The Representation of Women in Mainstream Rap
This research focused on the representation of women in mainstream rap music. Given the popularity of rap music in contemporary American popular culture, the representation of women in the cultural form remains an important topic of research. The project examined the Eye Candy feature of the hip-hop magazine XXL in relation to the overall tone of the magazine. By using discursive analysis, the study analyzed the space and locations that women occupy in the magazine. The representation was consistent with results found in previous scholarship. I found that the Eye Candy feature profiles the models in relation to their nameless status in the music video. However, the women lose agency in a feature that ultimately labels and identifies them as eye candy.
School:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Department:
Journalism
Research Advisor:
Angharad N. Valdivia
Department of Research Advisor:
Institute of Communications Research
Year of Publication:
2006