Today in class we started off with a discussion of "International Love," by Pitbull, featuring Chris Brown. "An odd choice for a Women's Studies class," you may have thought to yourself (particularly if you've seen the video or are familiar with Pitbull's... ahem... work). But wait! It is completely relevant, as I hope our ensuing discussion bears out. From the very first shot of the earth hurdling through space, to the flashes of the American and Puerto Rican flags emblazoned on its computer generated terrain, to - finally - Pitbull on stage surrounded by a bevy of lovely, scantily clad anonymous ladies, it is all a fantasy of globalization.
It is a very specific kind of diasporic, male, capitalist fantasy in which heterosexual male bodies emerge triumphant from inside fast cars in order to (literally) dance in victory on the earth's terrain and on top of its technological vistas, their recognizable likenesses projected onto skyscrapers. Where are the women? Certainly, they are in the video as well, but it would behoove us to take a moment to ask how, where, and ultimately why they are being represented. As we will see this semester, since at least the fifteenth century (the beginning of the age of colonialism), men came to be associated with travel, mobility, progress, and power, while women came to be associated with land, nature, nation, and earth.
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| Theodor Galle after Jan van der Straet (c. 1571-1633), The Discovery of America, from New Discoveries, detail, c. 1580 / 1590, Engraving, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Rosenwald Collection. |
We'll start off each week with a video. This aspect of the course works best when you send in musical suggestions, so please do! You can either send me suggestions by email, or - better yet - write up a post on this blog that includes your own analysis of the cultural text. It doesn't have to be very long, but it should get all of us thinking!
Please use the comments section on this page to share the analyses you and your groups came up with today in class for this video.
The video brings to two concepts to mind:
ReplyDeleteThe corporate sublime= the commercializing of excess capitalism under the premise that it is part of a larger global multiculturalism. For example, a sony commercials shows people from all over the world holding the same sony phone in an attempt to brand their product as a global interconnection of people. This video sells the song as a product by portraying women with their distinct national flags, and the background showing scenes around the world (new york, great wall of china, eiffel tower)
Eating the other = though society often believes that interracial relationships are a means to challenge racism, if one perceives making love, ie having a good fuck, with racialized women as a means of collecting 'exotic' trophies, then this reinscribes racism and sexism.
Group Members:Sage Watanabe,Darren Vinh, Lee Thach, Steven Wyrick, Brynden Winfrey, Christopher Torres, Issis Vargas
DeleteMaryanne Gladstone, Gaby Humes, Molly Ginther, Hayleigh Garlow, Rebecca Harmon.
ReplyDeleteThe video depicts Chris Brown and Pitbull globalizing the world and their easy access of love. They are living a jet setter lifestyle. They have lots of money and resources and show that they can get any kind of woman anywhere in the world. The girls shown in the video remain anonymous; their bodies are seen much more than their faces. Since only the silhouettes of the women are shown it sends a message that says that this is how women should look. None of the women were overweight, they all had "the perfect body". Women are the objects of this video, while men are the subjects. Women are also being compared to alcohol which is something that is easily obtainable and bought, and they are saying that the women are like that as well.
Group 1:
ReplyDeletePitbull puts himself on top of the "world", by his success with women anywhere. Globalization refers a lot to "power", whoever has the power, is followed. Therefore, in this music video, Pitbull and Chris Brown have the power and are followed by any women. Pitbull and Chris Brown are demonstrating power and in a sense gives the idea that we should look up to them as a source of power. It is apparent that in many music videos produced male artists women are always portrayed as sex objects, however in many music videos produced by females, men are not portrayed as sex objects. Each woman in this particular music video represents a certain nation/state, no matter where Pitbull goes, these women follow.
