Gender in Country Music Videos

Country music videos are known for an array of things: cowboy boots, horses, flannel shirts, wide brimmed hats, and worn out blue jeans.  Women country singers also use these props, and go outside the gender roles that apply not only for entertainers, but for all people.  In her article, "Women In Country Music Videos", Janelle Wilson says, "I suggest that country music videos offer a space for contemporary female artists to more visually and openly challenge that which their predecessors challenged in their time--the traditional, confining gender roles that dominate American culture espouses" (Wilson 2000). Later in the conclusion to that same article, she says, "It would be overly sanguine to suggest that country music has created the liberated woman, but it does seem fair to suggest that country music is an element of popular culture in which we can wee women's resistance to submissive roles" (Wilson 200).  Janelle Wilson expresses in her article that she believes country music has helped women break from their gender roles and become something the music industry has never seen before.  Most female country music stars seem to agree with what Wilson says.  They are hesitant to step into the typical women entertainers' costumes.

With the recent uprising of women country stars, the country music industry decided to name 1997 the "Year of the Woman".  In female country stars' videos, they depict women as strong and independent, while male stars do the opposite.  In their article "Country Music Videos in Country Music's Year of the Woman", JL Andsager and K Roe prove that, "by analyzing 285 CMT videos, we found that most female artists' videos portrayed women progressively, whereas male artists portrayed them stereotypically" (Andsager, Roe 2006).  This proof also coincides with what Janelle Wilson said in her article. Women country stars are hesitant to depict themselves as sex objects, and instead portray women as a minority to watch out for.

Works Cited:

Wilson, Janelle. "Women in Country Music Videos". ETC: A Review of General Semantics. Vol. 53. Issue 3. 2000.

Andasger, JL.  Roe, K.  "Country Music Videos in Country Music's Year of the Woman".  Journal of Communication. Vol. 49. Issue 1. Pgs 69-82.  1999.

Written by Kelly Rothe.