But it's a cultural conformism that's not so pretty - when it comes to women, it's hard to know how stereotypes start to propagate, how attitudes get set, attitudes like how it's "right" to show the "wrong" woman just how badly you were "wronged". The man as victim. The man in a murderous rage. Done to death? Or by now, just another part of our collective psyche?
It's a bombardment of imagery that will backfire so massively, it's hard to know where to start... But should we start, with this one video perhaps? Justin Timberlake's What goes around...Comes Around . A catchy tune, Timberlake's not half-bad either. But it's not his music, not even the lyrics, but the video itself - A hot Scarlett Johansson has a couple of passionate scenes with Timberlake, and then "cheats" on him. He stumbles upon them...catches her kissing his friend.
And what happens to her? After a Hollywood-style chase sequence, she crashes...She dies, with an inscrutable Timberlake looking on... All with an ominous-sounding background score - chorus, crescendo and that's it.
That's right - that's what you get for cheating. Is THAT a message that should be going out to the highly impressionable, highly over-exposed youth of today? Not just the youth. Your average Joe city slicker is certainly not immune to this form of retribution/power trip machismo, either.
And this is no rough-round-the edges gangsta rap, with its own supposed cultural movement... this isn't the intensely sexualized but somehow hypnotic beat of reggaeton, either. No, this is even more massive - mass-produced, mass-marketed commercial pop. And it has a ripple effect, that's for sure.
Exploitation of women has been linked to everything, from poverty, to lack of education - but propagating it, with plain lack of good taste?
Which corner of the world has women safe from exploitation and physical harm, let alone objectification, even in the so-called liberal, affluent elite? Which corner of the world would you reasonably assume that such a message is ok, because it's safe out there - where women aren't battling minority status on several levels? Still? Years after the feminists won their battle?
Women of the world, I don't know about uniting, but that offensive beast is still out there...it must be called out, and fought. It's NOT ok. That's the real message.
Or as Justin T so aptly sings, what goes around will come around...and it's not necessarily you or me, but sisters, cousins, daughters on the receiving end.About the AuthorAmrita Tripathi Amrita Tripathi is a news anchor with CNN-IBN, and also doubles up as Health and Books Editor. An MA in Philosophy from St Stephen's College, Delhi Un...Read Morefirst published:June 06, 2007, 18:29 ISTlast updated:June 06, 2007, 18:29 IST
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It's not surprising that not much of a fuss has been made about Justin Timberlake's latest video - not surprising because of the changing face of the corporate mass-marketed cross-promoted blitzkrieg that ensures we all conform. Or change channels, if we're feeling particularly bold. Or just ignore it, if the music's not up our street.
But it's a cultural conformism that's not so pretty - when it comes to women, it's hard to know how stereotypes start to propagate, how attitudes get set, attitudes like how it's "right" to show the "wrong" woman just how badly you were "wronged". The man as victim. The man in a murderous rage. Done to death? Or by now, just another part of our collective psyche?
It's a bombardment of imagery that will backfire so massively, it's hard to know where to start... But should we start, with this one video perhaps? Justin Timberlake's What goes around...Comes Around . A catchy tune, Timberlake's not half-bad either. But it's not his music, not even the lyrics, but the video itself - A hot Scarlett Johansson has a couple of passionate scenes with Timberlake, and then "cheats" on him. He stumbles upon them...catches her kissing his friend.
And what happens to her? After a Hollywood-style chase sequence, she crashes...She dies, with an inscrutable Timberlake looking on... All with an ominous-sounding background score - chorus, crescendo and that's it.
That's right - that's what you get for cheating. Is THAT a message that should be going out to the highly impressionable, highly over-exposed youth of today? Not just the youth. Your average Joe city slicker is certainly not immune to this form of retribution/power trip machismo, either.
And this is no rough-round-the edges gangsta rap, with its own supposed cultural movement... this isn't the intensely sexualized but somehow hypnotic beat of reggaeton, either. No, this is even more massive - mass-produced, mass-marketed commercial pop. And it has a ripple effect, that's for sure.
Exploitation of women has been linked to everything, from poverty, to lack of education - but propagating it, with plain lack of good taste?
Which corner of the world has women safe from exploitation and physical harm, let alone objectification, even in the so-called liberal, affluent elite? Which corner of the world would you reasonably assume that such a message is ok, because it's safe out there - where women aren't battling minority status on several levels? Still? Years after the feminists won their battle?
Women of the world, I don't know about uniting, but that offensive beast is still out there...it must be called out, and fought. It's NOT ok. That's the real message.
Or as Justin T so aptly sings, what goes around will come around...and it's not necessarily you or me, but sisters, cousins, daughters on the receiving end.
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