'Too Much Sexism and Racism in Music Videos' Says New Report



A new report has claimed there is too much sexism and racism in music videos, stating that modern clips create a "conducive context" for violence against women and girls, Gigwise reports.

The study, compiled by Pornographic Performances gathered a wide range of data from a wealth of sources to form their argument, and the group are now urging for radical change in the industry.

Commissioned by the End Violence Against Women Coalition, the study found that women were being hyper-sexualised in music videos, whilst male subjects were predominantly shown in positions of "power and dominance."


The study comes in the wake of continued debate over the last few months about how women are represented in music videos, an argument that hit fever pitch with Robin Thicke's misogynistic video for "Blurred Lines."




Ia Latchford of Imkaan Young Women's Team said: "For years young women have been telling us that they are not happy with the representation of women in popular culture, including music videos. We are happy to finally see a briefing which reflects their experiences and the harmful impact of racism and sexism in music videos."

She continued: "We believe in women's right to self-expression and freedom of movement. Our concern is how the music industry uses music videos as yet another vehicle to colonise and commodify black women's bodies. We urge the music industry to consider what young women and the evidence are telling them."

Based upon their findings Pornographic Performances are pursuing change in the way music videos are made and accessed, particularly by informing young people about what is and isn't acceptable, hearing the views of young women and by introducing compulsory age ratings on music videos.

The full report can be seen here.