RSSCan I Get a Shake With That?
Words like “outrageous”, “exploitation”, “misogyny”, and “demeaning” have been used by the notable Oprah Winfrey, women from Spelman College and news articles around the nation to describe the images of women, more specifically African-American women in rap videos. As a woman, I understand their outrage. I understand how these images can be disturbing and inappropriate.
Of course, I believe rappers are responsible for their actions, including the material and the images broadcast to their audiences and most importantly, to their communities. However, I’m with Kenneth Lavergne of Morehouse College, who was booed by more than 300 women during a meeting at Spelman in 2004.
“These are grown women, I’m putting blame on the women,” Lavergne said.
When do we begin to point our fingers at these “grown women”? These women who allow themselves to be portrayed as sexual objects. No one forced the young woman in Nelly’s “Tip Drill” video to have her ass swiped with a credit card; no one forced the women in Sir Mix A Lot’s “Baby Got Back” video to shake their ass; and no one forced the young ladies in Mystikal’s “Shake It Fast” video to shake it fast.
Women talk about double standard’s, about women’s struggle to gain credibility and self worth. We talk about showing more positive images, about role models and how negative portrayals of women affect the psyche…Talk, talk, talk…What about a solution? What about no more excuses? What about these grown ass women taking RESPONSIBILITY for their actions?
Lets push the bill even further, why don’t WE ALL take the blame? As viewers and consumers, we can use our power to discourage these types of products.
Ladies, why are we up at 3am watching “Uncut” (a show that features raunchy videos) anyways? As educated women and as advocates for uplifting women, instead of solely targeting Nelly, why don’t we protest the women in the video?
Rappers, step up your creativity. When it comes to producing music videos, find different outlets of expression. What about videos that don’t degrade anyone—including you (which say something about your mind state and your ability to be a leader of change) or women?
Women, why allow these type of actions to continue? Yeah, you may be eye candy, but you can be eye candy with power, because you have the power to say ‘No, I will not portray myself in a negative light. If it means you don’t get the job, then so be it. Think about it.
15 Comments, Comment or Ping
Malia
*pumping fists in the air* SPEAK ON IT SIS!!!!!
Girl, you got me all hyped up over here…lol. I remember the first rapper (Ice T) who had his woman scantilly clad in a bikini sprawled out on a car on the cover of his album and I just thought to myself, “she is so pretty, but why would her man want all the world to see what HE got?” I thought about the boys who would tell their girlfriends not to wear panties to school and their young minds would give in even though their bodies were not ready. That’s when things started to shift and every video started getting a little more revealing. Shit, now they might as well just be fucking on screen cuz they ain’t leavin a damn thing to the imagination!! AT ALL!!! I saw a chic clappin her booty (HUGE BOOTY) on one video. I saw a girl at the library (couldn’t have been older than 14 pull up her MySpace page and she was in a thong taking a pic of herself in the mirror with her celly. WHAT THE HELL????? *shakin my head*
Yes, it does start with females LOVING OURSELVES ENOUGH, but its so competitive out here. I’ll give you an example - I think I’m pretty (maybe even sexy when I’m in the mood) but I don’t have a body like Beyonce and I would never be posted up for all to see. In essence, that limit the men who would be attracted to me (even though I wouldn’t want to date a man who was that shallow in the first place) I love myself enough to rise above that, but the next girl may not. You feel me? The next woman may only feel validated when she is ogled by predators.
It’s hard to be seen as beautiful FULLY CLOTHED when you have Kimora Lee Simmons selling her sneakers butt naked. Now Kimora is my role model and I’m sure she’s looked up to worldwide as the most famous hip-hop fashion designer in the world!!! She’s a billionaire and if she’s doing it we want to do it too. She has two daughters who see their mommy butt naked in Times Square and say “I wanna be just like my mom”. Kimora is gorgeous and she could’ve sold the sneaks in a Baby Phat Sweatsuit with the same amount of attention but she chose to SHOW IT ALL…..so where does that leave us? We feel that it’s acceptable (if done in good taste, right?) WRONG!!!!!! Where does it end??????
[Reply]
Loretta Foreman
Good read!!! Its sad that music and videos have come to this. Music use to mean something but now its nothing. And you got half complaining, and the other half allowing it. When will something change? How can it if we as a people dont do anything?
[Reply]
Eric
The problem is that no one wants to set the examples of what not to do.
And that there are no good role models other than “Bill Cosby”, whom has often been chewed out for being a good role model until that scandal showed up(we all know what scandal I’m referring to.).
[Reply]
Troublsome
It is very sad that music has come to this! I think that the lack of creativity from music artist, is the whole reason for the campaign referring to ” Hip Hop being Dead” ! I think artist now a days lack substance and creativity and substitute it with Nudity and inappropriate behavior. I also think that a large problem to this epidemic, is the women who are participating in the videos. There is a saying that has been implemented into my daily life by my brother. And the saying goes ” You never disrespect someone, until they disrespect themselves” Not saying that It’s okay to disrespect our women, but I think they present the opportunity to do so, by disrespecting themselves! I think we have to come together as one to challenge the artist to step up their game with the music they present to the world. And also challenge the women to involve themselves with better career decisions that are not demeaning to women!
[Reply]
choppaboy.upt.
Imma have to say that I think we have a great balance between the “ass out” videos and the ones that have different messages. IMO
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KEVIN DAVY
Oh shit! I was wondering when somebody-anybody- was going to call the sister on that.
