Women representation in music video

Media is meant to convey messages and communicate with people. Music is part of the media and for me, music videos are the ‘tools’ to help ‘music’ interpret the messages. If the lyric is talked about the “beauty of romantics”, women are the considerable ‘element’ to include in the music video. By using the method of denotation and connotation to explain the statement, denotation of ‘woman’ is ‘adult woman’ but depends on the cultural, woman more often seen by stereotyped images (mostly negative image) like weak and dependent on man, and this is called connotation thinking (Donna, H., 2015). In other terms of connotation towards women are ‘soft’, ‘hopeless romantic’, ‘sensitive emotions’ and ‘easily be hurt’. I take our Malaysia music video of singer Fish Leong, as an example. 

Screen shot from Fish Leong 'Time will passed' music video. Her music video has female model wearing white pyjamas to present sloppy look after heart broken from romance.

We can see her music videos are more prone to woman romantics-oriented. The female models in her music videos are mostly portrayed as a heart broken and having soft characteristic woman. In terms of clothing, they wear long white dress or pastel colour of clothing. From this case, they are trying to represent a woman as ‘pure’, ‘sensitive thinking’ and more often as ‘weak’ that the woman needs a man to comfort, in terms of connotation of women.   

We all know that associate women with ‘weakness’ is not good but we feel natural in a way and interested with it when watching one of these kinds of music video. Thus, there’s certain phenomenon of ‘Heteronormativity’ hidden within, where people has a district and complementary of thinking on gender roles in natural way (Wise Geek, 2003).

Bibliography

Csun.edu (2015) ‘Connotation and Denotation’. [online] http://www.csun.edu/ ~bashforth/098_PDF/06Sep15Connotation_Denotation.pdf [Accessed 25 June 2015]

Donna, H. (2015) ‘What is the connotative and denotative meaning of woman?’. Answers. [online] http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_connota tive_and_denotative_meaning_of_woman [Accessed 25 June 2015]

Wise Geek (2003) ‘What Does “Heteronormative” Mean?’ [online] http://ww w.wisegeek.com/what-does-heteronormative-mean.htm [Accessed 25 June 2015]

Contribution of women in local media

At my second blog entry, I shown that female models are dominating fashion modelling industry as they have several of clothing choices thus they have more expression towards fashion compared to male models. Not to doubt that female fashion magazines are mostly show cases of female models, nevertheless is it these magazines really contributed by most of the women? Let us just take a magazine called “GLAM” as example of Malaysia contributed in editing.  

“GLAM” is a female fashion magazine that targeted women between age 20 and 40, and mostly are focused on audiences that affordable try new products and labels. Nevertheless when you read through the credits page, you can find many male contributors in the field of photographing, editing and produce. 

Photo shot of GLAM magazine cover and its contributors page. By the language (Bahasa Melayu) itself on the cover you can already tell it is from Malaysia, and this evidence shows minimal contribution of women in magazine industry in Malaysia

These are the 3 sections that I captured from the contributors page of GLAM. We can see the names are majotiry of male contributor names shown on GLAM magazine.

 We can see that the workforce and contribution of women in media are minimal at least in Malaysia. According to Dr Azman’s (2005) evidence, Malaysian women in general participate well in the local media industries but their participation at the decision-making levels is minimal. The number of women employed in the media industries in the 1970s rarely exceeded 30 percent of the total work force and this situation has not changed significantly in the 80s and 90s.

This kind of phenomenon is not just happened to magazines industry. Weak and dependent on man images of women often can be seen on local news reporting. Female news reporters are almost invisible or subordinate with man (Azman, A.A 2005). Their role playing seems don’t have much of decision making opportunities in term of media industry.

Stereotyped image of women often associated with consumers of fashion and beauty products and the media is interested with the role of women playing as consumers. 

Bibliography

Azman, A. A. (2005) ‘Cultivating Gender Sensitive Culture in the Malaysian Media Industry: A Critique and an Alternative’. Universiti Sains Malaysia. [online] http://eprints.usm.my/4896/1/Cultivating_Gender_Sensitive_Culture_In_The_Malaysian_Media_Industry.pdf[Accessed 25 June2015]

Omsqatar (2014). GLAM. [online] http://www.omsqatar.com/glam.html [Accessed 25 June 2015]

Women roles in Malaysia traditional mass media- television

We discussed about women identity and image in fashion based media. Their images were come from the very beginning which is weak characteristic. Now we’re going to talk about women roles in Malaysia traditional mass media-- television. There are some channels like TV2, RTM1, TV3 and other local channels that have shows of women which are mostly about fashion, cosmetic, family and children, hand crafting and other approaches feminisms shows. From this statement, Malaysia television has provided less contribution on women’s empowerment in society where there is still stereotyping mind existed among the society.

Let’s take a show as example like Minda Wanita dan Hawa on RTM1. The female Malay host and a male Ustaz speaking about a good life of a woman after marriage and this is also considered as a good Muslim. If a woman doesn’t has a marriage by the age of 27, she is considered as a spinster and a spinster is labelled as not a good muslim that ‘runs’ away from their responsibilities. Not to doubt that their responsibilities is to engage in reproductive activities. This issue is advanced from a religious point of view where it is continuously stressed that marriage is a form of ‘devotional service’ that will enable women to take up their roles.

