Representation in Music Videos

Hi everyone!

Who is excited for another theory post! (ps: I am almost done with the theory, I promise). Representation is a complex topic in the media industry, and music videos can be quite political at times, raising awareness about issues through representation. In a way, all media texts have some bias and how they represent groups or individuals says a lot about the creator and social context of that media text.

So, let's have a look at how all this applies to music videos!

xx Natalia

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What is Representation and Why Does It Matter in Music Videos?

Wow, what a long title! well, first of all let's find ourselves a definition of representation:

"The way someone or something is shown or described"- Cambridge Dictionary

Right, this seems fairly straightforward; so how how can you define this in a media context?

"Representation in media refers to how individuals, groups or concepts are portrayed by any media text"- My Own Words

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This is very significant in the media in general, especially in a political context. In terms of the film industry, we could talk about the recent Netflix series "Emily in Paris" and its criticism due to the representation of characters and lack of diversity:

Representation is an important issue nowadays with the more interactive audience in the era of Web 2.0 and the growing concern with how minority groups (e.g. black people and the LGTB+ community) are represented.

The audience now has power to "cancel" any famous person who speaks controversially about any sensitive topic, including the representation of minorities. That is why celebrities (including artists) and other people in the public eye or the media industry are now more aware than ever of how they represent complex issues (such as feminism and immigration) and minority groups.

This is why representation is relevant in music videos; of course, for some it will be more important than for others, depending on whether they choose to represent the artist only or a wider variety of characters.

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Examples of Representation in Music Videos:

This Is America- Childish Gambino

This music video is bizarre and intentionally shocking. Both the song and the music video talk about the representation of America, which is represented as a dark place behind a curtain of pretence.

The death penalty and mass shootings of innocent people are represented in a crude and shocking way, amidst the overly joyful dancing of Childish Gambino which creates an uncanny juxtaposition.

Here, America is represented in this bloody and disruptive light through the use of brutal juxtaposition: the plain backdrop, the chaotic extras running around all combined with choreographed joyful dancing. The happy mood is just a façade. This is subverting the typical representation of a heroic America, that might be perceived through Marvel Films (Captain America), Disney World, Hollywood, etc.

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Formation- Beyoncé

This is another music video focused on representation. Here, Beyoncé uses political symbolism and imagery to represent hurricane Katrina, race relationships, police brutality and cultural pride. Almost all extras are black and represented in various ways through a contrast between urban outfits and old-fashioned, white dresses, as well as a variety of wigs and hairstyles, all related to African-American culture.

Here, she is representing herself and her community in an empowered way, vindicating how beautiful and powerful she thinks it is. It is subverting negative representations about the black community and giving them a powerful image. The representation of multicultural colour is not subverted, which conveys how Beyoncé is meaningfully only subverting negative representations about her community.

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Work- Charlotte Day Wilson & Body Count- Jessie Reyez

Both of these music videos represent the issue of feminism in two different lights. Wilson chooses to focus on the diversity of women, who are usually represented with one perfect body type. Reyez chooses to focus on female sexuality and how they get condemned more than men for being sexually active.

Whereas Wilson's music video is concept-based, Reyez uses a narrative music video to portray another side of female inequality and vindicate it. In her music video, almost all extras are white which could also add a subliminal message about racial relationships.

Both music videos have representation as a main feature, as they are denouncing a socio-political issue about women and their treatment by society. Wilson subverts the typical representation of women in a homogeneous way with one type of woman. Reyez challenges the representation of women as "virgin-like" whilst men are "allowed" to date multiple women without being judged. Therefore, both are subverting and challenging common and often negative stereotypes and representations of women.

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Reflection: Applying This to My Own Music Video

I believe music and music videos can be incredibly impactful when it comes to raising awareness about a certain issue. I wanted my music video to be meaningful (more on that is to come on future posts) and hence not just focus on the image of the artist.

What I would like to represent in my music video is the concept of self-love and having the confidence to be ourselves. Social media is playing a big part in teens having a lack of confidence and preferring to play a part instead of being themselves, which can lead to having a hard time.

Through the use of costume, lighting and a narrative-concept-based music video I want to represent this struggle ending with a positive resolution. In terms of the representation of minorities or social issues, I believe we should all represent something that perhaps applies or matters to us, hence this is the topic I choose to focus on.

I will not have a many extra actors apart from the main character, but I will use my friends to play those roles. Their representation will be in tune with the particular aesthetic I am picturing, and I will achieve this mainly though the use of costume as their roles will be complementary and their actions standardised.

My artist will be represented through his music and through his deep messages, rather than his physical image. This is something that I have noticed in his work (see the post about the analysis of his digipaks) where he does not usually make himself the centre of all his works. However, I intend to make him the protagonist of the digipak because he does often appear in his own music videos and although I am not certain I will include him in mine, I think it can be a good idea to focus on his representation in the digipak.

Stay tuned to find out more!

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