SUMMARY:
This movie introduced the unique theory that music videos are male "dream worlds" of women who are dominated and sexualized by men. This is possible because 90% of music videos are directed by men. The women in these videos are portrayed as primal, nymph-like beings who desire sex, lust, and promiscuity. A common theme is that the women are young and attractive and go after older men. They are also attracted to water, willing to take off their clothes, and will live in a gloomy world without men. Their roles in the videos are usually strippers/ exotic dancers, hookers, prostitutes, women with whips, phone sex operators, sexy nurses, or over sexed housewives. Viewers see these women's bodies as outlines, shapes, and shadows that are the same and interchangeable. Their bodies are objects and wonderlands as the camera travels over them in a panoramic shot.
The movie aslo raises the question of whose story is not being told. Since most of the directors are men, female artist have a hard time of trying to tell their story. The 'dream world' causes some negative effects in the real world because males would apply the stuff they see from the dream world to the real world. A survey showed that 60% of men thought that some women wanted to be raped based on their appearance. Another survey showed that 30% of men agreed that some women deserved to be raped.
MY THOUGHTS/ REACTION:
I enjoyed watching this film because I agreed with the concept that women are portrayed as inferior beings in the media. The media could be a wonderful place of entertainment and information, but at the same time it is breeding ground for stereotypes and judgement. The fact is that not everyone has access equal access to the media. The part of women not being able to tell their story reminds me of the teaching of history. Most of the time history is taught from the majority group's perspective. A form of entertainment then becomes a threshold of oppression.
I also believed in the part of men applying the dream world to the real world because most acts of rape are commited by men. I remember watching a story about a young woman whose case against her rapist was overtuned because the judge believed that she gave her rapist her conscent to have sex because her jeans were tight and so she had to help him remove them.
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3 comments:
I also found the dilemma of equal accessibility to media interesting. If women had a more equal share of media control, they could begin to offer their own perceptions of themselves. Having more female music video directors would offer an opportunity to bring individuality to women in music videos and create images of women as specific people, rather than sexual objects.
I then wonder how this would be marketed as a source of entertainment. Would a female music video director continue to objectify women and display sexual stereotypes to them in order to make profit? The edginess and the taboo idea of sex makes these videos so intriguing to the public; both men and women.
I am just curious as to how the music video industry would prosper if, in having more equal representation of both sexes in video direction, these videos would portray people in general as less of sexual objects and more as artists and musicians.
Hi Catherine,
Do you find it curious that Jackson Katz did not analyze for the marginal role that women of color play in the DREAM WORLD fantasy? And, when they do have a role, they are fall into the dichotomies of "permissive whore" or "dominatrix".
Where do you think U.S. male power system constructs these ideas of conquest and violence against women of color as 'play', 'sport', and 'proving' manhood?
Margo
Hello Margo!
I believe women of color are seen by some as exotic creatures that want to be dominated and owned by men. Througout history there were infinite events of women being raped and abused by men. They were also a group that held the image of being helpless and needing men to take care of them and guide them. In many American films, especially Latino films, Latino women have the role of abandoning their dark, abusive, unintelligent, medicore husband for a kind, intelligent, white male, hero.
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