Group: 3 Gender

Summary:

There are unwritten gender norms that our culture has developed over the decades. When people in media defy gender norms, the mass public has strong reactions, suggesting that the mass public relies on popular figures in culture to support the gender characteristics already put in place by society.


Sources:

George, Lianne. "GOING GAGA." Maclean's 122.21 (2009): 47. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 5 Mar. 2010.

The article is about Lady Gaga. It talks about her plans to save pop music from ruins; she believes that if an artist gets too much exposure from the media (ex: Jessica Simpson in the Newly Weds) that it can ruin the mystery of the artist. Therefore, making them less desirable to the public. The article also gives backg...round information on how Stefani Germanotta became Lady Gaga and why she likes to be so different from other artists.

JURGENSEN, JOHN. "Lady Gaga's Lessons for the Music Business - WSJ.com." Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - WSJ.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2010. .

This article expresses what Lady Gaga can do to the business world of music in terms of her relationship with her label, but it also parallels her to Madonna, a female artist we could also have a focus on. It also mentions how most of her music is being downloaded legally-... this could show that people respect her as an artist (she writes her own lyrics, has her own vision) and they appreciate that and want to reward her for it. Where as if you want to get the latest Brittany Spears song you can find it anywhere for free and not feel the least bit of sympathy (she is a product of a cultural industry and her songs lack originality and therefore fans lack the motivation to pay for it).

Click, M., & Kramer, M. (2007). Reflections on a Century of Living: Gendered Differences in Mainstream Popular Songs. Popular Communication, 5(4), 241-262. doi:10.1080/15405700701608915.

This article talks about how mainstream music's affect on gender issues has not been researched enough. It mentions that lyrics and music video content shows very different images of male and female gender roles.