On December 10, I wrote an opinion piece titled ‘Who says female corpses aren’t sexy?’ for ABC The Drum Unleashed, reprinted here the same day. The piece has so far received 1086 comments (many helpfully informing me I am mentally ill and hung up about sex).
Here’s an extract from the article:
Two dead women in lingerie swing back and forth from the ceiling from a chain around their necks.
Two young women are slumped on a silk-sheeted bed, like corseted lifeless mannequins. A man advances on them. His intentions are clear.
Another woman in fetishized clothing lies spread-eagled on a table in front of a man eating a huge plate of raw meat.
Have I been exploring the far reaches of online torture pornography and snuff movies? Was I checking out necrophilia genre?
No. I was watching rapper Kanye West’s new video teaser for the single Monster, from his new chart-topping album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
With contributions from Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj and Jay-Z, the Monster preview is a mini horror movie – with all the horror suffered by women. The men don’t seem horrified at all by the female corpses littered through the haunted mansion, the apparent victims of a serial killing. In fact, they seem to quite like it. It seems to turn them on…
Women from around the world began contacting me asking what could be done. We decided to circulate a petition targeting the CEO/Chairman of Universal Music Group Doug Morris and CEO of MTV Judy McGrath. Sponsored by the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (Australia), Collective Shout: for a world free of sexploitation and Adios Barbie, the petition is now live here. It reads:
Prevent Official Release of Kanye West’s Woman-Hating “Monster” Video
HipHopConnection.com has leaked a video teaser for the Kanye West hit song “Monster” and what we’ve seen is beyond disturbing. In just 30 seconds, viewers take in image after image of eroticized violence against women:
• Dead women, clad in lingerie, hang by chains around their necks
• West makes sexual moves toward dead or drugged women propped up in a bed
• A naked dead or drugged woman lays sprawled on a sofa
If that’s not enough, a behind-the-scenes clip of the video includes a semi-naked dead woman laying spread eagled on a table in front of Rick Ross as he eats a plate of raw meat. It is likely we can expect more brutal images in the full-length video.
The victims in this video are clearly women. Only women. And the men, Kanye West, Rick Ross, and Jay-Z are far from bothered by the female corpses. They seem to quite like being surrounded by lifeless female bodies, apparent victims of a serial killing.
The official release date of the full-length video has not yet been announced. Let’s make it clear to Universal Music Group, the controlling company of West’s record label, Roc-A-Fella Records, and MTV that the music industry’s portrayals of women’s pain, suffering, abuse, objectification, and victimization as valid forms of entertainment are not acceptable.
We call on Universal Music Group and MTV to combat violence against women by refusing to support, promote, and/or give airtime to West’s “Monster” video. Please add your name to support this letter.
To: CEO/Chairman of Universal Music Group (Doug Morris) and CEO of MTV (Judy McGrath)
Dear Mr. Morris and Ms. McGrath,
We the undersigned write in response to the leaked video teaser of Kanye West’s video “Monster,” released by HipHipConnection.com. The shocking and demeaning images of slain women, fetishized and eroticized in the video clip, suggest that violence against women is sexy. The 30-second clip sends the message that women as lifeless and passive objects are sexually appealing.
As one critic has written, “Women are slaves and bitches who can service a man’s sexual needs, even in death. Men are brutal and dominant, and have no empathy for women. Men enjoy dead women as sex and entertainment. The female body is to be devoured, reduced to the same status as meat. Female bodies should be displayed before men as a great feast for their consumption.”
The mainstreaming of videos of this nature, combined with accessible and repeated exposure contributes to desensitized and callous attitudes toward violence against women, which is a scourge around the world. Becoming numb to violent images make violent acts easier to commit and condone.
We ask you to consider the fact that much of West’s fan base is comprised of young people in the formative stages of their development. Possibly millions of them globally will absorb and potentially internalize the unhealthy and harmful messages that women are playthings and objects of male pleasure – even if dead or drugged – and that they do not deserve basic human rights.
We hope you will agree with us that music industry portrayals of women’s pain, suffering, abuse, objectification, and victimization as valid forms of entertainment are not acceptable.
