David - Exam Paper 1: Section A - Music Video

• Compare the representations of gender and ethnicity in Beyoncé’s Run the World, Girls music video and the music video for Dizzee Rascal’s Dream. In your answer, you must consider: 
• How representations of gender and ethnicity are constructed through selection and combination of elements of media language 
• The similarities and differences in the representations of gender and ethnicity
• How far the representations relate to relevant contexts
• You should refer to Levi-Strauss(binary oppositions), Barthes (semiotics), Gauntlett (identity theory)   andGilroy(post-colonialism) in your answer as well as any other relevant theory 

    The two music videos I will be comparing include ‘Dream’ by Dizzee Rascal with ‘Run the world, Girls’ by Beyoncé with regards to the representations of gender and ethnicity. 

    The theme of ethnicity seems more present in Dizzee Rascal’s song Dream as there is a distinguished divide between him and the ‘white’ lady playing the piano – she plays the lady in the 1950’s children’s show Muffin the Mule. The white lady is a stereotypical 1950’s women with her purpose being to represent old fashioned views on young black people and also hip/hop, rap music. We know this from the mise en scene being a generic living room from the era of Muffin the Mule – striped wallpaper, grand piano and floral curtains. This contrasts with Dizzee Rascal as he is presented as a puppet therefore belittling him in comparison to her – this shows hierarchy and status. This could relate to Gilroy’s theory of postcolonialism as it shows very strong views from that time period – even though we are no longer colonies, the representation of certain groups is still present to this day (contemporary attitudes towards race and ethnicity). Another part of the video that has a clear representation of ethnicity is when the policeman puppet comes along – this is a very modern subject of police brutality – and he is noticeably white which could be seen as regressive.

    This compares to Beyoncé’s video which shows a variety of both, ethnicities and cultures in order to create an army of women to promote female empowerment. In the music video, there is no shortage of women, there are several dance numbers which connote the women as sexy and talented – in these shots we can see a variety of ethnicities: black, white, mixed, Asian etc. This shows Beyoncé as progressive as she see’s past the colour of people’s skin proving how it shouldn’t matter what you look like. At the start of the music video Beyoncé rides in on a black horse wearing a white pantsuit – this can relate to the Levi-Strauss theory of binary opposites as black and white are seen as contrasting colours; this can further be linked to race of white vs black. 

    Another prominent theme in both music videos is gender and they both use it to represent people in different ways. In Dizzee Rascal’s video the use of gender representation is shown through the puppets and the different stories and people it took for him to become a star. One line in the song says “the girls would walk by we would try to catch their eye” which could show how women are treated as objects and something to look at. Another noticeable gender reference in the music video is when Dizzee says “young babymother I got your back as well, young babyfathers hold it down for your girl” which explains both young mothers and fathers. Usually, you only hear about young mothers therefore it can be shown as progressive that he included young fathers to break the gender stereotypes of it only being ‘young mothers’. In this music video, Gauntlett’s themes of identity is present because you can pick from a diverse range of icons and characters represented by the puppets – who play different parts of Dizzee’s rise to fame – such as police officers, a Scottish man, young mothers and fathers etc. It also connotes how it took different people to help Dizzee (the artist) find his own identity when becoming a pop star. 

    Gender is also present in Beyoncé’s video as there is a ‘war’ between men and women -with the women being predominantly stronger and more powerful. This breaks the stereotypes of men and women therefore showing the artist as being progressive in the way she believes everyone is equal or in this case – women are slightly better! In Beyoncé’s music video, there are scenes with animals from the big cat family – hyenas and lions – this can relate to Barthes theory of semiotics as some things have their literal meaning whereas some are used to represent things, in this case, the animals signifying power and strength. This is also used when she is wearing gold jewellery and accessories, the literal meaning being she is wearing gold jewellery or the deeper meaning of it proving she is rich and wealthy.