the male gaze being present in a video. Throughout the video there are many shots Iggy and Jennifer's 'booties'. Their clothing revealing and their body body language is sexually provocative.




This video sparked a lot of controversy. Calling the song offensive definitely have a strong case. After all, the song is about "liberating" a good girl by showing her that she actually wants 'crazy wild sex' that she isn't asking for. Robin Thicke keeps repeating 'I know you want it' while his musical partner T.I. casually mentions 'I'll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two.' This video also uses woman as objects in the video , we see them dancing around as accessories to the singers. At one point T.I brushes the girls hair like she's a doll. There is actually an explicit version of the video where the girls  






Lilly Allen's hard out here opens with Allen lying on an operating table undergoing liposuction as a manager berates her nearby. It’s a deeply personal visual. Allen has faced years of a cruel tabloid press speculation about her body. In May 2007 she published a tearful post on her Myspace page:

'I used to pride myself on being strong-minded and not being some stupid girl obsessed with the way I look. I felt like it didn't matter if I was a bit chubby 'cos I'm not a model, I'm a singer. I'm afraid I am not strong and have fallen victim to the evil machine. I write to you in a sea of tears from my hotel bed in Seattle. I have spent the past hour researching gastric bypass surgery and laser liposuction.'

Later that year she dropped from a size 12 to a size six. Headlines continued to chronicle her strained relationship to her body image, from 2011’s 'I don’t care about weight gain' to 'I have Body Dysmorphic Disorder' just months later. Allen’s first solo single since 2009 manages to scapegoat not just rappers but black women for all the insecurities she’s been grappling with over her career. The song begins with her scoffing at what is meant to look like a rap video complete with women of color body rolling in shorts. Lilly Allen is mocking and challenging how woman are depicted in rap videos and presented and erotic props. 

Beyonce's 'Run the world' could be a video that is seen as empowering to women. At the start of the video she is riding a black horse in white clothing here she takes on the persona of a 'prince charming' character showing that she is powerful and is not a 'damsel in distress'. Though they dance sexually in the video it's used in a way that intimidates the men in the video and gives the 'girls' control. She is seen holding wild animal's on her leash which makes her seem very dominating. The mise on scene shows tall on their own conveying that women can 'run the world'. The clothing in the video is  fashionable , stylish  and sexy which relates to a younger generation target audience of girls by showing that 'sexy can be powerful'.