Article Summary
First, Perry explores what is noted as "the visual image of black women in hip-hop [over the last 20 years and] how this has rapidly deteriorated" (p.296). It seems as though at the turn of the 20th century, hip-hop started down a path that it has not been able to proverbially recover from. This is due in part to the fact that misogynist perspectives have been on the rise for a number of years, and the genre has only served to highlight the disturbing dynamics associated with this conception. Perry notes that "this use of black women in the music videos of male hip-hop artists often makes very clear reference to the culture of strip clubs and pornography" (p.296), and in effect, this is the perception that many men and women for that matter have of Black women. The idea is that every Black woman is seeking to be seen as a symbol of sexual fantasy.
Perry traces this symbolism back to the "late 1990s, in which pornographic imagery, and themes began to enter American popular culture" (p.296), which to a certain extent suggests that American society is bent or rather slanted toward the consumption of sex. Moreover, because men drive the narrative in society, the continuous onslaught of pornographic imagery and sexual undertones sprinkled in television shows and films has only exacerbated the issue as it relates to women. Then, add hip-hop artists to the mix in their use of African American women in videos - and this has only served to keep the problem in the public domain and the discussion raging among intellectuals and laymen alike.
Second, Perry explores the impact of the image, specifically on women as a whole. Arguably, the continual saturation of women's bodies, Black women in particular, is only serving to move the dial on the perspectives of the group further away from freedom. In other words, the strength that is often associated with women is observed differently for African American women because of the dominating effect of hip-hop's portrayal of them in music videos. The image also is affecting how Black girls and youth are viewing themselves. It is a double-edged sword in a sense because on the one hand they are thinking that this is the image they should aspire to look like, and on the other hand are rejecting the connotations by which music videos are showing them in. Perry writes "the beauty ideal for black women presented in these videos is as impossible to achieve as the waif-thin models in Vogue magazine are for white women. There is a preference for lighter-complexioned women of color, with long and straight or loosely curled hair [] It is a beauty ideal" (p.297) that cannot be attained or achieved. Perry then inquires as to what is being done to shift this perspective or rather context that African American women are portrayed in?
Thirdly, Perry takes a look at female rappers to assess whether they are also contributing to the problem regarding the visual aesthetics that Black women are viewed under. To what end are these individuals assisting and/or fighting against the status quo? Perry observes that some rappers like Lil Kim are helping to keep the discussion alive but that "the space a musical artist occupies in popular culture is multitextual. Despite Kim's visual and lyrical vulgarity, many of her critics admit to find her endearing" (p.300). As such, there is a blurring of the lines as to what is acceptable practice regarding Black women and how they are illustrated.
Perry wonders where exactly does the line get drawn, and how can the general public (women specifically), cry out for a change if female rappers like Lil Kim are overtly displaying themselves in a sexual manner and society is accepting of this practice. It seems backward in a sense, as Perry argues. Essentially, how can the dial on the perspectives that people have about African American women be moved if there is a prevalence of sexual symbolism still conveyed as normal and okay. Perry wonders if there is an historical context associated with and connected to the acceptance of African American women as sexual symbols in society. To this end, she delves further back and begins a discussion on gender politics, music and how they intersect and intertwine.
Pery deconstructs the concept of gender politics, highlighting how much of the dynamics that are associated with the representations of Black women, have often become second nature in the public domain. To a certain degree, this is something that is playing itself out over a number of elements including class, gender and race. Moreover, that the fight to remove the context that Black women have been put under is coming under a significant amount of attack primarily due to fact that some of the very people who are fighting against the oppressive nature of music videos and the overall tone of how this group is depicted are also contributing to the narrative. Perry does not mention Lil Kim and artists like her who have only served to exacerbate the imagery and visuals with respect to gender messages, but rather suggests that the movement away from the depiction of Black women is only an illusion because of them. "The reality is that the realness in popular hip-hop and R&B stars is as much as an illusion as it real. Their public images are constructed by teams more often than by themselves" (p.305). The idea is to convey to the reader that these artists are 'told' what to do by the record labels and subsequently, even if the imagery and illustrations are in a negative context, they are more beholden to those entities rather than trying to revamp the labels and associations that Black women are viewed under.
Yet, in spite of the overwhelming saturation of African American women as it relates to the depiction of them in music videos, there exists an undercurrent of revolutionary individuals (rapper, poets, etc.) who are indeed trying to provide a substantive argument to the problem of how this group is represented. As mentioned earlier, artists like Erykah Badu and the like have sought throughout the years to start discourse which focuses on the problems that will only worsen if they are left to fester and not addressed and/or neutralized. Perry reasons that these revolutionary individuals are seeking to "encourage the sale of their words and music" (p.305) in order to correct the perceptions that music videos have brought to the societal perspective.
