Notable theories on representation

Reps

• Representation is a vital concept in all music videos, especially as they are aimed at a younger audience, to sell a certain product.

• There are many theorists surrounding the ideology of stereotypes and how they are constructed, manipulated and used within music videos.

• Here are a few that I have briefly researched.

Walter Lippman (1992)

• Stereotypes - Stereotypes are used in music videos through the use of the images of the artist and the narrative, which are used to sell an idea, an image or a desire to the audience.

• Sometimes, these stereotypes are used to create panic

Taylor Swift playing a typical nerd – glasses, reading, band shirt etc. she isn’t getting the boy she wants – this could foreground the pragmatics that if you fall under the ‘nerd’ category, you will never find love.

John Berger (1972) • Stated that "men act and

women appear".• Men watch the women. Women

watch themselves being watched.

• Women are aware they are being watched. This plays a huge part in the concept of voyerism in society.

• Furthermore links with Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory, that came about a couple of decades after.

Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines

Dick Hebdige Subcultures (1979)

• The representations in music videos provide identity and brings around a sense of realism.

• It acts as an ideological basis for fans and followers, especially because videos are aimed at the youth market.

• This means that if an artist(s) display a certain style, opinion or moral, fans are likely to follow suit.

• This is why artists are told to act certain ways by their agents/record labels, as they are not only artists, but apart of a bigger franchise.