Representation Analysis

Are Women Sexualised In The Music Industry?

I am going to be analysing how gender is represented  in music magazines, especially pop music. Overall I believe that women are sexualised in the music industry, because of how much skin they have to show and how much more promiscuous their poses are compared to men.

Women are represented as sexual objects in the media. It is presented as they need to show off their body to get attention from the media and attract the male audience.This results in them being more known and reaching to a wider target audience. In both of the female magazine covers the artists are showing off a lot of skin. Katy Perry is in a sexual pose showing off her body; especially her bum. She is wearing a two piece which consists of a crop top and booty shorts. This connotes that she is promiscuous. Her facial expression is quite serious however it can also connote that she is flirty. This is important as that is how she will cause more people to look at the magazine and be interested in her. In the second magazine cover Rihanna is also sexualised. The shot of her is a medium shot which shows of her stomach and top half of her body. This is due to her wearing a bralette. Her head is positioned quite down and she is looking up. The shot looks as if she is caught doing an action. Her makeup is quite dark which makes her look more rebellious and at the same time sexual.

However, the men on the 2 covers are mostly covered up with clothing. On the first cover there is a close up of Sam Smith. The picture is in black and white connoting elegance and sophistication. We can tell that he is wearing a blazer which carries on the theme of him being quite smart and proper. His facial expression is quite serious making him seem focused on his music. He also looks quite calm which reflects his personality and music. On the other magazine there’s a long shot of Shawn Mendes. He is dressed in all black who also suggests he is sophisticated and wealthy. He is staring into the camera which causes the audience to feel like he is staring at them. He is sitting quite lousily and has one hand close to his mouth. This makes him look quite casual and it seems like he does not care too much.