Hot Commodity: The Objectification of Women in the Hip Hop Industry

"The top reason a woman finds herself in a rap video, sprawled undressed over a luxury car while a rapper is saying lewd things about her, is a lack of self-esteem. No one who values, loves, or knows herself would allow herself to be placed in such a degrading position."~Karrine Steffans

Sex sells.

Selling women as a product and the women who allow it-who is at fault (if any) with how the hip hop world has personified itself. Today in this age, selling oneself by posing almost nude in magazines and television is like legal prostitution and soft core pornography. Where and when do we draw the line of what is considered too much.

My initial reaction to some of the music videos produced today is that women are victims of objectification. They are depicted in scandalously revealing clothing and overtly sexual innuendos to attract and keep viewers’ attention. I personally love hip hop and rap music for its lyrical rawness.

As I’m listening and enjoying the insatiable beats, I realize that the lyrics are really degrading to women. As a woman, I am appalled by the lyrics and music videos, yet I still find myself, like many others to support this genre of music.

Hip Hop has been a huge movement since the 1980s. Its rhythmical beats are a major influence on fashion and culture. I think hip hop is slowly losing its natural essence of realness and converting into a monetary entity with insignificant lyrics and glamorized lifestyle. People’s opinions and perception are skewed and some believe that African Americans-in particular black women like and want to be treated like they are in the videos. Their physical attributes are a blessing and exploited not praised.

Sex is its number one way to attract people-whether it is in the lyrics or visual productions. One of the key factor to a song's success is not always the artist or their lyrics but the females used within the lyrics and music videos-who are referred to as video vixen.

Who is to blame for this overt sexual deviancy? Possibly the blame is on not one but all people involved such as:the music video directors, the music producers, the musicians, the video models, or us as viewers and consumers of the media. Everything has become so sexual and in return have become desensitized an consider these sexual images and lyrics part of the norm. Social researchers Gerbner's and Gross' Cultivation Theory supports this idea.

Hyper sexuality and objectification of women is synonymous with hip hop and the black community as whole. The women used within these videos are predominately African American; yet there are some exceptions such as Coco Austin and Vida Guerra. Dr. Carolyn West of University of Washington-Tacoma has focused on the ill-treatment and exploitation of African American women dating back to slavery times to now. More importantly, the effect it has on the minds of young black teens. They look at the lifestyle portrayed in these music videos as true and glamorous.

Actresses such as Megan Good have actually become video vixens to gain extra publicity. Sex is the age old hot commodity used by women for self-empowerment and domination over men. Today, females are using their looks to try to make money and gain publicity in this star crazy world.

In a 2007 Jet magazine article, being a video "model" is a legit job with a paycheck. Hired models for a music video can make between $500-2000 in a 12-hour video shoot, depending upon the experience of the model. I can see where that could be considered a job but still it's degrading to be barely dressed, shaking your booty, oiled up, and (sometimes) simulating sexual acts.

For instance, self-proclaimed video vixen Karrine Steffans a.k.a "Superhead" has made her sexual endeavors with some of hip hop and rap leading performers open to the public. She used her sexual prowess to make herself and her adorned nickname a commodity. In her 2005 book, Confessions of a Video Vixen she aired out her scandalous sexual affairs with Ja Rule, Common, DMX, Jay Z, Snoop Dogg-just to name a few. She claims writing her book was a way to heal from all the mental and sexual abuse she sustained throughout her twenties. Coincidentally in 2009 she released her third racy novel, The Vixen Manual, a ‘how-to guide’ on relationships and keeping one’s partner satisfied along with video guide.

I think that she is as much at fault for her exploitation and objectification as the artists and the music video casting directors. She exploited herself for publicity, jewelry, and money-like most of the girls that get into this field.

I withdrew myself from the role as consumer and viewer and realized that all parties involved are to blame. I believe the hip hop and rap industry as a whole needs rejuvenation by finding, producing and publicizing new artists without using sex as the main focus.

I also agreed with previously mentioned Dr. West-maybe we as consumers should boycott and not buy the music. Maybe a change and drop in music sales would get the message across its wrong to degrade women.

The artist themselves also need to change. They glorify their lives by what and how they treat women. The lyrics are sexually raw and obscene like in the rapper, the Game's 2007, "Wouldn't Get Far." In a lot of the lyrics, women are thrown in the same category as personal possessions-like cars and jewelry.

Most importantly, the females who chose to be in the videos shouldn't take the music video job or set standards on what they will and won't do. Yet they know there is always another model in the background of video that is willing to do anything and everything to "make it big" and play the lead.

Women are mothers, sisters, aunts, and someones daughter-they are not sexual objects. Money, cars, jewelry, clothes are all material things can be easily gained and taken away but self-respect and self- worth are priceless.