Written Analysis 5

Which theories seemed to best relate to your popular culture topic?

I think the theory that best relates to my popular culture topic is that of stereotypes. Popular culture in music changes so much over the years it becomes foreign to us. We tend to classify and discriminate against music that is different from what we know and what we like. This was no different with the hair and metal bands of the 80’s. It was a new sound and changed many other facets of popular culture including clothing and hair style.

What were the most interesting findings from your analyzes?

The most interesting findings from my analysis of the 80s bands were the personalities associated with the bands. It was also interesting to note that the formulas that led to the creation of this type of music, clothing and hair styles, also formulated into other music genres of the 90’s and 2000’s. These bands were so influential during this time that many of the followers took this popular culture and not only embraced it but used the formula to create their own pop culture. It was a very interesting time for music.

How will you think of your popular culture topic differently based on your analysis?

            I have always been a fan of the rock bands of the 80’s. What I have learned about this music and the associated pop culture that accompanied it was the underlying culture that came along with it. The ability to look at pop culture from a different perspective really changes my view on the 80’s bands a great deal. I have a better appreciation for the stereotypes, formulas, icons, and artifacts. It was more than just music. It was popular and influencial on many different levels.

Conventions, Inventions, and Formulas

Many of the conventions I have analyzed in 80’s hair/metal bands are the actual convention of a “band”. The definition of “Band”, according to Dictionary.com is a group of instrumentalists playing music of a specialized type. This can be seen as a convention of this genre of music based on the years preceding. Much of our music in the late 19^th/early 20^th century was based on a one person band. Much of the jazz musicians of the early 20^th century played alone.  

 

Conventions of this genre of music would also include the idea of a lead singer, which also has been true of other genre of music. The lead singer gives identity to a band or a face to the band’s name. Often, the lead singer of this genre of music is of the male gender.

Inventions in the genre of music are much easier to identify. With many of the bands in the 19^th and 20^th centuries, they have portrayed a professional appearance. Suit and ties and dress slacks were common place. The 80’s hair bands genre produced a wildly different looks and feel. Leather, ragged clothing, and bright colors dominated the style of clothing worn by these bands. They grew their hair long and often wore make-up which is a stark contrast to any other genre of music before them. The last and most striking invention of this genre is the heavy use of electric guitars and synthesized music. This created unique sound and perpetuated their style.

 The formula for this genre can be seen as a sibling to the rock music of the 50’s and 60’s coupled with the drug use, free love, and nomadic type of lifestyle on the 70’s and early 80’s. During these earlier decades, much of the inventions of the hair band genre were flirted with. This included the occasional use of synthesized music. The right combination of convention and invention ultimately led to this timeless genre of music.

Analysis: Those Girls: Single Women in Sixties and Seventies Popular Culture

 Those Girls: Single Women in Sixties and Seventies Popular Culture

            My chosen article explores the sexuality and gender roles of women in the 60’s and 70’s era of popular culture mediums. The article references several movies of this time and describes the increasing role of women’s sexuality and how it related to popular culture of the time period. The author of this article wrote about and often criticized the lack of depth in the original book written by Katherine J. Lehman.

            This article analyzes many of the roles played by single women in this era. On numerous occasions, Roberts points out that a majority of these movies had male directors who were afraid to “reveal the deep fear and suspicion they may have felt toward single women” (1340). Roberts also talks about the exploration of single girls “leaving home” and the “lure of urban life” in relation to television series of the period (1340). Overall, the main points of Robert’s article gave a semi-basic timeline for how women’s sexuality in popular culture transformed over this time period.

            The intended audience for this article seems to be directed toward a younger generation as it references several modern television series such as “Sex and the City” and the HBO series “Girls”. One could also induce the intended audience is that of someone seeking clarity on sexuality, especially that of women. Roberts talks about women’s upcoming sexuality in popular culture mediums and some of the ways it was also suppressed during this era. Because Roberts seemed to be analyzing “Those Girls: Single Women in Sixties and Seventies Popular Culture”, he did not go into detail how this time period in popular culture translated into the increased amount of sexuality and freedom of expression with women in the next few decades.

            The sexuality and the exploration of gender roles in women became prominent in the 60’s and 70’s because of many differing cultural changes during this time. Our culture was changing with the civil rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s and women were no different. Popular culture played an important role in this culture change by exploring, even if just a little, of the change in attitudes and expression. In Roberts’s article he explains how popular press accounts blamed sexually aggressive women for a host of societal problems (1341). Sexuality during this time period was not something that was openly accepted as it is today. Thus, a relative backlash would have been somewhat appropriate given the time period. The traditional family was the cultural stable of the time. Single women, along with sexual promiscuity and sexual expression were not common place.  

            Roberts stated in his article, “All of these films are notable for the ways in which they mute and subvert any real representations of sexuality.” He goes on to say, “Truly, the only theme related to women’s sexuality is the danger involved in even appearing to be sexually available” (1340). This comes as no surprise. Our culture in this time period considered this type of behavior to be a form of deviance. Again, it was thought of as a counter-culture to the traditional family structure.

            This journal article is logically organized. Roberts is very analytic to the key points in Lehman’s original book. It is somewhat disappointing because it offers very little of the authors own opinions. Roberts seemed to analyze Lehman’s writings by chapter and highlighted keys points. I felt the article was very easy to read and very interesting. Sexuality is something that is very important to us all.

            The key points I took away from this article were the way the idea of sexuality was presented. The article summarized how women’s sexuality in pop culture was often suppressed in the 60’s and 70’s and how it gradually became more accepted. The article summarized how naïve we were as a culture during this time period and how we had a tendency to blame our societal problems on sexuality. It outlined the beginnings of cultural change. Comparing our culture now to that of the 60’s and 70’s is like comparing night to day. The sexual expression of women in pop culture today almost dominates the genre.

References

Roberts, Chadwick. (2012). Those Girls: Single Women in Sixties and Seventies Popular Culture. The Journal of Popular Culture, 45(6), 1339-1342. doi: 10.1111/jpcu.12010_5