This BBC THREE documentary revealed the 'behind-the-scenes' footage of Hip-Hop music videos and the female dancers that seem to make the video a real success. It shows just how much some women want this 'Hip Hop Honey' lifestyle and the extents to which they are willing to go to, in order to achieve this aspiration. I also gained a detailed understanding as to why these women wish to become 'Hip Hop Honeys' and managed to obtain a male perspective on these women.
One of the key reasons as to why most of the interviewed women chose their lifestyle as a 'Hip Hop Honey' was because they felt that by using their sexuality, they were exploiting males through their sexual desires, and in turn, empowering themselves as women by making money. This post-feminist (and arguably, manipulated) perspective, is reinforced by one of the interviewed 'Hip Hop Honey' wannabe's; twenty-three year old, single mum Shereece, whose interview greatly reflected these beliefs. Shereece explained that her desperate aim to break into the Hip Hop industry as a videogirl was her way of gaining confidence and liberation as a woman. She truly felt that in becoming a videogirl, she would be exploiting men through their weaknesses of sexual desire as she would've been making money from them. Shereece said that only on the surface would it seem as though women were being exploited and in reality the case was vice versa. For Shereece, obtaining a lifestyle like this would be a dream as she would be 'making money through exploiting men' and also would feel confident as a woman in being the object of sexual desire and pleasure for many males. However, is this really exemplary of the exploitation of men, or has this ideology been manipulated to fit the lifestyles of those who are being sexually exploited (women)? Is the only way for a woman to feel confident and liberated through the male libido and physical male attention?
As opposed to this, the documentary also proposed a conflicting argument suggesting that women are sexually objectified and expoilted through Hip Hop music videos. When twenty year old videogirl Tashie J attends a video shooting for a So Solid Crew song, the behind-the-scenes footage exposes us to a brutal truth, expressed by a member of the band: He bluntly explains that 'sexy girls can brainwash a male audience into liking even the most rubbish of songs'. This openly expressed opinion reinforces the idea of women being exploited through their sexuality as the music is only enjoyed for the exposure of a women's sexual assets. The documentary also reveals a harsh fact; very few video dancers get paid or even expect to get paid. So really, most of these women are making it seem okay for them to be exploited as they have no expectations of being paid for their service even though they are being sexualy exposed through music videos.
This leads nicely onto the view of this sexual exploitation of women, negatively influencing young men in their attitudes and behaviours towards other women in society. The documentary presenter, takes the audience to the outside of a popular night club, where she asks some of the club-goers questions regarding male perpectives on women today, in relation to clubbing and their role in Hip Hop music videos. One male in particular said that women themselves 'immitate videogirls' in their dancing and overall behaviours, causing them to act as though they have little respect for themselves. This in turn causes the men to feel as though the women have little dignity and treat them with little respect and as 'slags', in the same ways that videogirls are. This again suggests that the female gender is being exploited rather than males, but also suggests that women are quite happy to be exploited in this sexual manner as many are reproducing the video girl image in clubs.
Ultimately, this documentary enlightened me in understanding both a male and female view of the representation of women in Hip Hop music videos. The male view of women in music videos as being nothing more than women with little respect for themselves, is an ideology that I can comprehend. However whether males are the ones being exploited for their libido as opposed to women is what I think is a negotiated understanding of the truth: Some women just won't admit to their own exploitation.
This documentary can benefit me when it comes to making decisions about my final project. More specifically, it can encourage me to think carefully about everything that I decide to involve in my music video for my promotional artist. It causes me to feel that their is a strong need for thought when creating a music video which later will be broadcasted on televsion, as a vast majority of the audience may create negotiated meanings of my music video in the same way that representations of videogirls have been negotiated and manipulated by through the perspective of both men and women. If I want little negotiated meaning beings interpreted, then I must ensure the messages conveyed are vivid and strong to any audience.
Akon's song 'I Wanna Love You' is a prime example of what could be interpreted in conveying both contradicting views. You be the judge:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJzF7H2e3Tw
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