Controversy in the Music Video Industry

In our next lesson we looked at controversy within the film industry and how specific music videos have become banned within certain countries. One of the controversies which was heavily focused on was when Lady Gaga was seen wearing a dress entirely out of meet to the 2010 MTV music awards. This attracted publicity as it went against animal rights and therefore people started to protest.  

Another controversy was Kanye West's music video for Monster which shows dead models hanging from nooses around their necks and dismembered heads littering the floor, Kanye West has produced what must surely be his most controversial video yet.

Kanye is shown in bed with a couple of apparently dead models, positioning their limp hands to touch one another.

Other scenes show a woman dragging a dead male model across the floor and a couple feasting on a bloody corpse.

The video comes with a disclaimer that says “The following content is in no way to be interpreted as misogynistic or negative towards any groups of people. It is an art piece and it shall be taken as such.”

Yana Walton of the Women’s Media Center said in an interview, “[West’s] imagery and lyrics go beyond legitimizing violence to women- they fetishize it. Since gender based violence is a daily reality in our country, I urge Kanye to examine the harmful effects of using his fame in this manner.”

However, Jenn Hoffman, a Los Angeles-based entertainment and pop culture expert supports West’s video. Hoffman says, “It is not misogynistic, it’s self indulgent. Kanye is obviously not advocating violence against women. He’s trying to make a statement about money, power, sex and fame that’s been made a million times before.”