Critical debates on the politics of representing black American women in musical video productions

Abstract

There is a widely-held perception that male-produced music videos accord women low status and describe stereotyped women as ‘bitch’, ‘video vixen’. There is some truth that male artists and producers slot the image of women into the frame in which women are ‘othered’ as inferior and morally degraded. However, this article will explore the following: When women flaunt their sexualities and bodies in either male- or female-produced music videos, is there a possible subversion of both male and female attitudes that are rooted in the patriarchal conception of women? How have women who participated in either maleor female-produced music videos sought to contextualise their experiences of oppression and finding their voices? These questions shall be explored through an exploration of the politics involved in the debates on female representation in America. The aim of the article is not to analyse the videos, but to bring to the surface the complex trends in the debates on women representations. Therefore, the emphasis of the analysis is not so much on the lyrics but on the critical space provided by the debates on black female representations in video music.