Matt Orloff (Group 6)
DeleteIn the music video for “International Love,” the two artists are portrayed in opposite views of their beliefs toward women. Pitbull is shown in the video as seeing women as objects by them being barely dressed dancing around him while he is singing about degrading women. Chris Brown sticks with role of singing to women and not using them as objects for his satisfaction. The video as a whole shows that these two wealthy and powerful men have women who follow them all over the world by the painting of different world flags on their bodies. Most rap music show women as sex objects without feelings and their sole purpose is to please men. The title of the song is deceiving because the message of the song is about having sexual relations with women all over the world rather than falling in love.
Group 4: May may, Shirley, Katherine, Lyanett, Tara
ReplyDeleteIn the video it portrays that the men (Pitbull and Chris Brown) are on top of the world such that they're more superior and the women are only perceived as sexual and promiscuous. With the song titled as "International love," the video portrays women all around the world with the flags painted on their body meaning that globally this is the symbol of what women simply are. With so many fans that adore these artist, the majority of them will perceive these messages as what is valid. Even the lyrics they sing don't attach any in depth intimate meaning, rather simply "big boobs, big booty, and a dong." All in all this music video is one of the many examples that prove media plays a huge role in women and globalization.
Despite being violent, Chris Brown is still able to receive "international love". The global locations that were mentioned contained women who were voluptuous. The women's faces were not nearly as important as their faces. Chris Brown and Pitbull advertised their faces on billboards and in concerts. They were portrayed as if they were on top of the world. (GROUP: Michelle Monnig, Tiffany Montano, Lidcey Munoz, Antonio Muro, Cody Norris, Kevin Phillips)
ReplyDeleteGroup 7: Jessica Skala, Amanda Spencer, Anthony Stone
ReplyDeleteIn the music video, Chris Brown is shown mostly by himself singing somewhat romantic lyrics. When he is shown with women, however, they have their backs towards him. Pitbull is portrayed as a womanizer, surrounded by half-naked women, singing most of the degrading lyrics towards them in the song. The basic message of the song is wealthy, alpha-males can get any woman they want anywhere they go. They are selling alcohol as well as a lifestyle in the video. The name of the song, "International Love," does not mean true love, rather, it means having an international sexual experience. Near the end of the video, naked women are seen with different flags painted on their bodies, symbolizing that the countries are being defined by the type of females they have in their region. The women were seen as being blank canvases or accessories, not as people, for which they truly are.
Group 2:
DeleteIn this video, Pitbull is a complete womanizer everywhere around the world. He expresses the view that money and alcohol can get women to do anything, while also being able to get women everywhere he goes. Sadly enough, men have the ideal empowerment on women because while they make a woman feel "loved," they then leave them stuck in their country or region while they continue to travel all around the world and continue womanizing women everywhere. Not only that, but my group and I realized that he refers to this "international love," yet only talks about and has women from Miami, Brazil, New York and Los Angeles. This is incredibly stereotypical because he is only choosing women from those four regions that are always viewed as beautiful and excluded everywhere else. Not only that, but he is not referring to love as an actual affectionate emotion, but just as a love for a woman's body and having the ability to be with whatever woman wherever they go. The only other symbol for international love was flags painted on these womens bodies which obviously only expresses his degrading lyrics and emotions throughout the video even more. These women are viewed as objects rather than individuals and are only used for the sex appeal of where they are from.
While the video does come from a global, and supposedly "worldly" angle it is comprised of short-sighted stereotypes. The video solely refers to "girls," the highly sexualized, promiscuous bodies on display. With the promise of "International Love" it seems to have only one kind of "love" in mind. It appears to be a groupie-populated. male-dominated world within this video, with men in expensive business suits and girls in skimpy clothing and body paint. When they talk of visa's, it's not about the credit cards but in fact visa's that would allow others to live in the US. Perhaps another advantage the men in the video have over the women represented as being from these foreign nations. The video also emphasizes its "international" angle by generalizing women by nationalities and body types. The video also takes place on skyscrapers, and high buildings. The "top of the world." Implying the world is their oyster. Another apparent issue is the infrequent amount of times that Chris Brown is with women. He has only one or two shots with a single women. Perhaps to disassociate him with females, per his history
ReplyDelete