Visual Exploration [missing March 24th]
by Julia
A picture I took in Times Square of an advertizement for 'Circus'
A video cap from Ray Lavender's 'My Girls got a Girlfriend'
The above pictures are a video cap from My Girls got a Girlfriend and a photo of an advertizement for Circus by Britney Spears. I decided to use the video cap because it shows a lesbian scene or what can be considered a lesbian scene and in the music industry especially in these types of videos lesbianism is something that is glamourized. The song is mainly about the main character finding out his girlfriend is cheating on him with a woman, while he expresses his upset he allows it to go on with the stipulation that they can all continue to have a three way relationship. Women in music videos are portrayed as sexually immoral and the main characters allowing his girlfriend to continue the relationship only further damgages the way women are viewed.
The second picture as I said is of an advertizement for the album Circus I chose to use this because while Britney is not a part of a larger group of women in a video like the two women in My Girls got a Girlfriend she is the center of attention in the video and is able to present herself different ways, this gives her power, but at the same time means she has to be responcible for her own image. Solo artists especially females are expected to have a cetain decorum when they are in videos. At the same time they are confined to two boxes the Wholesome Image/Promiscious box. The women in music videos dont have control over how their images are used which in the end leaves them with less power and control over themselves.