Getting Started

What is your artifact: Pop star music videos, Pitbull music videos.

What do you want to say about it: Many music videos today sexualize and dehumanize women. It is degrading and creates a toxic environment for women growing up.

How would you describe the artifact: In the music videos you see women in little to no clothing, often bathing suits. They have a full face of makeup and their hair is perfectly curled, etc. The camera focuses in on a certain body part that makes these women look more desirable based on societal norms (breasts, butt, etc.). A lot of women act as mens counterparts, they surround men or fancy objects such as cars and boats. Also women are shown with alcoholic beverages.

Who is helping you say what you want to say: In her lecture about advertisements and social media today, Kilbourne emphasizes that "Just as it's difficult to be healthy in a toxic physical environment... So it’s difficult to be healthy in what I call a ‘toxic cultural environment,’ an environment that surrounds us with unhealthy images and constantly sacrifices our health and our sense of well being for the sake of profit"(Kilbourne). She exemplifies the idea that in todays society we are surrounded with images of false reality. This means models and images in advertisements are not real and not whom we should compare ourselves to. These advertisement influence our views and try to promote stereotypes and emphasize societal "norms", which in turn creates a toxic environment.

In her lecture about culture criticism to the audience, Kilbourne acknowledges “...The body language of girls is usually passive, vulnerable, and very different from the body language of boys and men.  Women are often shown in very silly poses, whereas men are generally afforded dignity and strength, even as children”(Kilbourne). She explains that women are presented in ways that influence other people actions. Sometimes when they are shown as passive men then are violent and overpowering because they believe that it is their role. As people today we need to think critically and understand that these objectified women do not represent women as a whole. Thinking critically is an important skill to master in todays society with all the false news and fake propaganda.

Jean Kilbourne. "Killing Us Softly 4 Advertising's Image of Women" Youtube, February 7th, 2018,      -                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnAY6S4_m5I October 19th, 2018.

How do I get this thing started: The presence of a flamboyant yacht overwhelms the computer screen as a young girl begins to watch the music video to her favorite song. A predominant, assumed to be wealthy man dressed in a white clean cut suit stands on the deck adjusting his designer watch. It is difficult to focus your eyes on this man as he stands acting like his position of wealth is a typical day for him, because he is surrounded by beautiful women. All the women have on sexy bathing suits and they all show off their perfect bodies. These women are standing and laying down to show off their smooth legs and large breasts. Also, they are all drinking pretty alcoholic beverages that look tasty. The young girl watches the music video Fun by Pitbull featuring Chris Brown, and takes it all in and whether she critically analyzes this video or not, she is influenced and is pulled into the toxic environment we live in today.