Women in Music Videos

We are going to watch Beyonce’s 2011 video for Who Run The World (Girls)

Who Rules the World (Girls)

How is Beyonce being represented? What kind of woman is being portrayed through her performance?

In what ways is her image constructed? How is this representation built up? It may be helpful to see how her aggressive leader image is constructed and how she is also constructed as a sex object.

What factors do you think govern this representation? Why has this image been carefully created for the star? Is the image the same as the reality?

What do YOU think – is this a positive or a negative representation of women? Progressive or regressive?

Can you think of any other artist whose image has given cause for similar concern?