Sexual Role Issues
According to a 1994 Harvard University study, black men in hip-hop/rap videos are often portrayed as aggressors, while white women are portrayed as their victims (�Stereotypes Enforced in Music Videos, Study Shows�). The women portrayed this way are often hanging on the male artists and attending to their needs. Women in these music videos are portrayed as sex objects providing pleasure for their men (�Women�s Portrayal as Sex Objects: BET Degrades Women�). Some may consider the portrayal of women as sex objects in hip-hop/rap videos to be a form of sexual abuse (Women�s Portrayal as Sex Objects��). Women are usually seen as weak and seeking the protection of men. Music videos have been criticized for depicting women as the weaker sex, in need of protection and in submission to male authority (�Women in MTV�). It often seems that women are but a sexual conquest for the males in the videos (�Males who have a Negative Effect on the Perception of the Female Gender�).
This negative portrayal of women could distort mens� perceptions of women, and make them think that it is okay to treat women as they are treated in the videos and on the television. The media often focuses on legs, breasts, and mouth of a women. It's obvious that women are looked at in pieces. If men view this continuously it legitimizes violent actions against women (Bryant, �Forum Calls for More Positive Portrayal of Women in Media�). Some men expect women to act in a certain way because of what is shown in these videos. They may think that all women should behave in this manner that they see on their televisions, and at the same time, the women feel pressured by these men to be sexually aggressive and assertive (�Female Artists Who Display Controversial Images of the Female Gender�).
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