Chapter 1 Introduction
perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of Research
Since women become the minority and live under male supremacy, in the
society there is a feminist ideology and movement that develops. The primary
goal of feminism are freeing woman from the “male-values” (Willis, 1984).
Feminists are against male’s view that said “the appreciation to woman is on their
body not on the function of their body”. The feminist ideology and movement
happen to answer the challenge of dominant male culture that sees women only in
sexual terms. (Fernandes, 1991).
The first wave, second wave and even post-colonial feminist have
different shape of movement. After the booming of second wave feminism, post-
colonial feminism as known as the third world feminism takes a place as a new
form of feminist movement. This movement is different from the previous
movement that just focuses on women in America, post-colonial feminism is a
movement of women in third world country. This movement happened because
the second wave feminism did not representing women in all country. Second
wave feminism assessed just represents and focuses to feminist of the mainstream.
Although post-colonial feminism firstly happen in the third world country,
however, it spread out and become the new form of post-feminism, not only just
in the third world country but in all country. There also many people, that speaks
their idea about post-colonial feminism through their written and work. Many commit to user theories and studies about post-colonial feminism also established in order to give
1 perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id2
knowledge about post-colonial movement and ideology. In addition, there are
many medias, such as books, pictures, even music that give a representation about
the post-colonial movement.
We can say that this era is the era of female singers, as we know there are
many female singers that become popular singer in the society and get many
music awards. If in the 90s we have Madonna as the popular female singers in that
era, in this era we have Katy Perry: female singer who was born on October 25,
1984, started her career as former Christian folk singer and then turned into the
pop singer. On her first years career she used name Katy Hudson and released her
album on 2001 but this album wasn’t successful. In 2004, she became the vocalist
of The Matrix production team and recorded some songs with Ballard, through
her sessions with Ballard, Perry was heard by Capitol Music executive, Jason
Flom who then agreed to sign her in Spring 2007. However, her career did not
fully take off until the release of her next single, "I Kissed a Girl," this single
reached the top of the charts during the summer of 2008. And her success was
followed by her debut album,” One of the Boys” that became Top 10 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her song also earned Perry a Grammy Award
nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. From that time, she becomes
the female singer that has big influence in American music industry. But, not only
in America itself, Katy Perry also conquered international music industries that is
proven by her fame in other countries.
Katy Perry achieved many awards for her songs and her music videos. The
newest award that she achieved is Favorite Music Videos in People’s Choice commit to user Award and Video of the Year and Best Female Music Videos in MTV Video perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id3
Music Awards. She got double awards as Favorite Music Videos because her two
music videos “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)” and “E.T” won that category. From
Videos of the Year and Best Female music videos, her music video “Firework”
has won the categories. From the awards that she achieved we know that she is the
female singer that has big influence in the society and her two music videos “E.T”
and “Firework” become the most influential music videos in the society. Then, in
2012 also she released her new music video “Wide Awake”, fromwhich the
biography from Katy Perry’s life was taken, which steal many attention from
public.
Since the first album, Katy always made the music video for most of her
songs. Her music video is always different from one to another. She always tries
to give a new concept that is different for her each music video. From a playfull
and naughty concept to the uplifting, heartbreakingly wistful and spiritual concept
are delivered in Katy Perry’s music video (http://www.katyperry.com/bio/). Her
first album, One of The Boys, still delivers the naughty side of Katy and in this
album she still shows her femininity in her music video. In the second album, in
some music videos that are released first, the naughty and playfull concept that
deliver the post-modern life is still used in her music video. However, in her
music video, such as Firework, which is a self-empowerment sung by Katy, and
all video that are released after it, the naughty Katy is transformed into a woman
that try to become an inspiration to other. Moreover, all videos that are released
after that seem to be representations of women’s life in this era. Katy Perry’s
music videos are no longer just an entertainment, but also become an inspiration
commit to user perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id4
and representation of what happen within women in society. For that reason, Katy
Perry can be categorized as a post-feminist singer.
Katy Perry always gives something new to her audience. It is proven by
her three music videos that have different concept and theme. Each of music
videos describes Perry as different character, but still all of these had become the
favorite music videos and always on chart. From the fantasy concept of “Wide
Awake” until the science-fiction theme of “E.T”, Katy Perry’s music videos can
deliver the new story and concept of music videos for American society.
From her success, Katy Perry can be assumed as a figure of the female
power in this era. She can be a figure of the post-colonial feminist and her music
videos can be the representation of post-colonial feminist image that exists in
American society. For that reason, this thesis will analyze how Katy Perry’s three
music videos “Firework”, “E.T”, and “Wide Awake” construct the women image
and power in the society.
B. Scope of Study
This research is conducted under the field of American Studies particularly about
one aspect of American culture reflected on American media. The focus of this
research will be mainly about the analysis of the women image, women’s
femininity, and the femininity as women’s power represent by Katy Perry’s music
video. Some essential theories and approaches related to media and gender studies
will be used to answer the research question of this research.
C. Research Question commit to user perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id5
This research is conducted based on the following question:
1. How does Katy Perry’s music videos represents femininity as a power?
D. The Objectives of Study
The objective of the study is:
1. To explain femininity as a power that is portrayed in Katy Perry’s music
videos.
E. Benefits of the Study
This research is expected to give an understanding about the concept of
women image and femininity as women’s power. It is expected to be beneficial to:
1. For students of English Department: to make them aware about media
constructions especially music videos towards the society and how this
construction influences the members of society, especially in gender studies.
