Hidden Messages in Media
Like many of my classmates, I was also really intrigued by many of the videos we watched in class this month. It was really fun watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s show and talking about how much of a jerk he is (Dear Anthony, smoking is not cool. Also, learn how to ride a bike like a normal person). Another eye-opening video we watched was Mickey Mouse Monopoly. I have known for a while that Disney movies may not be the best representations of race, ethnicity, gender roles, stereotypes, relationships, etc., but I never realized how bad it truly was. I feel like maybe I was just a really dumb kid because I never picked up on any of that when I was little and I think I turned out ok. The Anthony Bourdain and Disney videos were great, but what really pulled me in was a video we did not actually watch in class.
Christina showed us the trailer for Dreamworlds 3 in class and I knew right away it was something I needed to see. Also, I hope professors know that some of us do actually look into their suggestions. I left class that day and immediately found a place online where I could watch Dreamworlds 3. The video was so fascinating, but Christina was right- parts of it were very hard to watch. It explored how women and men are portrayed in music videos and how those portrayals can be very harmful. I really encourage everyone to watch the video, so I do not want to give too much away. Without going too in depth, the video shows how women in music videos are portrayed as hyper-sexual objects just there for a man (or many men) to enjoy. Men were shown as being dominant, aggressive, and in some cases abusive towards the women. I remember one specific video done by Limp Bizkit ("Eat You Alive") where they kidnap a woman, tie her up, and act abusively towards her because she did not want to date one of them. Images like this can be harmful to us in the same way that Disney movies can be harmful- they are sending a bad message disguised at entertainment. A few days after I watched Dreamworlds 3 one of the songs they talked about came on the radio and I had to shut it off because it me shiver just thinking about the shocking images in its music video.
The video ends by showing the parallel between these music videos and actual footage of men acting the way the men in the music videos acted, however the women were in no way enjoying it. This is the part that was incredibly hard to watch. You see footage of women at parades crying and screaming as they are assaulted by crowds of men. I think the video proposes that men see these behaviors in music videos and think that it is ok. When you see images and videos like this over and over again it becomes normal to you. It can be easy to slip into thinking that those things are ok, and that those are the ways people behave and interact. I really hope that more people can realize that that is not the case. If we are worried about showing our kids Disney movies, then we should be terrified of what they will see when they get a little older and see a music video online or on TV. I would like to end by saying again that you should all try to watch Dreamworlds 3 if you can.
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