Demands of a Record Label and The Notions of Looking

In order for the record label of an artist to promote a set image for the band or artist, that will each attract an individual target audience, some similar, depending on the genre, then their videos will include many close ups and motifs which will appear in various videos of the artist or band. This convention is used in order to show the artist throughout the video. This is most common in female artists, as it is used to sexualize the artist, as they are following Laura Mulvey's "Male Gaze" theory, causing attraction from the audience to the artist. This convention is evident in a video for Madonna's song "Justify My Love". Many music videos display sexual angles of women in order to entice male audiences, as it will also increase interest in the artist, as well as emphasizing the lyrics represented by these shots. This creates a sexual interest of the artist from the male view, and allows that artist to sell more records. Examples of the "Male Gaze" when a sexual view is taken of women is evident throughout the music industry. Nowadays, most music videos have women wearing provocative clothing and dancing in a sexual manner, which is done to ensure the male audience engage in the music video, as it increases attractiveness for them. This is arguably seen to be exploiting women, because it presents them as sexual objects, and takes away their personality as an artist. However it can be seen also that women are exploiting men as they are using their assets to their advantage. Examples of artists who do this are: Rihanna, Beyonce, Rita Ora and Britney Spears.