"In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects it's fantasy onto the female figure which is styled accordingly" - Laura Mulvey, 1992
What Laura Mulvey is saying here is that the male preference of females in how they look and act is how society represents females. In music videos this would equate to the camera having embodied what a male desires and everything shown on camera being to please a male audience. This reigns true in the majority of pop videos nowadays although there are some videos that challenge this. Here are some examples...
Nicki minaj's music video to 'Anaconda' caused quite a stir in the music world due to how outrageously blunt it is in terms of women being portrayed as sexual objects. Some may say that this is a perfect example of what Laura Mulvey is trying to say, although it can be also said that Nicki is challenging this. The video is set in the jungle, a kitchen and a gym. The last two both settings commonly associated with women. The ideals of women having to be able to cook for their husband while staying fit come into play here. The video can be seen to be mocking these idea's instead of conforming.
On the other hand Jennifer Lopez's song Booty ft Iggy Azeala is a prime example of Mulvey's theory as even the song it's self is about ideals of a womans appearance (having a big bum).
Taylor Swifts song "Shake It Off" contradicts Mulvey's theory however. In this video she mocks herself for not having a sexualised image. The video involves her goofing off in front of different genres of dancers, some stereotypical to music videos.
This representation of women is common throughout all music genres although more so in rap/hip hop music and pop. I think Mulvey's opinion is definitely still relevant to todays society, perhaps more so than ever if you look at some of the videos seen above.
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