blog 8

Kristen Butler

March 27, 2015

Blog #8

Blog Post #8

            This week in class my group did a presentation on the article about Beyoncé. We discussed four different quotes from the article that showed how Beyoncé’s body is shown in her music videos. The one that I discussed had to do with the way Beyoncé flaunts her butt. I then asked questions that had to do with if the class believes woman only improve their butts to impress boys or for themselves. The class then discussed how much the butt has been seen as something that needs to be enhanced nowadays. We talked about how instead of boob jobs being the body part that gets the most work now the butt is getting work done. Some people are trying to get their butt as big as possible. I personally believe that it is more of a woman against woman battle rather than trying to impress men. I know if I see another woman with a bigger butt than me I automatically think I want mine to look like hers.

The article mainly focused Beyoncé’s booty and how it is flaunted in her music videos. The class discussed how the booty has always been the prime body party that is focused on in hip hop music. I personally have always admired Beyoncé as a female role model. She has never been a celebrity that has used her body as an advantage or to sexually attract men. I believe that she is genuinely comfortable with her body therefore she likes to use it to her advantage. Unlike Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé does not just put her whole body part in front of the camera. Her music videos focus more on the music that what body parts can be exposed.

Women and Pop Culture Entry 8

Alexandria Scudder
27 March 2015
Entry 7

“Check On It” Beyoncé and the Southern Booty

           Beyoncé is a "hip hop icon.  She is known for her voluptuous body than her body of work that crisscrosses multiple culture industries. Unlike her hip hop contemporaries, Beyoncé successfully performs a range of Black femininities, speaking at once to Black working and middle class sensibilities while fulfilling her dynamic roles as both a hip hop belle and US exotic other globally.” (35) As the writing progressed it discussed classes and body image portrayed in the media and how artists, such as Beyoncé, are conforming to different standards.

            Before choosing our quotes for our discussion this week we watched Beyoncé music videos, some that were mentioned throughout the writing and some that were not, for example “Say My Name”, “Check On It”, “Love On Top”, and “7/11”.  “Say My Name” was the first video I watched by Destiny’s Child released in 1999.  Beyoncé and the rest of Destiny’s Child wore long skirts or business-like suits.  The most risqué outfit in the whole video consisted of sports bras and leather pants.  “Check On It” released in 2006 portrayed Beyoncé in an array of pink outfits but only two resembled leotards while the other outfits all resembled the outfits worn in the “Say My Name” Video.  “Love On Top” was released in 2011 and “7/11” in 2013 both showing a drastic change from the other two videos.  The videos progressed from women dancing with each other to women dancing on each other.  Although Beyoncé’s videos are not as risqué as other artists but it is clear that Beyoncé has had to change her appearance and that women have progressively began to accentuate the small waste and larger booty.

“Music videos featuring Beyoncé work through class by representing femininity through style, speech, and dance. Hair, for example, is a signifier of classed femininity. In an MTV television interview concerning the multiple looks in the video Check On It, Beyoncé acknowledges that her cornrows in the urban scene pay homage to her musical past the home girls from Black working class section of Houston’s third ward”  (40)  “Disenfranchisement can be attributed to personal style choice. For others, the finger waved, multicolor track, synthetic and locked coifs reify the out-of-control Black female body that needs to be-like her hair- tamed. In both film and music video, hair signifies class.”(41)  This quote shows the change of in times how hair and body image signifies wealth and class.  As Beyoncé has progressed into the 2000’s she wears less braids than she once did in the late 90’s and early 2000’s but she is constantly seen in public with her natural curls proving that hair does not have to define a person.  Even though hair and the booty have been glamorized Beyoncé portrays a classy image wearing her hair the way she likes and wearing outfits that are comfortable not just outfits that show off her famous asset.

After reading this piece about Beyoncé I was able to compare her to the other groups discussions based on Nicki Minaj and Rihanna.  Although hip hop is sexualizing women Beyoncé still holds herself to a higher standard inspiring girls and women everywhere.

Women in Hip Hop

Lauren Turcotte
Women and Pop Culture
3/27/15

     This week in class we've really focused on women in hip hop and how much of an impact they have make and how different artist vary. One artist that I personally liked talking about was Nicki Minaj. She is so relevant and she was considered a sexy female figure with a big butt. When her video Anaconda was released it was such a big deal because it was considered risky and sexy because all it did was extenuate her butt. Some people found this was taking it too far but others thought that was just what Hip Hop music was supposed to be. Although she was just known for being sexy she wanted to be known as someone who could do whatever she wanted too, regardless of the media. She made some sort of statement saying that she wanted to be a role model for girls and wanted them to know that they could be anything they wanted to be. I could relate a lot to the comments the reading was making about her because she is in the media a lot so it is fresh in my mind what she’s up to. There are a lot of differences between  an artist like Nicki and Missy Elliot. While I was looking up things that Missy was famous for doing, I found myself comparing the things Nicki does in her videos with Missy’s. There is a wide range of how sexualized they are but in completely different ways. For example, Missy never felt like she had to portray herself in a sexy way and would wear baggy clothes in her videos. Nicki, on the other hand, would wear clothes that barely covered her just so she could show off certain body parts. I thought this reading did a great job at covering every angle of the Hip Hop music industry. Hip Hop was always sort of considered as a sexualized type of music but adding artist like Nicki takes it to an extreme. I wonder if the new and upcoming artists feel as though the only way they can make it in pop culture is to be sexy. Nicki Minaj has certainty made it a lot more difficult to compete with her. 

blogpost8

Kristen Coyne

3-27-15

Blog post #8

            In class this week we discussed African American females in hip hop. We also read the article, “Check On it Beyoncé, Southern booty, and Black femininities in music video, which talked about Beyoncé’s role in hip hop and the infamous “booty” that black women are often associated with. Beyoncé has a very large impact on females all over the world, and since she is so popular, she is often idolized by women. A part of Beyoncé’s popularity is based off of her “voluptuous” body. When black women see her skinny waist and big booty, they want to attain that look. As Aisha Durham states, “It is possible that Black girls negotiate beauty standards by rejecting waif bodies but accept the thin waist and curvaceous bottom, which is a different kind of unattainable beauty nonetheless” (Durham 37) Colored women being associated with this body type makes them feel that they need to attain it to be beautiful, which is obviously not the case. That is not a common body type and as Durham says it is unattainable. This stereotype is so degrading to Black women because it strips them of all their talent and beauty, and makes them feel that they need this body type to be seen as beautiful.  

