Blog 6

In his video, “The Boss” featuring T Pain, Rick Ross portrays himself as a successful Black man. In the process, he makes use of some major stereotypes on race and gender. The video opens with a Rick Ross boasting about his sexual abilities. The scene changes to him lying on a large bed talking on the phone; he appears to be annoyed. A black woman dressed in black lingerie climbs on top of him and becomes the victim of his annoyance; she is brutally pushed aside. He then sits up throws his cell phone forcefully to the ground, it shatters to pieces. The act of pushing the woman and forcefully throwing the cell phone to its breakage are results of aggression and violence. This can be attributed to a gender related stereotype that aggression and violence are characteristics of masculinity. After he pushed her, the lady humbly lies down on the bed without saying a word. This can be attributed to a common stereotype that feminine individuals are passive and submissive. These stereotypes were also noted by Aaron Devor in “Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes”. He stated, “These two clusters of attributes are most commonly seen as the mirror image of one another with masculinity usually characterized by dominance and aggression, and femininity by passivity and submission.”

 In this video, Rick Ross constructs a racial stereotype of Black people. In one of the scenes he boasts about the amount of money he made selling drugs. He states, “I made a couple million dollars last year dealing weight, still in the streets strapped with them thangs”. The term “strapped” here refers to having a gun. Having a gun is a display of aggression because guns are used to inflict terror and pain. This show of aggression, Rick Ross associates with one of the reasons females love him. Following this line, he sings, “She is in love with a G so she tattooed my name Ross” the term “G” is derived from the word gangsta. Gangsta can have two interpretations these are; a criminal who is a member of a gang or an aggressive type of music
focused on gang culture and violence; also called gangster rap. In the music videos like this one, black people are often represented as drug dealers, bank robbers and gang members. This is as a result of a racial stereotype of Black people as rough, aggressive people. The video also demonstrates this when Rick Ross goes to collect money from one his street retailers, who then begs for an additional day since he does not have Rick’s money. The artiste makes a call and says to the person, “Come deal with this”; a young man male approximately thirteen to fourteen years old quickly appears and snatches the customer’s chain from his neck. Rick Ross then winks at the young lady who was with the retailer and she smiles approvingly and admiringly at him. The scene then changes to the artiste lying in bed sandwiched by two women. Rick Ross is obviously in control and the customer’s girlfriend from her reaction finds him appealing. This doesn’t just end on the stereotype that Black males are aggressive, it extends to stereotype that Black females also approve of this and are in fact aggressive as well.

Blog 5 - Carryout

In Timberland and Justin Timberlake’s Hip Hop video “Carry Out”, one of the first things the viewer notices is the race of the singers. Timberland is Black and Justin Timberlake is white, therefore it would be accurate to assume that the message being portrayed should apply to both races. The only males present throughout the three minutes and fifty-five seconds video are the artistes, however numerous females are present.

When the video starts a scantily clad woman dances provocatively in front a neon light which reads, “Drive in” large lighted arrows blink periodically and points to the drive in sign. The scene quickly changes to the artiste singing in front of the sign. The first line of the song compliments the lady; it says, “Baby you’re looking fire hot”. The second line is also directed at the female, “I’ll have you open all night like an I-Hop” it is blatant the artiste is boasting about this sexual abilities. Stereotypically a male’s sexual abilities are a significant aspect of his masculinity. Timberland in the first verse sings, “I can tell the way you like it baby supersized” clearly implies that he believes that females prefer men with larger penis. Stereotypical masculinity attributes the size of a man’s penis directly proportional to his masculinity therefore the larger his penis the more masculine the man is. Further in the video two similar looking women dressed in identical white clothing have the number three written on their backs.The artistes have branded them like cattle and refer to them as two number threes which belittles them. It also suggests they are not unique but just numbers.