An official release date of the full-length video has yet to be announced. We respectfully request that you take a stand against the official release of “Monster” by refusing to promote, support, and/or give it airtime.
We await your response.
Please add your name and distribute the petition through your networks. We need to demonstrate the widespread global outrage at this monstrous video clip and demand action against it.
21 Responses
A line has to be drawn. This is not acceptable.
I suppose this is ‘OK’ and permitted because of the free-speech culture of the country it originates in. I am continually surprised (and disgusted) that free speech, which glorifies illegal activity, isn’t condemned by a culture who would be locking more and more people away for committing the acts they were inspired to by ‘free speech’ video’s, movies, t-shirts, games etc.
I don’t believe that blanket censorship is appropriate or will solve the problem – but how can we deem an act illegal, yet not deem the promotion, favourable depiction and inspiration of it illegal. We do for bomb making…
absolute dick !
“The standard you walk past is the standard you set”
My interpretation is that Kanye is such a douch he can only get laid by drugging or killing women first. Not acceptable
I’m so distressed by this horrendous attack on both innocence and the dignity of women. As a 30 year old woman, my memories of the muppets are positive and uplifting – promoting self esteem …anything but this! I’m sickened and so upset!
I’ve signed this petition…
Petition signed. I’m not for censorship either, but I am all for letting the ones who decide what is and isn’t aired know what content we DON’T want to see.
Note that the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to give obscenity protection under the First Amendment, which guarantees free speech.
I find it hard to believe that this is still considered to be appropriate, let alone acceptable. It perpetuates a growing culture amongst the young that women are playthings who cannot and do not feel pain. It supports the notion that “everything is OK” and that there are no boundaries. We all know that children are becoming sexualised and sexually aware far earlier than previous generations. With a diverse international mass media, this cannot be avoided. What CAN be avoided and MUST be avoided however, is teaching young boys that women accept this kind of treatment (and therefore that is how men should relate to women) and moreover, teaching young girls that this is how society expects them to be treated (and therefore this is what they should learn to accept). This type of video fundamentally supports a perpetuation of disregard for women (at best) and (at worst) a societal acceptance of abuse.
This has to stop. We have to draw the line.
Readers may find this link interesting. Kanye doesn’t ever shy away from controversy, in fact welcomes it:
KAYNE BEING KAYNE: Apparently, he wanted an album cover that would get banned.
http://huff.to/heebDH
Having seen Condon’s paintings, Kanye selected the painter to do the artwork, and as Condo explains it, he wanted, “something that will be banned.”
Someone asked if he was manufacturing controversy – it certainly seems that way – being a controversy magnet.
Wouldn’t it be good if there was some kind of code of conduct or prosecution for artists like West as there are for other public figures (Footballers etc) where they are held responsible for their actions, fined a heap of cash, banned from any public performance, and treated as a criminal for inciting crimes of violence, highlighting the degradation and torture of women etc.
But apparently not, the industry congratulates them with another record deal and celebrity status.
Lord Jesus, please help our country. It is spiraling downward at an alarming rate. Please open the eyes of leaders and lay alike to speak out and take a stand for what is right!
I have signed the petition and agree that this hideous video clip has been produced and made by people who wish to perpetuate violence against women by brainwshing our youth both male and female into accepting the dominent male and the passive female. A return to the cave dwellers at the dawn of time. Keep up the good work Melinda, I am with you 100%
That is horrifying and sickening. I will sign the petition.
Who the **** cares about this? Why should you worry about a stupid music video? “OH NO, somebody is saying/doing something I don’t like I should get banned because I don’t like it”. Chill the **** out.
