How are men and women represented in the video Gold Digger by Kanye West ft Jamie Foxx
The video involves heavy use of the “artificial look” of women; the girls in the video are all slim, long legged, airbrushed with breast implants etc. thus not being a true representation of how women actually are. This fetishistic view of women is reinforced by the text seen on screen, referring to the front covers of early pornographic magazines – reinforcing sexism. The male gaze is also further enhanced through the use of dismemberment, with many close ups and prevalence towards the women’s breasts and lips, as well as their erotic outfits.
The video seems to be a glamorised pastiche of 60s pornographic magazines/posters. This is built upon by moody lighting and costume iconic of the era for example polka dot underwear and the suit worn by Jamie Foxx. Girls posing and dancing enforces their sexualisation and objectification even further, encouraging the viewer to focus and perhaps fantasise/be jealous of what they see in the video.
Men are instead represented as being cool and independent, with a lot of attention being focused towards their smart/casual attire and designer sunglasses; helping build on their star image reinforcing the notion of wealth and fame. This juxtaposes the representation of women within the video in that they are heavily depicted as sexualised, computer enhanced and commoditised whereas the men are shown as rich, respectable and well composed – perhaps reinforcing gender inequality.
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