Objectification Of Women In Music Videos

A key emergent theme present in the music videos screened for this discussion post is the objectification of the female body. Female objectification is, in essence, when women are deconstructed for the sexual enjoyment of another individual (Burgess & Burpo, 2012). As previously discussed, women in music videos (and other forms of popular culture) are often represented in parts, instead of a whole. In advertisements, for example, women are frequently displayed in body parts, such as their lips, legs, eyes, breasts, or stomach. When women are represented in parts, they are portrayed as objects, not humans. In other word, “when objectified, women are treated as bodies – and in particular, as bodies that exist for the use and pleasure of others” (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997, p. 175).
750). This narrow representation of women in the media can be understood as contributing to a culture of violence against women. By representing women as objects, they are effectively dehumanized. The dehumanization of individuals can lead to violence; it is much easier, emotionally, to mistreat an object than a human