There’s another example about gender discrimination on a talk show that’s called “Pondan, Ancaman Wanita” which aired on TV3. It was sick for them to just relate transgender and women are the same kind as they like the same topics like fashion, fragrance and such. They were showing the females are weak and should associate with stereotype image of women like women are make-up artist or wedding planner.

Fashion is a global matter but Malaysia traditional mass media seems to always associate it with females or transgender or even Mak Nyah (men who have feminism characteristic). It is just like fashions are all made for women and women have the obligations to present the idea of fashion. Not to mention that this kind of stereotype minded was already begun at early ages of advertising that associated with house wife.  

 

Bibliography

Ammu, J., Laxmi, M. and Jane, W.(2015) ‘Country Report: “Media and Gender in Malaysia”’. Research Study on Media and Gender in Asia-Pacific March [online] http://www.ifj.org/fileadmin/images/Asia_Pacific/IFJ_AP/reports-etc/Gender_and_Media_in_Malaysia [Accessed 24 June 2015]

 

Balraj, S.(2000) ‘Dis- empowering women on Malaysian TV’. Asia Pacific Media Educator 9(1) December [online] http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1144&context=apme [Accessed 23 June 2015]

Free Malaysia Today—FMT news (2011) ‘Mak Nyah community demands apology from TV3’ [online] http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2011/10/13/mak-nyah-community-demands-apology-from-tv3/ [Accessed 24 June 2015]

Jellene, K.(2011) ‘TV3 talkshow's disgusting gender discrimination’. Malaysiakini. [online] http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/178927 [Accessed 24 June 2015]

Farah - women roles in media from the case of Muslim gymnast issue

First, congrats to Farah ann Abdul Hadi has won a gold medal at the SEA Games for Malaysia gymnastic team, it is an honour for Malaysia to have this glory to shine upon. Nevertheless, people seems to be more concerned the attire that worn by her for the competition. They criticized her for being too 'revealing' on her leotard as a Muslim woman. Facebook users were slamming her by wearing a leotard that revealed the shape of her aurat, which refers to genitalia and other areas of the body like thighs, which can be required to be covered according to Islam. Harussani Zakaria, a Malaysian top Celtic, said that gymnastic is not for Muslim women as exposing one's ‘aurat’ and the shape of one's body is forbidden in Islam. If Muslim women want to participate in gymnastic, they have to find outfits which cover the ‘aurat’ (which is not convenience for gymnast). Most of the Muslims are criticized Muslim women should be covered, but Malaysia is not a country that totally extremes on religion. Let's say that our national TV channel TV3 was the first which posted the photo of Farah on Buletin TV3 on Facebook and broadcasted her entire competition without any censorship.

In my opinion, I think Malaysia has provides more freedom to women nowadays compare to Iran or other Islamic countries in terms of mass media. It is not about the freedom of women in our country restrained by their religion, in fact, it is all about how Malaysia portraits women roles in mass media like magazines, TV shows or advertisement. For Farah case, at least she wore proper attire as a gymnast for the competition and brought glory to Malaysia. As a Malaysian, I’m really proud of her and maybe we should focus at major things like how to bring more glories to Malaysia for being a better country instead of focus on minor problems.  

The videos below is not totally associated with women roles, but we can watch and compare how Iran and Malaysia broadcasting sports.

Hari ke-3 temasya, Malaysia menambah satu lagi pingat emas menerusi acara petanque, untuk emas ke-9 kontingen negara.Mohamad Hafizuddin Mat Daud melakar sejarah sukan petanque apabila menyumbang pingat emas menerusi kategori perseorangan lelaki.Ini emas pertama petanque sejak ia dipertandingkan pada Sukan SEA di Kuala Lumpur, pada tahun 2001.
Posted by Buletin TV3 on 2015年6月7日

伊朗【回教国】播放的女子体操节目！
Posted by 大马时事专页 on 2015年4月20日

(Video above shown TV3 broadcasted news of swimming sports and video below shown Iran broadcasted news of sports but with unpleasant censor to female athletes)

Bibliography

Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith (2015) ‘Muslim gymnast Farah Ann Abdul Hadi criticised for 'revealing' leotard worn in double-gold win – but her supporters are out in force’. The Independent. [online] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/muslim-gymnast-farah-ann-abdul-hadi-criticised-for--revealing-leotard-worn-in-doublegold-win--but-her-supporters-are-out-in-force-1032544 4.html[Accessed 18 June 2015]

 

Malaymail online (2015) ‘Malaysian gymnast gets brickbats for showing ‘aurat’, ‘vagina shape’ despite winning gold’. [online] http://www.themalaymailonlin e.com/malaysia/article/malaysian-gymnast-gets-brickbats-for-showing-aurat-vagina-shape-despite-win [Accessed 18 June 2015]