Gender Representation in Hip Hop - Analysis of 50 Cent's 'P.I.M.P'

We were looking at different music videos and how male and females were represented differently. There is quite an obvious visibility of how males are represented a lot differently compared to women in many of 50 Cent’s videos, especially in this particular one.
- Women are represented as sexual objects as they are wearing skimpy, lacy white lingerie.
- In the beginning of the video, everyone is dressed in white, including the men. White is the colour of purity and to some extent angelic. However, what is happening in the video is not angelic; it is in fact indecent, therefore portraying something that is wrong as right.
- The women can be considered to be treated as pets.
- The women are presented as being property – commodified alongside luxury cars, Rolex etc.
- Eyes are averted from the camera allowing the viewer a ‘voyeuristic’ relationship.
- The women are presented as ‘vacuous’ – no signs of having intelligence, thought, humour, anger or emotion.
- Apparent sexual objectification and degradation.

When taking into consideration the masculinity and the mediation of 50 Cent, many aspects have been carefully thought of to give 50 Cent this image, such as:
- Carefully constructed image designed to sell records.
- Success relies heavily on stereotyped ideas about ‘blackness/the black male’.
- Occupies a universe of status symbols: Bentley’s, Bling etc.
- An outlaw; A survivor of the ‘ghetto’: shot at 9 times: a former crack dealer etc.
- Display of potentially explosive testosterone.

Overall, women were represented as:
- Objects/decorations
- Commodifies
- Passive
- Slaves
- Dressed in underwear
- Use of a voyeuristic ‘male gaze’
- Revealing low angle shots used
- Close ups of body parts in sexualised positions

Overall, a number of ways were used to help represent men in a certain light such as:
- Low angles used to signify power and intimidation.
- The colour ‘white’ used to connote 50 Cent as ‘God’.
- Close ups of status symbols used throughout alongside the setting of a luxurious mansion to signify power, wealth and ownership.