Interesting Points in the Text
The most interesting aspect of the Perry text is the amount of backstory that is delved into. Perry spends a considerable amount of time covering the problems that music videos and the like are presenting to the general public in order to definitively express the issue at hand. Perry believes that even though there are efforts to correct the context that Black women are viewed under, that because of the record labels and their respective control of the artists that these efforts, while not necessarily in vain, do not really help. This is an interesting point because it suggests that arguably, the revolutionaries are fighting a losing battle.
Foster (2015) suggests a similar tone and takes it step further by stating that much of the problems with the representation of African American women are based on the historical record regarding Black people. The stereotypes and falsehoods that have been relayed throughout the years are continually reinforced with films like Straight Outta Compton and other rap music videos. The general public (Black people, especially) seem content with encouraging the narrative to continue because they participate in the success of these artists. The author stresses that it is a psychological and sociological issue here. For the psychological part, there is an inherent belief in Black people, a lot of them but not all, that they are still subservient and inferior. For the sociological part, the meaningful shift that many revolutionaries have tried to execute has only been met with angst, anger and criticism which is suggestive of an accepted protocol of how Black women are viewed and the overall conversation to shift the narrative, being dismantled entirely (p.1). Given the Perry and Foster texts, there is possibly a statement that can be made that contends that the narrative will never truly shift away from how Black women are represented. It is something that is engrained in the American DNA.
Quigley (2009) considers that as long as Black men and women, youth especially are making it okay and not speaking up against it that silence equals death. There is a dichotomy happening as Perry mentions in her text, of one part of the African American population speaking out against the dehumanization, and another part accepting of it or rather choosing not to upset the proverbial apple cart (p.1). As such, the narrative and dial on the conversation can only be changed so much. This is because many of today’s youth have come to accept the music videos and how they illustrate Black women. Quigley (2009) goes on to state that women are seen as ‘hos’, “b**ches” and the like in these videos and then those within the African American population come to accept this as the status quo (p.1). In effect, the theory of dehumanization that Perry speaks about is being preserved.
Loren (2011) asks what would occur if men were made to do what women are asked to execute in the music videos. In essence, would the issue be even more critical and important to be discussed? The author asserts that "the commodization of black female bodies remains a controversial topic" (p.1). One of the more interesting aspects of this entire argument that Loren (2011) discusses is that there is a double standard for what is deemed celebratory about women showcasing their body. The author expresses that bodybuilders are respected and acknowledged for doing what they do, while women in music videos tend to be disrespected and judged for being entertaining (p.1). So there is another argument that is going on within the entire discussion on dehumanization – and that is that certain images of women are accepted as being prominent and respectable, while others as it pertains to Black women are not.
Loren (2011) considers that the discussion should be across the board. That the double standard should not exist. Basically, if the general public is accepting of women bodybuilders, then they should be accepting of women who shake their bodies in music videos (p.1). Yet, Perry’s argument is that the use of women in music videos should be rendered null and void entirely. Much of this has to do with the fact that Black women are not portrayed in respectable ways, and this has only worsened over the years. The question might be asked as to whether having more respectable images of Black women in music videos – women with clothes on essentially – would shift the conversation and lessen the revolutionaries’ argument about the misogyny that occurs in society. The answer is a straightforward no if one is to accept Perry’s argument. Her theory is that dehumanization has existed for some time in society about African Americans, and more importantly African American women, and shifting the attitudes and perceptions is not something that can be done with the flip of a switch. It will take more than a showcasing of respectability of women in music videos (unless they are the artists themselves), for there to be a significant evolution in how Black women are viewed in society.
Conclusion
So is there a way out of the dehumanization that Black people have essentially stated is fine and dandy? As long as there is a lack of speaking up by the very group who is being dehumanized, then clawing out of the box to change the narrative will continue to be difficult, if not impossible. There is a need for the perspectives to shift within the African American population, enough for there to be a revolutionary by all – not just a select few such as India Arie, Erykah Badu and the like. Once this occurs, then there can be real progress made as to changing how Black people, and ultimately, Black women are viewed by not only other women, but the population at large.
References
Foster, K. (2015). Black Women Are Never Priority: N.W.A, the Politics of Misogyny and My Battered Body. For Harriet, Retrieved from http://www.forharriet.com/2015/08/black-women-are-never-priority-nwa.html#axzz48keeHC4G
Loren, A. (2011, May 9). The Respectability of Video Vixens vs. Body Builders. Jezebel, Retrieved from http://jezebel.com/5800030/double-standards-the-respectability-of-video-vixens-vs-body-builders
Perry, I. WHO(SE) AM I?: The Identity and Image of Women in Hip-Hop. PDF.
Quigley, B. (2009, March 7). Misogyny and Black Youth: Silence Equals Death. Retrieved from http://blackagendareport.com/content/misogyny-and-black-youth-silence-equals-death
