People’s ideas about gender can be influencede by the portrayal of woman in hip-hop music videos. The videos that have been studied in class include; ‘Candy Shop’ by 50 cent, ‘My House’ by Flo Rida and ‘Sweat’ by Snoop Dogg. All three of these videos demonstrate women in a provocative mannar. The woman appear to all have dark skin, dark features, long legs, a toned body and big breats.
In ‘Sweat by Snoop Dogg’s the lyrics state he is talking about a brown eyed girl, ‘I’m lookin’ in your big brown eyes. . They wear minimal clothing to show off their hour-glass body shape to the artist of the song in the music ideos and also to the audience including men and woman of all ages at home watching the video. All three songs are sung and performed by male artists and in the music videos each artist has many girls dancing over and around them suductively to please them sexually which objectifies them as a sexual object.
With the women portrayed as sexual objects and surrounded by expsensive items like flash cars, big houses and champange this symbolises them as an accessory to men, which makes any male sitting at home envy the artists for the wealth and woman that they are surrounded with. Because the woman in all three videos are displayed in a very similar way this shows to us that the hip-hop music industry uses womans bodies sexually to gain more listeners and viewers because in society ‘sex sells’ and people continue to support the culture of hip-hop.
Males ideas about gender are influenced by hip-hop music videos because it will show them that the males always have empoverment over woman and that society supports this. They may expect that all woman will be interested in being a sexual object for them and pleasing them. Men will believe that woman re entilited to meet their sexual desires and men will also think that for a woman to look ‘sexy’ she must have the hourglass shape and dark features that the woman in these videos have.
These videos present the males as hetrosexual and their sexual behaviour/sexual attraction is only towards a female, males at home will be influenced by the sexually orinetation displayed by the male artists and believe that for them to be as ‘cool’ as the male artists they must be hetrosexual. Females ideas about gender are influenced by hip-hop music videos because of the way they see other woman portrayed. Woman may think that in order for a male to find them sexually attractive they must look a certain way and it is expected of her to show off her body.
Woman may think they have to behave in front of a male sexually to please him as it is the woman jobs and that this is what society supports. In Snoop Doggs music video ‘Sweat’ we see the images of females kissing and touching each other sexually to please a male, this suggests bisexuality in females is accepted and that homosexual behaviour in females is accepted in society, although only to please a man. The values of social justice are not being encouraged in relation o gender because of the discriminatory against females in hip- hop music videos.
Social justice is a value that everyone both male and female deserves equal rigths and opportunites. The three hip-hop music videos studies show unfairness in society between gender roles, woman are portrayed in an unrealistic way because everyone looks and acts different in real life and woman even all bahave different sexually. Males and females should be treated equaly so for a woman to be portrayed as a sexual object for a man this is going against the values and rights a woman holds. In society males expect respect from females so females deserve the same respect from males.
As a society we have come a long way with women being treated as equals. However, these videos do not portray them as equals at all. If social justice is not encouraged this can affect a persons overall Hauora negatively. It can lead to a drop in their Taha hinengaro (mental and emotional well-being) because people they aren’t up the expectations of a partner because they may look or act differently to the females in the music industry. This would then lead to a drop in a persons Taha tinana (physical well-bei f they decide to not eat as much to get the figure of these woman or excessively exercise to become this desired shape by man.
It can lead to depression, self-harm, eating problems, etc. increasesing the amount of people needing to go to doctors, physcologists and support groups. In the 2012/2013 New Zealand Health Survey, one in six New Zealadn adults had been diagnosed with a common mental disorder at some time in their lives, including; depression, bipolar and aniety). This would affect their Taha hinengaro severely and could lead to suicide, figures from the Ministry of Health show that in 2011 here were 478 New Zealanders who died by suicide.
A societal strategy to encourage social justice in relation to the issue of how peoples ideas of gender are influenced by hip-hop music in society involves the whole community working together. A socital strategy needs to envolve the key values of social justice including equal rights and opportunites. New Zealand already has a societal stratedy including a political determinant; same-sex or homosexual marriage is legal. Since 19 August 2013. This law influences the idea of gender roles to both male and female that homosexuality is suported and both etrosexual and homosexual are accepted in New Zealand society.
A strategy with a political determinant could be to put R ratings on hip-hop songs that promote women in a discriminatory way because these videos are accessible to all ages over the internet on sites like youtube. Younger audiences are influenced by these videos more than older audiences because they are still figuring out their own personal beliefs and persepctives as well as their gender identity, because of the way woman are seen in hip-hop music videos it can have a big affect on how people especially females view their gender identity.
This strategy will encourage social justice because young kids won’t be influenced by this sexual culture so early hence giving them more time to become and resepct themselves. Another societal strategy with a cultural determinant is for communties including schools, afterschool services, life groups, and support groups to offer more understanding around this issue.
Especially in schools gender roles, sexual identity and social justice isn’t talked about enough so people aren’t aware of how much they are actually getting influenced by the culture of videos like these. If ideas of gender are talked about amoung people more often and from a younger age in school their attitudes, values and behavious will become more postive and people will learn about the rights both male and female have therefor everyone will treat eachother much more equaly.