Blog Post 8

Caroline Stevens
Women and Pop Culture
3/27/15



                   The past few weeks in class we have been discussing about women in hip hop. We focused on Nikki Minaj, Beyoncé, Miss Elliot and other artists. These women are very sexual in their music videos, but besides them, there are a lot more famous singers who are more sexual than them. All these women love to dance as you would be able to tell if you watched some of their music videos. These women are judged by society for the way that they dance. They can't be sexy even if they are just doing it for themselves. All three of these women are good role models are younger girls. They may define feminism differently but they know what they are doing when they are in music videos and know if they are doing it for themselves or for men. In Nikki Minaj's music video "Anaconda", Nikki was shaking her booty to an extent that people would judge her after seeing that and she did not seem to care. That is what I like about Nikki because she does not let society's rude comments get to her and she just minds her own business. If she is happy doing what she is doing, why would people want to make rude comments? These women are just trying to be themselves and to let nothing bother them. That is why they are good role models because it teaches younger girls to just be you and do not let anything come in between that. Beyoncé's music video "Check On It", lets people know who watch it to just have fun. In the music video you can clearly see that Beyoncé is just being herself and having fun. Beyoncé does not shake her booty as much as Nikki does, but they both do it and it is not coming back into the media. In my opinion, it is becoming more popular because more female singers are starting to just show off their butt more. It is also becoming more popular to show off more skin. Yes, people may think of the female singers in a different way if they are becoming more sexual in their videos, but they are more than that. They are able to send a message out to younger girls and be able to express who they really are. People might not except who they are but they do and that is all that matters. Beyoncé and Nikki are two very different people but they both mean well. They both dress differently from others especially Nikki, who has very interesting outfits, but that is okay. People dress differently especially famous singers. I've learned that it does not matter what famous singers do. Let them live life the way they want to. Society should just judge them for the way they dance or if they are being to sexual. It does not matter what they think of feminism or if they are a feminist or not, they are believe in what they think is right and there is nothing wrong with that. Miss Elliot, Beyoncé and Nikki Minaj are all popular and no one will ever be them so I say let them dress and dance how ever they want.

Blog Post

Mindy Lara

Professor Santos

27 March 2015

Blog Post

           

Missy Elliott and Nicki Minaj

This week we had group discussions, mainly based on Missy Elliott, Nicki Minaj, and Beyoncé because we were discussing Hip-hop and they are incredibly known for their music.  Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliott are two different rappers and in my opinion I don’t compare them because they did music for two completely different generations growing up. I love Missy Elliott but some people don’t because they never listened to her stuff but they do know of Nicki Minaj because she is famous now. I love them both but they both are about different things.

Missy Elliott is more of a tom boy and even if that’s how they dressed back in the day that is still the way she dresses now. Nicki Minaj is much more of the girly type. They clearly rap about different things but again I think it’s because of the time period. Nicki Minaj would get a lot of black lash for the way she used to dress but her songs were always a hit and as soon as she started off her career she was rapping alongside of very famous rappers. Unlike Missy Elliott who mostly did things herself and was a big hit like that.

I know about Missy Elliott because when I was a child my mother would listen to her. I don’t ever remember her saying that she was a bad role model and I shouldn’t dance along when her music videos would come up. Nicki Minaj on the other hand is the opposite with parents now a day; they don’t want their children listening to her music because it’s ridiculous. I agree with them because if you are that famous and believe that you will only be targeting a specific audience you are wrong! Kids and their technology today can access anything and artist like Nicki Minaj need to realize that. I have seen videos of when Nicki sees little kids that she tells them to stay in school and to do good in school but not many get to see that and only see her music videos and listen to her music. I love her anyway but the messages that go across when she makes music videos isn't the most positive thing, i guess. What do you think?

Blog 8

Morgan Bilodeau

March 27, 2015

        Beyoncé and her Body

            Beyoncé has been a hip-hop icon for many years. People know her for her amazing music but some also know her for her curvaceous body and her booty. Her body is iconic for sexuality in the hip-hop world. Now a day people adore and favor Beyoncé’s body type, which is (in some peoples minds) sexy. In the excerpt “”Check on it”” by Aisha Durham, Durham writes,  “Beyoncé’s celebration of her voluptuous figure has incrementally transformed beauty industries” (36).  Durham then goes to write, “A recent study correlating media exposure to body disturbance suggests Black and White women have become more dissatisfied with their lower torso with increased television viewing”(37).  Seeing these women in the media with their full-figured bodies is just adding to the list of what women feel like they need to look like. It was first, women need to look skinny and thin figured now, its looking full figured with curves. A girl can’t get a break. I think that women come in all shapes and sizes. Women need to stop watching these hip-hop stars with their full figure bodies and feel like they need to have the same butt, waist, and boobs as them. Everyone is born how they are and everyone is born beautiful. Yes, you may think that how Beyoncé looks is the right way to look but in reality you are the right way to look and girls need to start realizing that. They need to start realizing that everyone has their own body shape and to own it.