Course Description
At the core of the course is the question how feminism has become a demonized and ridiculed “F-word” in an age when issues of gender and sexuality are at the center of constant, often explosive political debates. These debates often connect media representation and political representation but tend to do so in simplistic ways that bypass or distort decades of sophisticated feminist theory and practice. We will trace back such representations through the decades around case studies that encompass film, video, television and new media practices. The case studies come from the United States and beyond, taking into full account the global interconnectedness of media production and consumption as well as the transnational travel of feminist ideas. The main goal of the course is to evaluate how useful feminist thinking is to understanding the relays between media and political representation; and to develop a lasting critical apparatus to analyzing the politics of gender and sexuality in the media.
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ReplyDeleteAs previously stated, Lily Allen’s “Hard Out Here” is a satirical video discussing the objectification of women in pop music. The lyrics primarily focus on the double standards that are placed upon a woman’s appearance (“You’re not a six and you’re not good looking”) and traditional gender roles (“You better be rich, or be real good at cooking”). The song references the 2005 Three 6 Mafia song “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp” while also taking direct aim at Miley Cyrus, tweaking and Robin Thicke’s video for his song “Blurred Lines.” The controversy interestingly enough was aimed not at the objectification of women but of the arguable racist tone the video had. The aspect of the video most scrutinized was the backup dancers that Allen used, most African American female dancers.
ReplyDeleteThe controversy over the potential racist quality of the video was so bad that Allen took to twitter to counteract some of the backlash caused from the video. Amongst her tweets, Allen begins by stating that if anyone thinks she requested specific ethnicities for the video, they're wrong, if anyone thinks that after asking the girls to audition she was going to send any of them away because of the color of their skin, they're wrong and ultimately concludes her statement without apologizing as she did nothing wrong but does promise that she does not feel superior to anyone “except pedophiles, rapists murderers etc.” I think there is a lot to be said about the fact that Allen had to pinpoint the fact that she did not feel superior in light of the feminist video she wrote and produced. I think there is this misconception in our society that being a feminist or simply saying something profound or controversial in this respect makes you superior or gives you a platform to have to apologize for something that was said. Furthermore, the source of the criticism was that some thought that Allen was objectifying women of color the same way women are objectified in pop videos. Allen insists she did not to offend anyone but what is interesting to me is that nobody is criticizing the actual lyrics rather they turn their attention on race. Which goes back to this façade that society is in in which we are either post-race or post-feminist when in reality both still create controversy.
For the purpose of analysis, I think it is helpful to separate the song itself from the video it is paired with. Personally, I think the lyrics are a breath of fresh air for feminism right now. There has been so much discussion in the media of Blurred Lines and Miley Cyrus and while needed, this discussion has been angry at times and analytical at others. Conversely, Allen's lyrics are critical while remaining satirical and sometimes comical. One reference I haven't seen mentioned yet is where she says "Have you thought about your butt? Who's gonna tear it in two?" This is a direct challenge to TI's line in Blurred Lines, where he says "I'll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two" Lost amid the shuffle of criticism for Robin Thicke, TI's line is incredibly problematic. It transforms a merely misogynistic song into a violent one that trivializes womens' agency and consent. Allen's response to this dis-empowers TI's lyric in a manner that is palatable to a general audience.
ReplyDeleteAs for the video, it's obviously more complicated. Most of the women I know who watched it were under the impression that it was an attempt at satire that failed, so I was surprised when she spoke publicly not to admit this, but to admit that race had not been a consideration on her part. My own impression was that it was problematic in her objectification and exotification of female bodies. I wasn't struck by the selection of her backup group: there were 4 black women, an Asian woman and a white woman. Instead, I was disappointed that the black women wore only leotards whereas the other two dancers wore more clothing. However, I think my observations of this video are reflective of their reception in American culture and it is important to note that Lily Allen is not from this country, nor is it her primary audience. I am not comfortable speaking about intersectional issues in the UK, and think many American commentators are ignoring this component.
Of course, however, it is impossible to separate the song from the video in society at large. It remains to be seen whether this song will be remembered for its feminist message or its problematic video.