For our next IASPM BENELUX POP TALK 19, we are excited to welcome Jun.-Prof. Dr. Christine Meltzer (Hanover University of Music, Drama, and Media) on January 20th, 16:30-17:30. The talk will have the title: Beyond the Beat: Four Decades of Gender Representation in Music Videos
Registration via: https://uva-live.zoom.us/meeting/register/dvANp2XkS367EoMJuqTbhA
Abstract:
The portrayal of gender in music videos has significant implications for societal attitudes and behavior. Women continue to be underrepresented and sexualized in music videos. This study uses a comprehensive automated quantitative analysis of nearly 10.000 music videos spanning four decades and multiple genres. We used multimodal large language models (MLLMs) to examine the visibility and sexualization of women. We find that while women's visibility has increased over time, gender inequalities persist and vary significantly across genres. In particular, women artists tend to have higher visibility and are more likely to be sexualized in their videos. Genre differences also play a significant role, with the results revealing that dance videos have higher levels of sexualization. These findings emphasize the problematic role of music videos in shaping gender perceptions and highlight the need for continued awareness-raising to promote gender equality in media representations.
Bio:
Dr. Christine E. Meltzer is a Junior Professor of Communication Studies with a focus on Media and Music at the Department of Journalism and Communication Research (IJK) at Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media. Her major research interests include the role of media and music in social inequality and intergroup conflict, especially concerning marginalized groups and violence against women.