The women in this video are competing for the attention of the artiste. They are all wearing seductive outfits. In one scene Justin Timberlake is dressed in a white and black suit while sitting on a throne as two black women dressed in sexy maid outfits serve him. Timberland is also somewhere in the same background also sitting in a throne; he wears a black suit and is also being served by black women. The men are relaxing while the women take care of them by serving them food and entertaining them by dancing. This on the other hand agrees with Devor statements that, “Warm and continued relations with men and an interest in maternity require that females be heterosexually oriented. A heterosexual orientation requires women to dress, move, speak and act in ways that men will find attractive.” In this scene they sing, “Baby get my order right no errors”. They are using a commanding tone to talk to the women showing superiority. The women are passive and subservient; the key role of the women in this video is to please the men. Stereotypically femininity dictates that females dress to show the bare skin and place emphasis on sexual characteristics, this also explains the significance of the sexy maid outfits, however, the males are fully clothed to demonstrate their hierarchy. Devor states, “Speech and dress which likewise demonstrate or claim superior status are also seen as characteristically masculine behavior pattern.”

The video also objectifies women the chorus repeatedly states, “Take my order cause your body like a carryout let me walk into your body till it's lights out Turn me on my baby don't you cut me out”. This likens the female body to food containers which are used by restaurants for customers who do not wish to eat in. The Drive in sign prior in the video also suggests this. Drive Ins are convenient common cheap Fast food restaurants like McDonalds and KFC utilize them for customers who do not have the time to dine inside. The male artiste by referring to the female’s body as a drive in and a carry out container are basically saying they have no time to waste getting to know her as long as she meets their sexual needs she is fulfilling her purpose. The facts that carry out containers are mostly made of plastic which are cheap and recyclable, also spread a light on how the artistes view females. Most restaurants do not charge for carry out containers, because they are easily disposable and obtain. This implies that the artistes view the females as cheap and worthless, and at their disposal. Food in carry out containers can be easily customized to the buyer's taste which suggests women are no different

Also, in this video there aren’t a lot of white women present. The only blonde white woman was seen in one of the first scenes taking the orders of Timberland and some other artist. However, the dancers in this video are either Black or Hispanic. In most music videos that involve sexual dancing, white women are rarely used as the dancers; this is due the stereotype that white women do not make much of good dancers. In videos like this one, Black and Hispanic women are often used; this is due to the stereotype that Black and Hispanic women usually have big butts, as a result, make very good sexual dancers.

Blog 4

In an ad on YouTube for Confederate Family Insurance, the narrator says “A man fills many roles in his life time; Provider, Protector, Master of the house. As a father you have a vital role in your family’s life. They depend on you to be there. We help to make sure you can fulfill that promise because, no matter what they call you, at the end of the day you know you are just Dad. Confederate Family Insurance: for over one hundred years protecting the people and their property” The ad shows a white man relaxing in his porch as a colored-skin maid serves him a drink, as he watches his wife and daughter play. It seems like the wife was teaching the little girl how to ride a bike. The little girl rides off like as the parents watch her and falls at some point on the way. Then, the man runs off as the supposed protector of his family to get his little girl. Then, as the ad was about to end, out of no-where it shows a Latino man cutting grass behind the family and then he turns and smiles to the camera.

All along in the ad, as the narrator says the great things about how a man is the provider and protector of his family, the ad shows the white family. Then, towards the end, as it says “protecting the people …” it shows just the white family, and then, the moment it says “… and their property” it shows the Latino man cutting grass. Notice the singular in the “Property.”  What was the ad referring to as property? Why would the ad show a Latino man exactly the second it says property? This could be viewed in different ways. On the one hand, representing the colored man, as he was working for the white man, as their property, can be viewed as portraying slavery; the owner “the white man” and his property “the Latino.” Referring to the Latino man as a property, shows that the makers of this ad view him as less than human. On the other hand, the ad can be viewed as making use of social stereotypes of Latinos; they are usually, stereotypically seen as maids, cleaners, gardeners.

Michael Omi stated, “Even the “good” person of color usually exist as a foil in the novels and films to underscore the intelligence, courage, and virility of the white male hero.” In this ad, the white man was presented as the hero; the wealthy man who writes checks and provides for his family; the strong man who protects for his family, while the Latino was presented as a low-life gardener. There are lots of rich Latino families in today’s society who have better lives than that of the white man in the ad. The makers of this ad could have chosen any other race for main characters in this ad, but instead they deliberately chose to use a white family. This goes on to support Michael Omi’s statement.

