Adult Candyland: The Sexualization of Women in Music Videos
Who doesn’t love watching a scantily clad woman rub cake all over her body or frolic around in a pool of pink liquid? Fergie’s “Fergalicious” music video released in 2009 and Nicki Minaj’s “Superbass” music video from 2011 feature these scenes, highly sexualizing the two singers and placing them in a role of male entertainment. It is important to note that Nicki’s Trinidadian ethnicity does affect the way her video is perceived and adds another layer to her analysis. “Superbass” can be looked at through a more critical lens because of the way she takes the typically idealized white version of Barbie and makes it her own. For this analysis however, I focus on the similarities in the aesthetic and content of the two videos and how they result in a problematic portrayal of women.
The aesthetics of the two videos, though slightly different, evoke very similar emotions from the audience. The main setting of “Fergalicious” is a candyland or factory named “Fergieland.” There are life-sized candy canes lining the street and the background dancers are dressed in bright colors. Somewhat similarly, the central setting of “Superbass” is a dream-like world with ice sculpture speakers and pink barbie cars and planes. The videos are juvenile in their settings (candyland and barbie life) but the subjects within the video are sexualized and exotic. It creates a unique aesthetic that is intriguing but at the same time quite off-putting. Why is Fergie half naked in a childhood dream land? I remember watching this video as an eight-year-old thinking how awesome that place must be... but then also being confused why she was rolling around in the candy instead of eating it.
The videos follow a very similar structure in terms of cutting and editing. Both videos have multiple interlaced scenes of which we see snippets throughout. For example, in “Fergalicious,” there are seven versions of Fergie: Fergie in in the factory, Fergie in “Fergieland,” Fergie as a girl scout, Fergie exercising, Fergie lying in a pile of candy, Fergie dancing with Black Eyed Peas, and Fergie emerging from a lifesize cake. Yes, these are real. The constant switching between scenes keeps audience attention. In “Superbass,” we see Nicki in Barbie Land, Nicki dancing with clones, Nicki splashing in a pool of pink liquid, and glow in the dark Nicki. In both videos, one of the “versions” is a closeup where the singer is the only person in the frame and all she does is sing to the camera in a sensual manner. This style of music video editing is prevalent across many genres. It holds audience attention and gives more opportunity for the artists to create a narrative in their videos.
Though the settings of both videos give off naive vibes, the videos themselves are very sexual. Andi Zeisler and Stuart Hall would have various concerns with how the women are portrayed. Zeisler would immediately argue that they subject Fergie and Nicki Minaj to the male gaze (Zeisler, 2008). The singers are objectified through their revealing outfits and seductive actions. The camera often fixates on their (mostly naked) bodies and in “Superbass,” the men in the background just stare at Nicki while she splashes around in the pool. She is quite literally placed in the male gaze. Examining the videos through this lens, it is clear to see that the females are stereotyped. Stuart Hall explains stereotyping as being “reduced to a few essentials,” (Hall, 1997, pg. 249). In the case of these videos, the singers are reduced to performers and objects for men to enjoy. When they touch and dance with the men seductively or rub cake or pour liquid on their own bodies, they further reduce themselves to what men view as the essentials. There are several scenes in “Superbass” of men sitting in chairs while women dance erotically on top of them. Fergie literally emerges from a lifesize cake and rubs it sensually over her bare body simply to entertain the men around her. They are definitely not doing these things for their own fun! Even in their own music videos, the singers are not controlling their own environment, they are placed in a position of entertainment for men. Additionally, Hall might argue that the intersection of their sexualization and the attractiveness of Nicki and Fergie serves as an example of naturalizing difference. Naturalizing difference is the way that majority groups justify their marginalization of minority groups. Naturalizing difference helps create stereotypes and fixed meanings in society (Hall, 1997). These music videos see women as beautiful and talented, and therefore they should be of enjoyment to men. It is almost as if to say that Nicki and Fergie are so attractive and so sexualized that the men have no chance resisting them.
Despite all the ways in which these music videos impose the male gaze onto Nicki Minaj and Fergie, both videos were directed by females! Zeisler suggests that in order for feminist pop culture to exist, there must be more representation of women and more women in production (2008). “Fergalicious” and “Superbass” have both, yet somehow still perpetuate the cycle of bad representation. Fatima Robinson and Sanaa Hamri had the opportunity to change the narrative and reshape the way Fergie and Nicki were presented but instead stuck to the pattern of what sells. The media industry is defined by and embedded in the male gaze and ultimately, people just want to make money. And there we have it. The vicious cycle of patriarchal power is created.
References
Hall, S. (1997). Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices. Newbery Park, CA: Sage, pp. 225-249
Zeisler, A. (2008). Feminism and pop culture. New York, NY: Seal Press. Pp. 1-21
Fergie. (2009). Fergalicious [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T0utQ- XWGY
Nicki Minaj. (2011). Superbass [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JipHEz53sU
This is a wonderful blog, Izzy! I really enjoyed your writing style; it felt intimate yet very informative. I was entertained from the beginning to the end and learned a lot about Fergie and Nicki Minaj’s positioning in the music industry. Your analysis of both videos is fascinating, especially in comparing the different settings. I agree that there is some intention behind the youthful settings of both videos, perhaps positioning women as naive and submissive, like children. I also think your analysis of the camera work is well done. You discuss the camera’s fixation on Nicki Minaj’s body, revealing her deliberate positioning as an object for males to perceive. Your use of Hall, specifically his theory of “naturalizing differences,” is fascinating. I wonder if responses to these music videos are also an example of naturalizing differences. Men often scrutinize female rap artists for promoting a hypersexual version of the female and the objectification of women. Men, as the majority groups, are thus justifying their marginalization of women by blaming their position in society as a result of their sexual nature.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly to Hall’s “naturalizing differences,” Sarah Banet Weiser explores feminism as a commodity. However, Banet Weiser takes a more positive approach to the branding of women noting, “This kind of sexualized objectification, seen historically as a misogynist practice that contained and managed women, is legible in new ways within brand culture” (p. 83). Instead of viewing Nicki Minaj and Fergie’s videos as a perpetuation of the male gaze, Sara Benet Weiser inspires a different approach that views their videos as an extension of third-wave feminism: a movement primarily devoted to empowerment over women’s sexuality. What if Nicki Minaj and Fergie enjoy playing in the candyland settings and encourage specific camera angles? Perhaps, instead of offering a hypersexual vision of the women, they are offering an anthem of empowerment, one that frees women from their patriarchal tendencies. It is crucial to consider the female’s decision in producing music because these videos may genuinely be a self-branding tactic that aims to target women who want to reclaim their sexuality instead of men who prey on their sexualization.
- Libby Collins