REPRESENTATION – A SUMMARY
Miley represents gender in interesting ways. She claims she is challenging certain stereotypes of women (e.g. playing a confident and dominating role); however, in many ways her work also reinforces the Beauty Myth (Wolf, 1991).
MILEY CYRUS
* Cyrus’s early career subverted the traditional stereotype that “men act and women appear” (Berger, 1972). In the video for Best of Both Worlds, Cyrus was the centre of attention. The men simply appeared as support to her singing. However, her Barbie-doll-like image did little to contradict Naomi Wolf’s idea that in contemporary society, women have to be beautiful in order to gain any kind of social power.
* Similarly in 7 Things and The Climb, men were marginalised, only appearing in reference (or as backing musicians). The song 7 Things, itself, appeared to be directed at men, but it is a confident assertion that women are in charge, with direct address used in the video to connote that women are strong and defiant (which is at odds to the opening, which shows mid-shots of young girls looking vulnerable, crying with their teddy bears).
* The Climb once again marginalises men, who only appear as “eye-candy”. Once again, Cyrus is the centre of the video’s narrative.
* In Can’t Be Tamed – men are initially shown in long shots looking nervous and stepping back away from Cyrus’s bird-like creature, giving her power and subverting some stereotypes about women (although the fact that she has been caged – seemingly by men – in the first place, weakens this message). At first in the video, she is seen in a medium shot, curled up in her next – frightened and vulnerable. However, narrative flips this image on its head (like in 7 Things). However, this time the video marks a transition for her – as she is now being highly sexualised – more flesh is exposed and her dancing also becomes more provocative (at one point – pole dancing on the bars of her cage). The lyrics are also more suggestive “I always get a ten ‘cause I’m built like that” and “I go through guys like money flyin’ out the hands” (which, for an 18 year old, is a controversial representation). There are also moments of empowerment “They try to change me but they realise they can’t”. Near the end of the video, we see short medium shots that quickly fade in and out of
darkness, which sees Cyrus in intimate poses with men and women. The lighting resembles someone being disturbed with their lovers – again reinforcing the idea that she is highly sexualised. This is further reinforced with cut-away scenes of her lying on the ground, looking vulnerable and writhing around in a sexualised fashion.
* In Can’t Stop (2013), we see men marginalised again. However, women are also highly sexualised – Cyrus is again seen writhing around the floor in a sexually suggestive way. Although she now does not follow the conventional forms of female beauty – her hair has been cut short and tattoos adorn her body. When see shots of lots of people in states of undress – they are often women – appealing to a male gaze. The song, itself, though is not centred around men but around empowerment (we see this through the opening shots of Cyrus cutting off her monitoring tag and turning up the music up), reinforcing the idea that women can be assertive and dominant. However, again, this message is diluted by women getting attention by taking their clothes off.
* Wrecking Ball at first reinforces the stereotype that women are weak, emotional and vulnerable – the video starts with a close up of Cyrus’s face, as she cries (an intertextual reference to Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares To You). Men, again, are marginalised in this video, except that the song appears to be about a break-up of a relationship. The sledgehammer and the wrecking ball itself, therefore, become symbols of male power (to hurt women – “you wreck me”). These symbols are also phallic, which again demonstrate male power as they crash through the walls in the video. Although Cyrus is seen as being in power (breaking down a wall with a sledgehammer and riding on a wrecking ball) – her power is undermined by the fact that she is completely naked in the final minutes, which has raised concerns about the music industry being exploitative and providing a negative role model for young women, as it reinforces the old beauty myth that women can only gain power by being beautiful.
* The covers of Cyrus’s albums can clearly show that men are marginalised (they simply do not appear) and this may be an empowering step for female stars, were it not for the increasing sexualisation of Cyrus. She starts off appearing like a Barbie doll (wearing pink with immaculate hair and skin) and later with Can’t Be Tamed, starts to expose more flesh. By the album cover for Bangerz, she appears (depending on which version of the album cover you are looking at) either in leather or completely naked – completely sexualised. The typography also reinforces this sexualisation with a neon sign that has connotations of a red-light district. Therefore, the audience are positioned to view Cyrus in a sexualised way (even worse – as a sex-worker), which therefore detracts from the empowerment that she professes she offers women. In an interview for BBC radio, she claimed that she “teaches women to be confident”. This can be supported in the increased use of direct-address on her album covers. But this message is somewhat diluted, as she is also “teaching” women to sexualise themselves to get attention.
