After watching TV 3’s documentary styled show “Sex Wars”, it made me think. Is music gendered? On the show they had this section about toys being gendered. The question “Will the baby girl take the truck, or the doll?” It just made me think how our gender makes us like certain types music. Of course with music you can like whatever you want…but you may not always admit it.
Take for example, Britney Spears. How many straight men, would happily say they like Britney Spears…her music that is. I did try to look for information about male fans liking Britney’s music…but was unsuccessful, all I could find were males who liked Britney – and I am not talking about the music.
Music is something which can help shape your identity, when you meet someone new a question you will most probably eventually ask them – “So what type of music do you like?” – Music can shape us, if a guy answers “Oh…I like Jessica Simpson, a bit of Avril Lavigne…Atomic Kitten.” I personally would be like…”Ok then….”. Music Videos would add to my decision of thinking that this guy is just a tad weird. They may like they girls cause of the way they are portrayed in their videos (sexy and confident) But to actually like them for their music…just seems weird. I know a ton of girls who had Spice Girls birthday parties a while back, and we thought they were the coolest things ever, but imagine a bunch of boys running around dressed as Britney Spears – it would be really creepy. Take this image for example. – A Man dressed up as Britney – it just screams creepy!! It all has to do with gendering. I can’t help the fact that I think that a guy who openly admits to once loving the Spice Girls is a weirdo. I’m sure there are a lot of women who think the same as I do and a lot who don’t. I do wish that I didn’t think like this, but the media has sort of taught us otherwise. But for the guys that actually do like Britney or Christina for their actual music and only t heir music - good on them!
As the “Sex Wars” documentary wanted to test children to see how gender affects their choice of toy, music video’s do this also. The show us a young, sexy person oozing confidence while on the screen. This all is most probably aimed at the male audience. It is fine for a male to like the look of the singer, but to admit that you actually like the music is something hardly no males would do, opposing that most girls/women would not feel ashamed saying that they like for example - Christina Aguilera’s music. No matter how you look at it, gendering really does effect the music we (openly) like.
Take for example, Britney Spears. How many straight men, would happily say they like Britney Spears…her music that is. I did try to look for information about male fans liking Britney’s music…but was unsuccessful, all I could find were males who liked Britney – and I am not talking about the music.
Music is something which can help shape your identity, when you meet someone new a question you will most probably eventually ask them – “So what type of music do you like?” – Music can shape us, if a guy answers “Oh…I like Jessica Simpson, a bit of Avril Lavigne…Atomic Kitten.” I personally would be like…”Ok then….”. Music Videos would add to my decision of thinking that this guy is just a tad weird. They may like they girls cause of the way they are portrayed in their videos (sexy and confident) But to actually like them for their music…just seems weird. I know a ton of girls who had Spice Girls birthday parties a while back, and we thought they were the coolest things ever, but imagine a bunch of boys running around dressed as Britney Spears – it would be really creepy. Take this image for example. – A Man dressed up as Britney – it just screams creepy!! It all has to do with gendering. I can’t help the fact that I think that a guy who openly admits to once loving the Spice Girls is a weirdo. I’m sure there are a lot of women who think the same as I do and a lot who don’t. I do wish that I didn’t think like this, but the media has sort of taught us otherwise. But for the guys that actually do like Britney or Christina for their actual music and only t heir music - good on them!As the “Sex Wars” documentary wanted to test children to see how gender affects their choice of toy, music video’s do this also. The show us a young, sexy person oozing confidence while on the screen. This all is most probably aimed at the male audience. It is fine for a male to like the look of the singer, but to admit that you actually like the music is something hardly no males would do, opposing that most girls/women would not feel ashamed saying that they like for example - Christina Aguilera’s music. No matter how you look at it, gendering really does effect the music we (openly) like.
1 comment:
Hey Kalena,
After reading your thoughts on the gendering of music, it made me think about why males might be inclined to purchase Britney's music and not be ashamed to be her fans. It's about the image that the record industry may want out of the artist that they are promoting. So, in Britney's case, we all remember that she began as a 'school-girl-type' in her first song Hit Me Baby One More Time to a more 'sexed up' image of her in Toxic, thus reinforcing her status as a sex symbol. This then, attracts males to her music and then backs up your point about why males would never actually admit to liking Britney's music, but the image that comes attached to it.
As for the gendering aspect, in my view, the idea which I proposed about males being attracted to the image of an artist, as opposed to their music, is an attempt to eliminate the gendering of music, especially pop music from the likes of Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears etc. Typically, these artists would be associated with the 'teenybopper' types, but with their images being spiced up, it has included more of a male, 'all-ages' demographic. This, I think, ultimately, is a commercial act on part of the record producers to boost sales and the way to get to all nooks of the market is to cater to the needs and wants to the consumers in a pure economical sense.
Karishma
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