Young fresh faces are targeted for hot new hip-hop and rap videos. Video vixens (hip-hop slang for female dancers) have raised the charts for most popular rap and R&B artist like Usher and Tyga. Not only young faces but young curvaceous Latinas and African American women. “Video Vixens”, women performers in music videos are mainly curvaceous Latinas and African American women. Music videos from artist like Lil Wayne, Tyga, and Pitbull have women half naked showing their thick flawless curves and sex appeal. Curvy bodies are a targeted for the media because it attracts viewers and popularity for rap and hip-hop artist; women are their main attraction. The thicker the women, the better, like an attraction at a theme park the bigger the better. But when did curves become so popular for hip-hop, rap and R&B music perhaps in the early 2000's when rap, hip-hop arose and became part of pop culture to teenagers and young adults. While Latinas are known for their curvy bodies and beige skin, African American women are known for their flawless curves and sex appeal. Rap artist are determined to have "Sexy" women part of their video and we wonder why. Are they trying to attract more male viewers and want viewers to know that they have the so-called "Women of our Dreams" and if they are, what kind of statement are they trying to portray to women without curves. Or is it just a trend in hip-hop to have women and many women along with a hot new single. What is it that Latinas and African American women have and not White Women, well, to hip-hop and rap videos not the particular body they are looking for, curvy from head to toe. Not everyone has curves and not everyone is runway skinny. And this is when race comes into part. Why should women of color be recognized for having curves? Though it is part of their genes to have a certain body type that is not always the case. Because Latinas and African American women tend to be more curvaceous then White Women does not mean that there are not White Women or any other ethnicity with curvaceous body types. Rap artist should not only embrace the curves of a certain ethnicity but should express that any ethnicity can be beautiful at any body type and not just Latin and African American women.
By: Karina Aguirre
I must say that I have always wondered also why woman are put in these videos half naked, I mean I know that mean are the target audience but some of these songs are even about woman. I think rappers shouldn't do this as its getting old. But the reason why I think african American Woman and Latinas are usually in these video is because they are the audience the videos target, African American and Latino communities.
ReplyDeleteI find this to be extremely racist and wrong because, first of all who are these people to define beauty? Secondly, if they can even give a illegitimate definition of being beautiful they should not only choose women of one race but women of many races such as Italian, Russian, and even Armenian.
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