Miley represents gender in interesting ways. She claims she is challenging certain stereotypes of women (e.g. playing a confident and dominating role); however, in many ways her work also reinforces the Beauty Myth (Wolf, 1991).
MILEY CYRUS
* Cyrus’s early career subverted the traditional stereotype that “men act and women appear” (Berger, 1972). In the video for Best of Both Worlds, Cyrus was the centre of attention. The men simply appeared as support to her singing. However, her Barbie-doll-like image did little to contradict Naomi Wolf’s idea that in contemporary society, women have to be beautiful in order to gain any kind of social power.
* Similarly in 7 Things and The Climb, men were marginalised, only appearing in reference (or as backing musicians). The song 7 Things, itself, appeared to be directed at men, but it is a confident assertion that women are in charge, with direct address used in the video to connote that women are strong and defiant (which is at odds to the opening, which shows mid-shots of young girls looking vulnerable, crying with their teddy bears).
* The Climb once again marginalises men, who only appear as “eye-candy”. Once again, Cyrus is the centre of the video’s narrative.
* In Can’t Be Tamed – men are initially shown in long shots looking nervous and stepping back away from Cyrus’s bird-like creature, giving her power and subverting some stereotypes about women (although the fact that she has been caged – seemingly by men – in the first place, weakens this message). At first in the video, she is seen in a medium shot, curled up in her next – frightened and vulnerable. However, narrative flips this image on its head (like in 7 Things). However, this time the video marks a transition for her – as she is now being highly sexualised – more flesh is exposed and her dancing also becomes more provocative (at one point – pole dancing on the bars of her cage). The lyrics are also more suggestive “I always get a ten ‘cause I’m built like that” and “I go through guys like money flyin’ out the hands” (which, for an 18 year old, is a controversial representation). There are also moments of empowerment “They try to change me but they realise they can’t”. Near the end of the video, we see short medium shots that quickly fade in and out of
darkness, which sees Cyrus in intimate poses with men and women. The lighting resembles someone being disturbed with their lovers – again reinforcing the idea that she is highly sexualised. This is further reinforced with cut-away scenes of her lying on the ground, looking vulnerable and writhing around in a sexualised fashion.
* In Can’t Stop (2013), we see men marginalised again. However, women are also highly sexualised – Cyrus is again seen writhing around the floor in a sexually suggestive way. Although she now does not follow the conventional forms of female beauty – her hair has been cut short and tattoos adorn her body. When see shots of lots of people in states of undress – they are often women – appealing to a male gaze. The song, itself, though is not centred around men but around empowerment (we see this through the opening shots of Cyrus cutting off her monitoring tag and turning up the music up), reinforcing the idea that women can be assertive and dominant. However, again, this message is diluted by women getting attention by taking their clothes off.
* Wrecking Ball at first reinforces the stereotype that women are weak, emotional and vulnerable – the video starts with a close up of Cyrus’s face, as she cries (an intertextual reference to Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares To You). Men, again, are marginalised in this video, except that the song appears to be about a break-up of a relationship. The sledgehammer and the wrecking ball itself, therefore, become symbols of male power (to hurt women – “you wreck me”). These symbols are also phallic, which again demonstrate male power as they crash through the walls in the video. Although Cyrus is seen as being in power (breaking down a wall with a sledgehammer and riding on a wrecking ball) – her power is undermined by the fact that she is completely naked in the final minutes, which has raised concerns about the music industry being exploitative and providing a negative role model for young women, as it reinforces the old beauty myth that women can only gain power by being beautiful.
* The covers of Cyrus’s albums can clearly show that men are marginalised (they simply do not appear) and this may be an empowering step for female stars, were it not for the increasing sexualisation of Cyrus. She starts off appearing like a Barbie doll (wearing pink with immaculate hair and skin) and later with Can’t Be Tamed, starts to expose more flesh. By the album cover for Bangerz, she appears (depending on which version of the album cover you are looking at) either in leather or completely naked – completely sexualised. The typography also reinforces this sexualisation with a neon sign that has connotations of a red-light district. Therefore, the audience are positioned to view Cyrus in a sexualised way (even worse – as a sex-worker), which therefore detracts from the empowerment that she professes she offers women. In an interview for BBC radio, she claimed that she “teaches women to be confident”. This can be supported in the increased use of direct-address on her album covers. But this message is somewhat diluted, as she is also “teaching” women to sexualise themselves to get attention.
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