Confederate Family Insurance

Blog 3

                                                      

This Skyy vodka ad was clearly made with a specific demographic in mind, which is rather interesting considering the fact that vodka is a product that can and is consumed by people of all genders, sexualities, races  and class. The ad uses white male and female actors. This ad makes some assumptions about the viewer.

First, judging from the settings in this ad, it can be concluded that this ad was clearly made to appeal to males. Looking closer one would see that the man in the ad is comfortably seated while the woman is standing. The man is the only one holding a glass of skyy vodka. The woman is then presented as a reward that is associated with drinking the vodka. Why couldn’t it be the other way round? Why couldn’t the man be presented as a gift to the woman for drinking skyy vodka? The conclusion here is that this ad assumes women to be a subordinate to men; therefore it focuses more its male viewers.

Second, this ad assumes that the viewer here is a heterosexual male who would be enticed by an attractive female. Why couldn’t the ad use two homosexual males or two lesbians? Considering that homosexuality isn’t exactly a strongly accepted thing in the general society, it might give some negative impressions on the drink. For instance, heterosexual males might not want to buy the drink to avoid being seen gay by the people around them. Even homosexual men who have not fully accepted into the society might also not buy the drink to avoid putting a tab on themself. Given the above reasons, the ad uses the norms of the society to avoid creating a negative impression that would induce bad business.

Furthermore, the ad uses white male and female. The ad would still work if the actors here were Black or Hispanic or Asian. In the general society, white people are mainly seen as superior both socially and financially. The producers of the ad probably reasoned that it would make more sense using white people than using minorities whom might not afford the drink.

Finally, looking at background in the ad, outside the window is a beautiful view showing sky scrapers with beautiful lights. This looks like some place that could be found in Manhattan. An apartment or hotel room with such a view cannot be afforded by everyone. The ad assumes the viewers to be persons of higher class in the society.

BLOG 2 - Advertisement

A three page ad for men’s cologne enhances some stereotypes of gender differences. The ad asks “Do you want to be the one she tells her deep, dark secrets to? Or do you want to be her deep, dark secret?” The last page advises men “Don‘t be such a good boy.” In this ad, a man stands while two identical blonde women lean on him. The women look at the man adoringly, but he doesn’t look at either one of them; he doesn’t seem to be paying any attentions to either one of them. One of the women pulls the man’s shirt from the left and looks at him like she seriously needs his attention. The other woman leans on the man’s right shoulder and gives him an “I know what you are thinking” look, but still looked like she needs his attention herself. The man smiles with his hands crossed. This ad appeals to certain type of audience of which is primarily alpha males.

The man crosses his hands and smiles so arrogantly while the women seek his attention. Judging from the settings, he seems not to care about them. He appears to be confident in himself, probably, because he feels he is in control of the women. According to “Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes” by Aaron Devor, egoistic dominance, self-confidence and tough appearance are characteristics of masculinity. Furthermore, the man wears a loose silky black shirt with the upper buttons open showing his chest. According to Devor, wearing clothes that show body size and structure appears to be masculine.

The ad asks “Do you want to be her deep, dark secret?” and also says “Don’t be such a good boy”, from looking at setting of the ad, the secret could only be one thing; the man is probably sleeping with both of the women. The whole idea of a man sleeping with two identical women without the knowledge of either one of them shows deceit. This act works in favor of a popular stereotype among women that all men are liars and cheats.

Judging from the setting of the ad, the two women crave the man’s attention but he ignores them. This ad thereby depicts women as weak, submissive to attractive men and attention hungry. Submissive behaviors, by Devor, are characterized as feminine behavior. Further insight on the ad reveals that it suggests that beautiful women are attracted to men who ignore them or perhaps mistreat them. This ad is dangerous in the sense that it degrades women and encourages men to disrespect and mistreat women. It also promotes the belief about women being the weakest in the society.