Now, what happens if you run your card through and get back a sign that says declined?
(Sorry, the visual, I couldn’t help it! I am just a man!)
[Reply]
Reuben
Better question…what if I’m using my visa debit card? When I enter
my pin do I tweak the left nipple x number of times for the 1st digit
and then move to the right nipple and so on til it’s entered?
RDP
[Reply]
Eeden
wonderful message!!
Eeden
[Reply]
The Beautiful Mind
This is what im saying if we dont do anything nothing will change. Just like you say K.S. is selling sneakers but naked….but her clothes sell and everything else would too with her clothes on. She is a beautiful woman she dont need to take off clothes. I love Mary J. B.’s videos and songs . She wears pretty clothes but keeps her body in the clothes. And she sings about something. We all have to take a stand capitalizing the (((((WE)))))))).
[Reply]
lilBIGMomma
100 Kudos to you sis!!
I must truly agree with your article and majority of the subsequent comments. These are grown ass women who agree, sometimes for a hefty fee and at times for nothing at all but “promotional consideration,” to degrade themselves; and as a result deface the overall image of women of color everywhere.
The important thing to remember, in any case, is that while these images may flood the mainstream media and encourage a negative stereotype, many of us add to it by acting out and living the bullshit portrayed in these videos, i.e. leaving the club with a guy because he bought you enough drinks, trying to fuck every NBA player you come in contact with and so on and so forth.
It’s pretty sad that African Americans imparticular complain about the negative stereotypes portrayed in the media and then perpetuate them ourselves. It all starts with taking responsibility as individuals, and then we can stand as a group. If each woman carried herself in a respectful manner and as a result demanded her respect, then these rappers and wannabe “Hot Boys” would back up and acknowledge that we deserve more and stop expecting us to accept that shit. Then maybe the “status quo” would change. Supply and demand people!!!
Let’s face it, we got a lot of work to do as women. Here’s a thought, why doesn’t somebody come up with a production company which feature models and wardrobe etc. that portrays women in a sexy and stylish yet respectable light, and show em how it should be done.
Oh that’s right!!! someone already has, have you heard of the Beautiful Hustle???
LOL!!!
[Reply]
KEVIN DAVY
It will never work. People are buying the product. The product is producing milliones and milliones of dollars. Give me the option to get a woman to shake her ass for millionses and milliones of dollars or to sit at home broke, and there will be some ass shaking going on.
Unless you can show me a more profitable occupation. I can’t blame the brothers. They hire these women for peanuts. They have a contract. They shake their ass. People buy the record. While I have not seen a video since “Fishnet” by The Time, young folk are buying it. The moral police lose, once again. And when censorship wins, I am leaving here.
Raise your kids better. Do not allow the shit in your home. Explain why it is not acceptable behavior. If enough people do this, the market will dry up and the behavior will change because it will not be profitable to behave in that manner.
[Reply]
Eric Battles
The Prob, kev, is getting parents to be parents to their children. And as you have said, “It will never work. The moral police lose, once again.” Days of traditional rearing of children have long been gone, parents are afraid of disciplining their children for fear of jailtime. Not to mention, folks nowadays love negativity as opposed to the positive prospective ways of doing things. People pay more attention to the bad things in life than wanting a solid good solution. Such as, complaining about hip-hop, for years people love the way it was, and now decades later, they want it gone. But don’t want to do anything to fix society’s own problems w/it.
[Reply]
KEVIN DAVY
Eric, do you really think that parents are afraid to spank their children? I just don’t buy that as an excuse, I am sorry.
I think cultural pressure and the desire to move up in social class causes us to remove the discipline from our homes. I have a former pastor who used to say when his kids were young, I will beat them and videotape it for the child authorities. They can run the beating in slow motion and have Olympic judges there scoring like we were running the balance beam or something.
I have fallen out with one kid in my lifetime seriously. But that kid came to me a few years ago and thanked me for beating the ass. If it is done properly, it is an act of love- and I don’t give a shit what the liberals have to say about it.
[Reply]
Toy
Great article!
In efforts to protest the videos (women and rappers) are we in fact attempting to censor these artists and “models”? If that’s the case then I can’t fully support the protest. I do not watch videos, not only because the women are half naked and the men are fully clothed, but more so because they lack creativity. I think that videos are an artistic form of expression and should continue to be so, and if that includes a naked woman, then I’m not against that. I find that to be equivilant to the nude statues and paintings that date back to the 18th century. But when there’s no creativity I can’t stand behind it.
I also believe that when these women choose to “model” or “dance” in these videos, they are prepared for the backlash, even if it includes being looked at in a negative light. That’s a part of self-reflection and whether they care or not, that’s not our say to perpetuate other stereotypes by taking away their choice.
-toy
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Mrs.39 ways of Trouble
It goes deeper that just women,in videos, American culture is completely oversexxed! Women who aren’t in videos are degrading themselves on a daily basis,as well. We live in a culture where females havelost respect for themselvescompletely, making sex tapes, posing for nude pics and participating in lude,unmoralistic behavior. The only difference is that women in videos and strippers are profitting from thier loose behavior. There has been a complete breakdown of the family value system since the sexual reveloutionon the 1960’s.Women often chose to act like men, and have lost touch with being respectable, moralistic women who will one day be responsible for teaching your daughter to be a lady! Women, you can’tdo whatmen do, its a complete double standard, but try buying in to it and realize the the images on the screen are a direct reflection of what goes on in society everyday!
[Reply]
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