But if they were all guys Kanye would look gay.
haha you guys are incredible, I truly love how you can see something judge it then you find out its kanye’s work so you go on a witch hunt ‘this is not acceptable’ im sorry but society as a whole seems to deem alot of movies, video games even tv ads that are worse than this to be ‘acceptable’ so lets put n perspective, just for a second, you dont have to watch the video, you dont have to buy the album (which really is great btw) you dont have to support the artist doing HIS THING these are facts. But then again who are you to sit back at judge and critisize. I wonder how many people who wrote comments bashing this rapper have ever done a creative thing in their entire lives or who have children who are little shits, you know the ‘station hangers’ etc maybe you should be more worried bout your family instead of what an artist you despise puts in his music videos, really!?!?!?!
ps I wonder how much hate lady gaga or another artist would you have a problem with it, remember when lady gaga did that distasteful set a week or so following the shooting sin england how many of you wrote posts bashing her for what is a far more outrageous thing given the timing of the shooting and her concert.
just my 2 cents
Movies that show the kind of images that Kanye’s video does would be classifed as R-rated, or at the very least, MA+. Why aren’t music video subject to the same classifications? A rating like that would mean his video would never get played on all the music channels aimed at young teenagers. That would substantially cripple the sales of his single, rather than boost them which is what I suspect would happen if this video is banned. But none of that actually addresses the horrific depictions of violence against women in this video, and I’ve signed the petition in the hopes that it will protect young viewers from seeing this video and its grotesque disrespect towards women.
this video should be classified MA15+ because of the images displayed, making it ineligible for screening on popular music channels. this would prevent young children being able to watch the video, leaving them in a position that does not subject them to the images displayed. furthermore, i believe the images displayed in this video are not appropriate for television, and depict women in a way that may lead viewers to think treating women in this way is right, when it most certainly isn’t.
GEt over it ppl and embrace the reality – women are teh weaker race, its the men who rule the world, always have. always will.
we do what we want, no amount of whining and complaining can stop it
kanye west it the king- he does who he wants
women are there to keep us fed and brings us little boy versions of us
u can sign a pice of paper, or email the secretary of some radio big-wig, but no0ne’s listening.
u got conned hardstyles if u think children are a blank canvas ready to be taught t0 rape
now get back in teh kitechens ‘n’ make me a sammich dammit!
also: O’ Doyle Rules!
Thanks to this blog for taking a stand against this representation of violence. Woman need to shout against the desensitization of violence in our communities. The minds of our children are at stake. Nick (below)-I am an artist. I am a person who lives creativity in my life every day. I am raising children who aren’t “little shits”. They are kind, caring beautiful people who love life and hate violence and the pain of others. I wouldn’t dare to put a piece of filth in front of them like Kanye’s video to “Monstrous”. You can label this depiction of violence and death as art if you so choose but at the end of the day the word “creativity” means to CREATE not destroy. Kanye’s video is a rabid visual consumption of the destruction of woman.
My thoughts and perceptions are clear as are our Bill of Rights and U.S. Constitution. Free Speech is a written promise in the United States, for its Citizens, ONLY and AS LONG as it does not put in harm’s way or in jeopardy the Rights of Others!
You cannot blithely state (or ignorantly, for that matter) that Free Speech is guaranteed for any person, to do anything, without thought or regard to those are ARE affected by YOUR RIGHT to Free Speech. IT IS NOT CENSORSHIP to ban “noise”, “obscenity”, or any Human Expression – when that “Expression” harms or molests another Human Being!
It is shameful (and really makes Americans look screwed up) when “slasher” movies are back in full swing again in the box office (theatres), on movie channels, and network television – making big bucks $$$.
The youth of today are being psyched-out, faked-out, posed-out, and ultimately SOLD OUT to believe that these rotten scripts are actual horror or scarey or entertainment! Yes, most find them laughable while heaven forbid – someone actually took any of it seriously. If folks took violence in film seriously, we’d have a recipe for developing violent, mentally ill, homicidal maniacs, serial killers, and rapists.
Several quotes come to mind on these matters – both by Edmund Burke (1729-1797).
1) “There is, however, a limit at which forbearance ceases to be a virtue.”
2) “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
3) “Tyrants seldom want pretexts [laws or rules].”
4) “Toleration is good for all, or it is good for none.”
Webpage on Edmund Burke; he was a very wise man and popular politician of his time.
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke
Thanks for providing this medium for public consumption / involvement, although at this late time, my post is outdated (with regard to what occurred with the video and its being leaked and released).