My representation case study:

I want to study the representation of gangsters in both film and tv-shows and how over the years both ethinicity and location of gangsters have changed.

Alternative representations in hip-hop

Within this video is a famous female rapstar, Missy Elliot, who is respected within the rap community and espcially for being one of the few most successful female artists, breaking the stereotype of male rappers.

There is one representation of women in this music video and that is dominant. This dominant persona is mainly connnoted by the dancers that partake in b-boy dancing that is usually partaken by males. This persona is also anchored by lyrics (diegetic sound)such as "Girls, girls, get that cash,If its not a foul shakin that ass,Ain't no shame ladies, do your thang, Just make sure you ahead of tha game". These lyrics connote that women are independant, staying away from the conventional women relying on the man persona and instead being more self reliant making sure they are "ahead" of their gender counterparts.

In this music video the men are mainly viewed as sex objects creating a female gaze opposed to the conventional male gaze.This gaze is used to make female audiences (paticularly post feminist)identify with Missy Elliot and she is empowering females in this song, espcially when she gives direct adress to the audience, telling them to be "ahead of the game". In a few scenes we see the men partaking in a voyeuristic gaze of the women, connoting that the women are controlling when they are ready to have sex.

In terms of mise-en-scene, the clothing in this video does not differ between the genders as they seem to be wearing tracksuits most of the time, showing that the genders are equal in this sense, with no gender really being sexually objectified. The facial expressions on females gratly differ from male facial expressions as they seem to have blank faces while female expressions are much more lively and clearly show signs of emotions, further connoting that the men in this video act as robots, bending to the female's wills. An interesting medium shot is shown of all the men in a sort of police line as if they are being selected by the women, lining up for them.

Throughout the video Missy Elliot looks into the camera many times, inviting the audience in with an extra-diegetic gaze. By breaking the "fourth wall", Missy is in control and holds majority of power for the video as she chooses what not and what to show the audience.

There is low-key lighting throughout the video, with contrasts of black and white popping up occassionaly. These colours are quite masculine colours and to be viewed with dominating women juxtaposes the idea of masculinity. Missy stands out even more mainly wearing a baby blue tracksuit, which connotes a calming effect.

Missy displays narcissism as she takes an erotic interest in herself and her sexuality. Throughout this video we see her the object of men's affection and knowing this she continues to be flirtatuous anchored by the scenes of her interacting with men.

The ideologies this video holds is a very post-feminist message. From the lyrics and video we can see that this video promotes self-sexual objectification without fear of men either judging or dominating. Also subverting gender roles, the ideology of the patriarcle society seems to have deminished as women are seen as dominant, choosing their sexual partners at will.

Laura Mulvey Essay

In this scene from Apocalypse Now, we see Playboy girls entertaining male soldiers surrounding them. Already we see the gender positions established as the women are subordinate in entertaining the dominate gender.

In this scene. the men are represented as mainly having a primal instinct, wanting only to satisfy their sexual need (highlighted in Maslow's Hierarchy of needs). Seeing as they are men of war, they would seem to lose themselves playing more into the male stereotype of men who treat women as sex objects.

The lighting in this scene is mainly used from a spotlight perspective, accentuating female assets. As the spotlight suggests that the women are the main focus, it coulds be interpreted that they are sexually objectifying themselves as they would want to attract male attention.
The costumes that the women are wearing encourages a fetishistic gaze as the costumes consits of cowgirl, policewomen and apache dresses. As these costumes demand authority, the women are wearing them given an alternative representation of being dominant as they choose what to show to the male audience.

The diegetic sound in this scene plays the song Suzie Q, a song that reflects the situation in this scene as the lyrics "i like the way you walk" instantly reflect male thoughts and draw the audience more deeper into looking at the women through a male gaze. Furhter diegetic sounds are used when the men use derogatory terms for women such as "baby" and "bitch", anchoring the set roles of men and women in this scene.

Throughout this scene we see many medium-panning shots of the soldiers adorning the women, giving the audience an idea that all these men want the same thing and also gives the feeling that throughout the whole stadium a male gaze is present with all eyes fixated on the women. We also see a few close up shots of the women, highlighting their bodies combined with the spotlight which signifies the male gaze. As the film assumes that the audience viewing this film is male and hertrosexual, the film sets out to exploit the women in this scene as intra-diegetic gaze from a male perspective is present throughout this scene, giving the audience a chance to view the women from a more voyeuristic point of view, appriciating the women's beauty and the power it holds over the men. This scene encourages identification with the soldiers as we only hear male voices in this scene, presenting the male voice as dominant and having the last word. As male audiences identify with these soldier's sexual urges, they too can gain sexual gratification almost as if the strip tease is aimed at them, making a male gaze more present.

The mise-en-scene displayed also gives us more of an insight into how the male gaze is constructed. The clothing that is worn between the men and the women is drastically different as we see the women half naked and the men fully clothed, already showing the audience how these males percieve the women as sex objects. In terms of props, the women are given a more dominant position as they are seem holiding phallic symbols such as guns, immediatly gaining the upper hand over men. The facial expressions on the men's faces blaintently show that they only want these "sex objects", giving them a representation of of a beast who wants nothing more than to fornicate.