FEATURE:
Rough Diamonds
IN THIS PHOTO: Sydney Sweeney/PHOTO CREDIT: Armani Beauty via Allure
Is It Right for Men in Music to Judge and ‘Call Out’ Objectification of Women in Music Videos?
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IT is a complex issue…
IN THIS PHOTO: The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards/PHOTO CREDIT: Mark Seliger
that might not have a definitive answer. What I am referring to is women appearing in music videos and whether there is a fine line being exploitation and self-expression. I am going to get to the case of The Rolling Stones’ Angry and their use of actor Sydney Sweeney. Look back through the decades at some of the most empowering, sexy and memorable videos. Whether it is a female artist or actress in the video, there have been debated as to whether a lot of the more provocative content is women being exploited by a label or an artist. Being put into the video to exploit sexuality and get it more views. There is also the other side, where women are being expressive and confident with their sexuality. I think that it was the case, years ago, where there was more of the industry pushing sex and women’s bodies. It still happens today, yet music videos are less sexualised than they were before. Fewer examples of the very racy and bold videos with women at the front. If a label or director is needlessly making a female artist be provocative and dress in very little for a video then that needs to be called out. I think it was Kylie Minogue who recently said, in regards to the fact she is still very sexy in her videos, she refused to ‘dress her age’ or confirm with what is expected. An inspiring artist who is very assured in her skin. She calls the shot and is not being exploited by anyone. Despite the fact there are some artists who feel that they need to flaunt their figures and sex appeal, it is maybe less common than it has been. A new wave of very powerful women who are taking control of their narrative and image. From Dua Lipa to Megan Thee Stallion, we have these amazing and empowering women who are true to themselves. Not being told what to do (or not to do).
Maybe it is more complex when it comes to male artists and their use of actresses/women in videos. Definitely in past years, there have been so many incidents of women being used as tools. Simply designed to grab attention and get attention. Over-sexualised and used in this very grubby way, have The Rolling Stones done that with Sydney Sweeney?! The acclaimed actress is someone who is very confident and proud of her sexuality. In many of her roles, she is comfortable being naked and filming sex scenes. In the video for Angry, she can be seen in a convertible. She is having fun and looks great! From The Rolling Stones’ new album, Hackney Diamonds, as it a case of these music icons being ditty diamonds?! An ageing band perhaps misjudging things when it comes to representation of women in their videos. Maybe looking back to the 1960s and 1970s and how they might have sold their music or viewed women?! It seems that Damon Albarn – who has had some wrong or misjudged views about certain women in the music industry (Taylor Swift for example) - feels that the legendary band were using Sydney Sweeney in a somewhat overly-sexual and scuzzy way. NME reported on it:
“Sydney Sweeney has addressed claims that she was “objectified” in the music video for The Rolling Stones‘ single ‘Angry’.
Damon Albarn had called out the Stones for their “nonsense” involvement with Hackney, which he said they had never contributed to, as well as making Sweeney seem objectified in the video.
“I listened to their new song and watched this horrible music video showing them at different stages of their lives on billboards,” he told French magazine Les Inrockuptibles. And this young woman objectified. What the hell is this? There’s something completely disconnected.”
PHOTO CREDIT: James Marcus Haney
Now, Sweeney has had her own say on the situation. “I felt hot,” the Euphoria star told Glamour. “I picked my own outfit out of racks and racks of clothes. I felt so good in it.”
Sweeney added that she considers expressing her sexuality a form of empowerment. “One of the questions I get is, ‘Are you a feminist?’” she explained. “I find empowerment through embracing the body that I have. That’s sexy and strong, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.”
Ultimately, she found the experience of being in a Stones video “cool and iconic”.
“I felt so good. All the moves, everything I was doing was all freestyle,” she added. “I mean, who else gets to roll around on the top of a convertible driving down Sunset Boulevard with police escorts?”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Damon Albarn/PHOTO CREDIT: Hugo Lima
It is admirable I guess that Damon Albarn might challenge bad practice. A band maybe using a popular actress and exploiting her sexuality so that they can make their video relevant, cool, watchable and memorable. It would be easy to see it as quite seedy out of touch with the modern times. Any man in music who tackles sexism, discrimination, exploitation or anything like that should be applauded. Is that what was happening with The Rolling Stones?! I think it can be difficult to distinguish between a group/label with poor morals when it comes to women being used in music videos and an actress/female artists taking control and being expressive. The fact that Sydney Sweeney has said how she felt comfortable and had a good time shows that she was not intended to be objectified. Not too dissimilar to a scene she might shoot for a film, perhaps that gulf between an older male band and a young woman is causing this issue and confrontation from Damon Albarn. The feeling The Rolling Stones are being leering and dirty. It is important that women are not made to feel like they should be objectified in videos. That they are respected and feel safe and secure. It seems like Sydney Sweeney was okay with everything and has no complaint. There are articles that debate whether women are empowered or objectified in videos. A 2019 article found that so many Rap and Pop lyrics contain degrading, derogatory and objectifying lyrics. This article discussed how female dancers in videos have been exploited. Black women have often being exploited and overly-sexualised in videos. This 2021 article argues that point.
There have not been many pieces written over the past couple of years about sexualisation and exploitation in music videos. That would suggest that the issue has gone away. I don’t think that it has. There are a lot of tremendous Pop and Hip-Hop queens who are injecting plenty of passion and power. Deciding how much of themselves they want to reveal. Realising that it is quite right they should be free to choose how they wear and what they do in their videos. There will be further debate around women in music videos and whether there is exploitation having. Damon Albarn will start new conversation. I think that The Rolling Stones might not have had too much say about the direction and casting. The video is directed by Francois Rousselet. Sydney Sweeney is having a blast throughout the video! There is not too much imagination or anything really to distinguish it. They could have used a talent like Sweeney in a more meaningful and innovative way. In that sense, I think she has been narrowly defined and used more as a rebel and wild child figure than a deeper actor. One has to ask whether artists like Damon Albarn can say whether another artists is exploiting women in their videos. One can look back to Albarn’s band Blur and a video like 1995’s Country House (which, to be fair, is bawdy, gross and a horrible sign of its times). It is important that we discuss women in music videos and whether they are being overly-sexualised and represented in a very questionable and seedy way. The Rolling Stones’ video with Sydney Sweeney is not great to be fair - though I don’t feel it a case of them objectifying her. It is crucial that we talk about these things, because it is important that women are not used and debased in videos. Especially Black women, who are still misrepresented and exploited. When it comes to The Rolling Stones’ video for Hackney Diamonds’ lead single, there is not a lot to…
GET angry about.