Degree Name
Master of Science
Graduate Program
Mass Communication and Media Arts
Advisor
Karan, Kavita
Abstract
Misogyny in the hip-hop culture has played a major role in the representation of women in society, and their glorification as sex objects in music videos is becoming popular and inevitable. Women are often objectified in Hip Hop music and this research project presents how women are being used as targets for objectification in music videos and the violent treatment by men in these videos are analyzed. Author Murali (2010) mentions that black womanhood has become more closely connected to postmodern identity and resistance. The post hip-hop era, feminists and media critics brought up the idea of who controls the female body, the self-identity of black women in music videos and exploitation of their sexuality. The misconceptions of women being the main targets of misuse, abuse and violence in music videos causes problems among the blacks’ market; meaning that black women need to set a higher standard for themselves to become a better asset to their communities. Rappers' bad lyrics and violent attitudes are issues that cause black women to feel powerless in society. Hip hop artists' goals are to become better rappers, make more money, and express lyrics without boundaries as part of the hip-hop industry at the expense of exploiting women. Thus study through a content analysis of music videos examines the portrayal and the extent of objectification of women in a sample of the music videos of famous rap artists.