Current essay

How far has the representation of women in the rhythm and blues genre developed over the years, in relation to ‘The Supremes’ and ‘Destiny’s Child’?

Throughout many generations of music, the representation of women has changed dramatically in relation to how they look, how they sound and how an audience views them. Throughout this project, my first aim is to explore how the rhythm and blues genre differs now compared to its origins, particularly investigating how it has adapted and evolved to move with the times.

Secondly I will discuss the ever-changing representation of females within the R+B genre with particular reference to the male gaze theory. I have chosen to base my investigation around tow particular case studies, firstly ‘The Supremes’, who “were not only the most commercially successful female group of the '60s but among the top 5 pop/rock/soul acts of that decade.”(1)

I then plan to compare and contrast them with a more contemporary rhythm and blues act ‘Destiny’s Child’. They could be seen as a post-modern evolution of the ‘The Supremes’ but one might argue that they were more successful and ideological.

The Supremes – Keep Me Hanging On

Lead singer Diana Ross – more camera time.

Matching outfits – sophisticated, long dresses. Classy. In keeping with the time.

Same scene – video consists of watching them sing, no scene changes. Simplistic. Does this mean they have the voices to keep the viewers watching, or was it because this was the extent music videos would stretch to at the time?

No narrative – no ideology, just there to sell their music and their voices.

Survivor (4,323,526)

Lead singer Beyonce – most camera time.

Narrative – aim to sell their sexuality – male gaze theory.

Ironically singing about independence.

Costumes – revealing and mostly consist of two pieces. Legs, stomach and cleavage are all on show. Beyonce seems to appear in a different colour, possibly highlighting her importance within the band. (focus)

Opening scenes – each member is immediately sexually objectified. Their body is shown before their face. Their body is almost oiled – iconography of sexulisation.

A large amount of scene changes, movement and dancing. The girls are being sexualised with their provocative dancing and costume choices. Does this distract from the fact that their music isn’t up to a higher standard as the Supremes or are directors just making use of the things we are able to produce in this era.

Why has the music video industry changed so much? Why are bands no longer able to just stand and sing and for audiences to be satisfied? Why must they contain a narrative to hold the audiences attention? Is it the music that has changed or society? 

How far has the representation of women in the rhythm and blues genre developed over the years, in relation to ‘The Supremes’ and ‘Destiny’s Child’?

Throughout many generations of music, the representation of women has changed dramatically in relation to how they look, how they sound and how they are viewed by an audience. Throughout this project, my first aim is to explore how the rhythm and blues genre differs now compared to its origins, particularly investigating how it has adapted and evolved to move with the times.

Secondly I will discuss the ever-changing representation of females within the R+B genre with particular reference to the male gaze theory. I have chosen to base my investigation around tow particular case studies, firstly ‘The Supremes’, who “were not only the most commercially successful female group of the '60s but among the top 5 pop/rock/soul acts of that decade.”(1)

 I then plan to compare and contrast them with a more contemporary rhythm and blues act ‘Destiny’s Child’  They could be seen as a post modern evolution of the ‘The Supremes’ but could arguably be said to have become more successful and ideological. Quote

The Supremes

The Supremes was an American female singing group and the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Originally founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes,psychedelic soul, and disco. They were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and are, to date, America's most successful vocal group with 12 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.Most of these hits were written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland. At their peak in the mid-1960s, the Supremes rivaled the Beatles in worldwide popularity, and their success made it possible for future African American R&B and soul musicians to find mainstream success.

Founding members Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross, and Betty McGlown, all from the Brewster-Douglass public housing project in Detroit, formed the Primettes as the sister act to the Primes (with Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks, who went on to formthe Temptations).Barbara Martin replaced McGlown in 1960, and the group signed with Motown the following year as the Supremes. Martin left the act in early 1962, and Ross, Ballard, and Wilson carried on as a trio.

During the mid-1960s, the Supremes achieved mainstream success with Ross as lead singer. In 1967, Motown president Berry Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross & the Supremes, and replaced Ballard with Cindy Birdsong. Ross left to pursue a solo career in 1970 and was replaced by Jean Terrell, at which point the group's name reverted to the Supremes. After 1972, the lineup changed more frequently; Lynda Laurence, Scherrie Payne, and Susaye Greene all became members of the group during the mid-1970s. The Supremes disbanded in 1977 after an 18-year run.

How has the audience responded to Lost?

Reviews of 'Lost's' final episode:

The guardian;

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2010/may/24/lost-ending-final-episode-reviewed

"Highly entertaining, and packed with great lines and moments, it's hard to escape the feeling that it's not quite an ending that matches our jumping-off point six years ago. Maybe that's the point: it's been a great ride, but now it's time to let it go to the great box set in the sky … where we'll doubtless find another 20 minutes of extra stuff to cry and argue over."

The Telegraph; 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/7758309/Lost-the-final-episode-review.html

"So there we are, then. It wasn’t completely clear. It wasn’t completely logical. But it was completely thrilling."

'Most media texts target a range of different audiences.' How true is this for your chosen text?

One of my chosen texts for television is 'Lost', series 1 episode 2; "Pilot, part 2". This text aims to target a mass audience, and strives to reduce alienation for audience members by using particular conventions, such as; a hybrid genre, using an ensemble cast and the use of enigma codes.

This particular text uses a hybrid genre in order to attract a wider audience, and by creating 'Lost' in this post modern form, it mixes typical genre conventions to create a new identity and therefore broadens its audience by not using particular individual genre conventions that, as a result, would exclude viewers who take an oppositional reading to them. For example, 'Lost' is classified as a hybrid of Action, Adventure and Fantasy. In particular reference to the Action genre, the text was able to incorporate a chase scene into the plot with the use of the polar bear scene. The fast pace cut duration during this scene allows the text to create suspense and with the addition of the score, they combine to help the audience feel apprehension and tension. A further example of mixed genre convention, in reference to the Fantasy genre, is the undertaking of a quest in which some of the characters hike to the top of a mountain in order to obtain signal for the radio transmitter they plan to use to make a distress call. 

One of the major advantages to using ensemble casts in television is that it allows the writers to create episodes which are centred around individual characters, using these episodes to develop the characters while also driving the plot forward. 'Lost' uses this technique in combination with flash-forwards and flash-backs to provide more context for the incredibly complex Lost mythology, allowing viewers to get close to a wide assortment of characters. In television, ensemble casts can save shows from becoming boring or repetitive. When a show focuses on a single star, viewers can start to get restless, and it can be hard to break out of a formulaic episode pattern. The large cast also enables the audience to relate to at least one member of the cast, linking with personal identity.

Enigma codes allow the audience to gain a sense of suspense, and in order to target the entirety of the programme's audience they mostly base these conventions at the end of sections just before adverts, to guarantee that the audience will then watch the next section.  For example, the handcuffs found at the beginning of the episode causes the viewers to question who's they are, and in order for this to be resolved they need to watch the entire episode, where they then find out they are Kate's. Which then cleverly begins a second enigma, as the viewers then begin to question Kate's first initial impressions. The text then cleverly places the most important cliffhanger at the end of the programme in order to leave the viewers wanting to watch the next episode to see what happens.  In episode two's case, we are left with the distress call from the French woman, which again, causes the audience to raise many questions which will only be answered if they continue to watch the series.