An interpersonal strategy to encourage social justice requires effective communitcation between people within a community. To contibute to the societal strategy an interpersonal strategy is to ensure you are open minded to others and that you respect each other. People are more likely going to feel comfortable ith themselves when others around them are supportive and repsectful, so this can lead to more people being open about their gender identity and sexual orientation whether homosexual, hetrosexual, bisexual or Asexual.
This strategy can be seen my pairs in schools, colleagues at work or families in homes supporting each other and respecting eachother which will then lad to an encouraged social justice and the potrayal of woman in hip-hop music videos and even the overall portrayal of gender in the music industry will not have the ability to creat such big expectations in males and females in society. An xample of this is not watching the videos and telling family and friends not to watch them. Instead they can buy the music only.
Task B Sam is a 16 year old boy. Sam has been born and raised in a traditional family home with three younger siblings, he has a stay at home mum who looks after him and the rest of the household by cooking and cleaning and a dad who works long hours as a builder to bring enough money home to support the familut. Sam plays rugby for his school’s first XV team and is also a rep player, his parents are very proud of this and they hope that Sam will continue his involvement in rugby in hope to play rofessionally.
While Sam is more interested in the social part of playing rugby and he would rather further his education at University after school in a course to do with political science and foreign affairs. Sams family has expectations that he will follow in his dads footsteps by being the man of the house that brings the money home and who has good practical skills. This influences Sams ideas about gender and gender roles because it is what he has been brought up to believe and understand is right, because he is a male he is expected to be a certain way although he thinks ifferently about what he should be able to do as a male.
Traditionally in family households your gender will depend on what chores you do at home and what roles you display, if you are male you will work, and do very minimal chores whereas if you are female you are required to do all the cooking and cleaning at home and you will look after the kids instead of working. A traditional family today is very different, both males and females are able to work in order to bring home money for the family to live off and the chores including cooking and cleaning are more evenly seperated.
The values of social justice are not being encouraged in realation to being male because of the discriminatory against males and the expectations of them in a household. Social justice is a value that everyone, both male and female deserve equal rights and opportunites. In society a males gender immediately means that they must be the worker in the family in order to provide the money that pays the bills and puts the food on the table for everybody just because of the fact they were born male. This is very un-fair because in situations like Sams where he is expected to act a certain way it can impact a persons over Hauora.
The high expectations Sam has because of his gender can lead to a drop in his Taha hinengaro (mental and emotional well-being) because he is faced with not wanting what he wants to do in realtion to future career paths. As with the four aspects of well-being when one drops the others fall so Sams overall Hauora can be affected long term. A strategy people could use in their interpersonal communications with other people to promote the well-being of people in order to encourage social justice, is being respectful of other peoples choices based on their perspectives and beliefs.
Also to be open-minded about what other people are saying regardless to their gender and what society thinks each gender is expected of doing. Sam values his family and his family’s attitudes and beliefs deeply but wishes that he could tell his parents what he wants in life, if Sam was able to talk to his parents about his interests in going to University after collage for example, and they listened to his choices rather than not accept it because of their own expectations, both Sam and his parents could find the positives and have a healthy and open relationship which can lead to a postive overall Hauora – long term.
If they all show respect to each other there will be no chance of the relationship being damaged later on which is one of Sams fears if he goes against his parents wishes of him. This encourages social justice for both genders as it goes against societies idea of gender roles. ‘‘Gender roles’ is a term and concept that has been used for several decades as a way that people can describe the different-gendered positions, these gender roles get past on as part of culture through generations.
With repsect males and females will no be as heavily influenced by peer and family expections relating to what they are expected to do depending on their gender. A personal strategy that would be needed in order for this interpersonal strategy to be successful so that Sams ideas about gender isn’t influenced by his families expectations negatively is to have enough self-belief to enable Sam to talk openly to his parents.
In order for the interpersonal strategy to take action the personal strategy must be put in place, this requires Sam to be open with what he wants allowing the the strategy to be effective. Add more Task C Personal aspects related to sexual orientation influence people’s ideas about sexual identity, even a male’s sexual identity. Harry is a 17 year old male who considers himself as mostly as typical New Zealand male, he is good at and enjoys various sports, skateboarding and spending time with friends.
Harry has know for as long as he can remember that he is atracted to other males and not females, making him homosexual. Homosexual means to be sexually attracted to people of one’s own sex. Sexual identity is defined as how one thinks of oneself in terms of whom one is romantically or sexually attracted to. Being homosexual is something Harry feels ashamed of and feels like he should try to change. Harry knows in himself that he is homosexual however he has never had a romantic experience with another male.
Harry also knows he can’t grow out of it even though he wishes he could because although he gets on with girls he has never had a lasting relationship with one, yet there has been several. Taha hinengaro (mental and emotional well-being) impact Harrys thoughts on his sexual identity, Harrys attitude towards his identity being something that he wants to grow out of means he can’t accept himself and this influences how other people view Harrys sexual identity – if Harry can’t accept himself than no one else can.
Harrys values and beliefs are aspects that come from his Taha wairua (spiritual well-being) depending on how he eives things surrounding his life. Harry has been brought up seeing many images of gay men in media that confuse Harry. Homosexual males in media are potrayed as people interested in beauty and fashion and have feminim characteristics, this influences peoples ideas about sexual identity because they think this is how all homosexual males act and bahave in real life which is not true.
