Gender Representation in Music

In this lesson we started to build up our research on gender representation in the music industry. We began by looking at the renowned "Rolling Stones" magazine and P Diddy's recent album cover and compared the representation of females and males in both with obvious conclusions.

Gender Representation

• Kid Rock is looking down his nose at the camerah. This makes him look arrogant.
• He is superimposed over the title. This suggests superiority.
• He is dressed in red and is centralised in the image. This shows the male to be the dominant figure and the red allows him to stand out.
• The women are sexualised, half naked and seductive poses. The women at the "mercy" of Kid Rock.
• There is a relationship between the characters and the camera. Most of the women look desperate as they try to gain his attention, while there are one or two who are looking at the other women. This in some sense is a male fantasy. Or in another sense is an idea of "bitchiness".
• The leg position of the blonde woman is possesive as it is wrapped seductively around Kid Rock's leg.
• The theme of red is continued throughout, with the title, sub-heading and clothes of Kid Rock. This suggests a seductiveness, sexy and devilish theme.

Gender Representation

• P. Diddy is in a suit. This presents him as sophisticated and business-like.
• His glasses make him mysterious, as if he is hiding behind a mask.
• The extreme close up shows that it is "all about him". He is beckoning the camera towards him as if in control.
• The woman is dressed promiscuously. Her hair is placed unaturally and her face is hidden placing more emphasis on her body.
• P Diddy is leaning on her like furniture, so she is just an object.
• She is clinging on to him, highlighting her weakness.

From this lesson I have learnt that there is a strong sense of patriarchy in magazine covers and album covers. Women are used as sexual objects and this is why women questioned their position within the patriarchal society.