Brill_ABMidterm
Kayla Brill
Dr. Pabón
Gender and Sexuality in Hip Hop
Midterm: Annotated Bibliography
12 March 2018
Saunders, T. (2016). Towards a transnational hip-hop feminist liberatory praxis: A view from the Americas. Social Identities: Journal For The Study Of Race, Nation And Culture, 22(2), 178-194. Doi:10.1080/13504630.2015.1125592
This article talks about how hip-hop feminism needs to take a transnationalist form to be able to realize its protentional in the twenty-first century. There is also a chance that this can cause the realities that Black women have also helped with hip-hop feminism can get distorted. By taking on the transnational approach, there will be able to be mutual empowerment for Black women and girls in the Americas also. There is this idea that women from African descent are in the best, but they are not considered “western” which makes people believe they are inferior even though Black women have always had a role to play in Hip-Hop.
Haaken, J., Wallin- Ruschman, K., & Patange, S. (2012). Global hip-hop identities: Black youth, psychoanalytic action research, and the Moving to the Beat Project. Journal Of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 22(1), 63-74. Doi: 10.1002/casp.1097
This reading talks about how hip-hop can be used as a form of activism and help to create a dialogue between people of different cultures. The word social identity carries a big meaning because it is a product of not only one’s psychological development but also of that person’s culture. The Moving to the Beat project was created to help give young men and women to be able to speak up about issues and give them a voice. They drew on feminist theory to be able to help explain how women were able to get involved in something that uses aggressive words about their gender identity.
White, T. R. (2013). Missy ‘Misdemeanor’ Elliot and Nicki Minaj: Fashinistin’ Black female sexuality in hip- hop culture- Girl power or overpowered?. Journal of Black Studies, 44(6), 607-626. Doi: 10.1177/0021934713497365
http://www.jstor.org.libdatabase.newpaltz.edu/stable/24572858?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
This reading talks about Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliott and how the hip-hop culture has helped to define their identity. Objectification theory is used in order to help better understand the effects that being objectified in Hip-Hop as women. Both of these artists radiate sexuality to give them more power. They challenge the stereotypical images by using their own fashion sense and deciding what they want to wear. This helps them take back their sexuality that men have tried to control because they are deciding what to show or not show and how they want people to perceive them.
Summary:
The major themes that came up during my research is hip-hop can be used as a form of activism and taking back and claiming their space back. I took more of a psychological approach on hip-hop feminism. There is this idea that it can either help women or hurt women depending on how it is used. I think Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliot is a very good example of feminism in hip-hop because they took back their sexuality and dress the way they want and is not afraid to be who they want to be even with the critics that come along with doing so. Men have been objectifying women in songs and music videos for forever but then these two artists, and many more, start to take it back and do what they want to do, and they get criticized for doing so. I found it interesting because I am always hearing about how some female artist was scantily dressed and should not be doing that because she should be more modest with her body. Reading these articles made me think more openly about the fact that they are claiming themselves back. They are showing that they are doing this because they want to, not because they are told to do so.
I also think it was interesting how while hip-hop feminism should take on a transnationalist form, it could also deny women of color access even though they have been a part of hip-hop since it emerged. I think by looking at these relationships, it would be easier to help women of any color because when people join together to try to make change it can get more attention and be brought to light more. It is easier to have a huge group of women fight for all equality in hip-hop rather than smaller groups of women fighting for one specific group.