Ok. I’m not even sure I should be blogging about this. Your just gonna google it & add to the views, if I will refrain from mentioning artists and titles you just won’t get it. I just got a notification on my facebook “But what is with all the pornography posing as music videos that I keep seeing? Three in a week—-whats happening?!!” I like the idiot I am, followed suit and sought out these videos and one stuck with me and I had a thought; In steps this blog.
The usage of sex in videos… I completely agree with it. “OH MY GOD, ANOTHER MISOGYNIST PIG UPON OUR INTERWEBS!!!…” Hold on. I agree that the use of sex can enhance a video, you need to broaden your mind and listen a minute. A sultry singer sprawled upon a grand piano, dress slit to her hip and cleavage “a spill” is as much the use of sex as is a burlesque dancer in her lingerie doing the “can-can”, as is the urban video girl all the way down to the exotic dancer expertly working the pole. The success of the performance is all about: 1. timing, 2. context, 3. star appeal and 4. strategic restraint in display. When done right we ALL love to see it! We are sexual creatures, the female and male form will always be used in art for their sexual appeal. “Sex sells” is the saying and it’s true as the day is blue, but onto the meat of the matter.
When does sex stop being art? When does it come to the line of the edgy, march to the door of shock, kick it down and stroll boldly into the briar of shock for the sake of views. Just how effective is this to the artist and the model(s)? Be yee careful of this line, for once you venture over it, there can be no return… Artists need to be careful using shock value in hopes of harnessing its break-out power. It has been used to good effect before but most times it just creates a work that is not taken seriously and can even work counter to the break-out hopes of the artist AND those involved/featured. One could say that sex for shock is a tool best used by the proven. It worked for Ray J, Snooki, Kim Kardashian, hell even Pamela Anderson!…Well kinda, with the exception of Kim do you even remember any of the these?
This is an example of sex in media gone wrong…. Wrong! wrong! wrong! This one is simply porn! O_O
I admire video girls and urban pin-up models. I admire self confidence in a good body. I know I sound like the typical cave man but these girls know what they have. They know who likes it, how they want it presented and how to make it pay… They make a good buck! Now cry all you want about equality and the feminist spirit but they know what they’re doing and they damn well make sure they’re paid for ever ounce of skin shown. Now on that utterance… Make a SMART F*CKING DECISION! If you’re gonna show me your c@&T at least make sure you get cut a thick, thick cheque…
I think the problem with a lot of aspiring talent is that the urge to break out overides all sense of reason when it comes to analysing offers. All that glitters <Looks above (Shudder) Is not gold> Make a smart decision girls AND guys. If it ain’t gonna leave you remembered at least let it leave you rich!
I can’t say all this with out at least illustrating my point of what constitutes sex done right. Remember Tip drill by Nelly? I’m a child of the 90’s okay! You “younguns” can sit and learn.
Now I’m showing all this to say point #1 – Timing and point #3 Star Appeal. Tip drill was a good gig produced in the early 90’s. This was one of rap music’s early experiments with sex for shock value. Here’s the uncut version. http://slack-time.com/music-video-2717-nelly-tip-drill It has good production value (For what it was and the time it was shot) It had a notable name “Nelly”, good view potential and an international audience. A chica choosing THIS gig had the fact that at this time something like this was NOVEL! People took notice in a fresh way, net work this right and there could be anything from a magazine spread to another video gig afterwards. Nowadays we have been desensitized at the flood of over-sexualized media, this just means that any poor production with p*ssy slapped on as an after thought just appears dry & tasteless, the piece is just shown up for shock and the point of focus buried beneath this fact. It is discussed, laughed at and forgotten.
Now with that said how many of these video girls do you remember or at the very least recognize? Where are they now? Remember Buffie the Body, Jessica Rabbit, Lola Luv or CoCo? Your wife’s not looking, you know you do if you don’t google them, They are ALL successful.
All these girls got their break in rap videos, some pretty hott to view but they choose their work carefully and by God they made sure they got paid and it paid off.
Point #2 – Context. Facebook was recently abuzz October last year with Rhianna’s videoPour it out.
Once again we at least have the sex here being used in context to the art. Even if you hate it, it’s about strippers and the display fits the art and there’s restraint (Point #4), yes I said restraint. The outfits tease, I have to imagine peeling off the remaining threads. A little left to the imagination is NOT a bad thing. To tie this up nicely, this is why my first example is called art and as I go down the line the definition moves with me towards the explicit.
In a sea of sex, pushing the envelope with out context or concern for art can only hurt an artist’s aspirations. It can take a good video girl/model and typecast her as low quality, willing to take any offered window for hope of upward thermals, only to fall to a short-lived career of mediocrity and infamy. The artist is seen as a joke, is talked about not for his talent but for his gall. This sort of thing is like a fire cracker to gasoline for the media machine. It burns high and burns out just as fast. Finally to all you local aspiring video vixens out there, remember this island is small and you only get ONE shot to break out and its a hard road ESPECIALLY here. Ri-ri’s opened that door, make that move smart and from my humble seat… eighty seven views thus far and lamp for lighting just isn’t that… I’m gonna go watch some pornos now as at least those will be honest with me about what they are and their intentions.
You can’t hate the players, you can only hate the game! I’m still The Microvangelist and I most certainly and humbly your Wonderman.
Awesome views and i agree
Thanks for that. I think this trend is resultant from a mixture of desperation on the part of the local artists and a prevailing trend in dub culture. With my points made I actually do not blame the artists but the consumer. While there is nothing wrong with sex in media, there is something wrong with a public that accepts this type of excess as art. We need to make a change.