Music and Women

The videos of Leslie Gore and Rapper Lil’ Kim are almost complete opposites in their portrayal of women. It is obvious that the roles of women from the 1960s to the 2000s have evolved in such a way that it should be called the “The Complete Emancipation of Women”. In Leslie Gore’s video, she takes on a somewhat traditional helpless demeanor for her need for a man. She is crying because he left her and broke her heart. Now wait a minute, my girlfriends and I know that is a big “no no”- you can’t be running around with mascara drooling down your face because that joker is losing his mind. Mac products cost way too much to waste on a bad habit that needs to be dropped. In many of the mid shots taken of Gore’s body, you can see how she has conformed to the expectations of women based on the attire she is wearing. This woman has on a two-piece suit that is combined with a full coverage shirt that touches her neck, but not yet a turtleneck shirt. Good women don’t show an excessive amount of skin and they always behave in an orderly manner. While Gore doesn’t miss any of these criteria, her background dancers do entice the male population with the waves of their scarves. The wide shots of the background dancers show that women are to be desired, but should remain in their respectable places based on their background positioning behind Gore in the video. Form fitting shirt and pants maintain the male’s interest while the point of view shots of Gore maintains society’s perspective of women during this time period.

In comparison to Gore’s video, it seems as if it easier to conclude that Lil’Kim’s video is somewhat erotic. The production of this video announces women’s full emancipation from men and stereotypes that women are expected to conform to. Lil’ Kim makes it clear that there is no crying at her partying and that she is in full control of the men and not the men in control of her. The lyrics of the song convey the message that women will entertain and use men for their own conveniences. The male will not be the only one who to enjoys pleasures of their relationship. The clothing worn by Lil’ Kim and the dancers supports the idea that women are no longer passive but now assertive about their demands from men. If the idea is not understood through the use of very little clothing, then it is stated directly with the use of hand and body motions in specific places.

One very important idea that women have to consider is how they want to be perceived. If women are using music and music videos to express themselves, how is this done without demeaning the woman population? How can we demand respect while at the same time not lose respect. I have to disagree with both Leslie Gore and Lil’ Kim. Gore plays it a little bit to safe for me, while the ideas of Lil’ Kim are too extreme for me. As women eventually find a balance between the two ideas, both men and society will have to give women the respect they deserve.