By examining the videos and careers of female musicians Pat Benatar, Cyndi Lauper, Tina Turner, and Madonna, and their appeal to female audiences, Lisa A. Lewis challenges the idea that MTV presents only negative and sexist images of women. She shows that these artists have appropriated music video as a vehicle of feminist expression and have reinterpreted the signs of a gender-typed culture--clothing, dance, the use of the street as public space, and even musical instruments. By appropriating these symbols of female empowerment, female rock and pop stars have created a new and significant audience for MTV among teenage girls. Lewis explores this subculture of fandom and its effects on the music business. The videos of Benatar, Lauper, Turner, and Madonna, argues Lewis, foreground female experiences of gender inequality and celebrate the cultural distinctiveness of girls and women. By focusing attention on forms of gender discrimination in popular music, and in society generally, these four musicians have become figures of emulation for millions of female fans. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," by Cyndi Lauper, became something of an anthem for women and particularly for female adolescents, a very regulated and marginalized group. Devotees of Lauper and of Madonna especially imitate their idols in appearance and speech. The fans are examined in the context of their everyday lives as teenage girls in various sites of fan activity-concerts, shopping malls, movies, television news, and MTV itself. Author note: Lisa A. Lewis, Ph.D., is a writer based in Tucson, Arizona.

Turner, Tina: Madonna: Benatar, Pat: Lauper, Cindy.

What does it mean, in a polarized political climate, that feminism was popular in mainstream popular music of the 2010s? Engaging with feminist theory and previous research about gender and music, this book investigates the meaning of current trends relating to gender, feminism and woman-identified artists in mediated popular music. The examples discussed throughout the book include Netflix documentaries by Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, the Swedish music industry #MeToo petition #närmusikentystnar, music streaming services' gender equality work and the project Keychange striving to bring underrepresented genders to the stage. The volume discusses the media specificity of the different examples, introduces and explains feminist theories and concepts and analyzes the position of women, gender politics and feminisms in popular music.

Queen Latifah's lyrics tout female superiority. Salt 'n' Pepa energize with eroticism. Julie Brown's unsettling version of a campus queen dethrones the mainstream icon. Martina McBride's song of liberation gives new meaning to Independence Day. Today in the music video industry, such women artists have assumed a remarkable and refreshing new presence. Although many popular videos have been condemned for sexism, the medium has experienced a striking change. Both in repertoires and in performances, the politics of feminism has moved to the front row. More and more, women are being presented as strong and positive. Ladies First takes a close look at this exciting phenomenon and shows how both on and off screen strong females have assumed larger roles in the industry. Whether their songs are country, rock, or rap, the ladies of contemporary music video continue to assert, confront, and challenge. Demolishing stereotypes, today's singers expose the flawed images that have restricted women. They condemn male dominance. They assert the right of women to be sexual and to express sexuality. In country music, they rely on the power of sincerity and storytelling. In rap songs they self-promote, reach out, and give uplift. Their lyrics are skillful, clever, and infectiously appealing, and their inviting sense of humor makes a large audience embrace them and their messages.

Gender, Race and Class in Media examines the mass media as economic and cultural institutions that shape our social identities. Through analyses of popular mass media entertainment genres, such as talk shows, soap operas, television sitcoms, advertising and pornography, students are invited to engage in critical mass media scholarship. A comprehensive introductory section outlines the book′s integrated approach to media studies, which incorporates three distinct but related areas of investigation: the political economy of production, textual analysis and audience response. The readings include a dozen new original essays, edited for maximum accessibility. The book provides: - A comprehensive, critical introduction to Media Studies - An analysis of race that is integrated into all chapters - Articles on Cultural Studies that are accessible to undergraduates - An extensive bibliography and section on media resources - Expanded coverage of "queer" representations in mass media - A new section on the violence debates - A new section on the Internet Together with new section introductions, these provide a comprehensive critical introduction to mass media studies.

This volume examines responses to the epidemic of HIV/AIDS in Anglophone popular musicians and music video during the AIDS crisis (1981–1996). Through close reading of song lyrics, musical texts, and music videos, this book demonstrates how music played an integral part in the artistic-activist response to the AIDS epidemic, demonstrating music as a way to raise money for HIV/AIDS services, to articulate affective responses to the epidemic, to disseminate public health messages, to talk back to power, and to bear witness to the losses of AIDS. Drawing methodologies from musicology, queer theory, critical race studies, public health, and critical theory, the book will be of interest to a wide readership, including artists, activists, musicians, historians, and other scholars across the humanities as well as to people who lived through the AIDS crisis.