2. For the other Researchers, this research is expected to provide additional
references about women image in music videos and women’s femininity .
F. Research Methodology
1. Types of Research
This research about women image and femininity as a power in Katy
Perry’s music videos is included as descriptive qualitative research. This research
is a form of systematic empirical inquiry into meaning (Shank, 2002). And
qualitative research studies things in their natural settings, attempting to interpret, commit to user phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them (Lincoln, 2000). perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id6
2. Data and Source of Data
The source of data in this research is three Katy Perry’s official music
videos taken from www.youtube.com. The three Katy Perry’s music videos are
“E.T”, “Firework”, and “Wide Awake”. The music videos chosen because “E.T”
music video is winning People Choice Award as the Favorite Music Video
(http://blog.music.aol.com/2011/10/25/peoples-choice-award-nominees/) and also
“Firework” are Video of the Year in MTV Video Music Awards
(http://www.billboard.com/events/mtv-video-music-awards-live-coverage-
1005331372.story#/events/mtv-video-music-awards-live-coverage-
1005331372.story), while “ Wide Awake” is the newest music video released by
Katy Perry in 2012. This music video is the biographical music videos from Katy
Perry. The main data of this research are lyrics, music and the visual images in
music videos which have function as signifiers, such as sentences on the lyrics,
story line, tone, beat, costume, body movement, gaze, color and camera angle.
The supporting data of this research are articles about Katy Perry’s biography,
gender articles, and articles about media. The supporting data are taken from
library sources, such as books, journals and articles from any disciplines: cultural
studies, gender studies, media studies and semiotics.
3. Technique of Collecting Data
The main data are three Katy Perry’s official music videos. The main data
were taken from www.youtube.com as the video share website. In order to find the
data from the music video, three music videos were watched repeatedly. The next
step was selecting the images of three music videos that contain symbolism about commit to user perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id7
feminism. This research was more focused in the visual image and the songs
lyrics. So, after the images had been collected, next step was to find the
correlation between images and lyrics of three music videos. After the main data
had been collected, the supporting data also collected in order to get some
important facts or information that can be used to support the main data.
4. Technique of Analyzing Data
The main data that are mainly in the form of sentence and visual image
will be analyzed through the application of semiotics approaches to identify the
meanings of signs employed in the music videos. The result of the meanings
interpretation will be analyzed by using socio-cultural approaches and gender
theories. Any relevant articles, books, and journals related to the topic will be
used to support the analysis. The conclusion will be drawn from the process of
interpreting the data of the research through the application of relevant theories
and approaches in the analysis process.
G. Theoretical Approach
American Studies is interdisciplinary studies that studies about American
culture. The idea about American studies arises because the investigation of
American culture as a whole does not coincide with the customary field of
operations of any established academic discipline (Smith, American Quarterly,
1957). American studies did not consider on the problem that happen in society
but the effort to understand it from new perspectives, or to learn it as an
interdisciplinary studies (Sykes, 1963). commit to user perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id8
American studies, is a cultural studies that concerned with the culture that
existed in a certain time and place (Sykes, 1963). The culture that is existed in a
certain society can be used to describe the society where the culture existed. It
happens because culture is a concept, idea, and description of words, acts, or
artifacts in the society. Culture itself happened because the construction of people
behavior and artifacts that produced by the society. Culture in society covers some
aspects of society’s life such as political, economical, social instruments and
patterns of behavior. It also can be found in some aspects in society’s life such as
values, language and literature, philosophy, religion, architecture, graphic and
plastic art (E.Spiller, 1973).
This studies use the documents in the society to study the society. It used
the document because the document is a product of society that is created based
on the society’s habit. Documents of society are different from one place to
another. Documents that are used not just written document, certainly not just
literature, but also the creation of the other arts, as well as the products of
technology and sciences (Sykes, 1963).
American studies looks at the culture that contained in the document in the
society to study the behavior of the society as a pattern in the society. In addition,
to understand the pattern in the society more than one document as sample is
required. Because of that reason, American Studies is known as an
interdisciplinary study because it uses many samples from the society and many
theories used to understand the meaning that is contained in the document.
American studies itself does not only concern with the culture in the society but commit to user also with the economic condition, political and many other areas of the society. perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id9
When people study about American culture, they may deal with myth that
exists in American society. Myth is a fixed, satisfying and stable story used
repeatedly to normalize our account of social life. However, beside myth that
exists they also need to understand the rhetoric that also takes part in constructing
the American culture. Rhetoric itself is a tactic within the open questions of
culture. Moreover, in this era, many documents in American society such as
movie, literature, music, etc represent rhetoric and always in the end, they return
to express the myth in American society. (Introduction: The New American
Studies From Myth to Rhetorics, 1994)
The objective of this research is to describe how women femininity are
symbolized and constructed as power in Katy Perry’s music videos. As we know,
music videos are cultural artifact in society, which develops in the field of popular
culture. Music video itself is one of the media spread that become one of
American studies object. In this thesis, music videos become the main object of
studies. In order to understand and analyze this music video many approaches are
needed to reach the answer of this thesis analysis. The first step that will be used
in this thesis is to understand the expression in the lyrics and visual image that
contained in Katy Perry’s music videos.
The main object of this research is visual images and song lyrics. Besides,
the other component of the music video, such as narration, make-up and hairstyle,
colors, costume and lighting is also used as the object of this research. To analyze
the component of the music videos, semiotic is needed in this research. Semiotic
theory is used to understanding, processing and constructing meaning of commit to user representation in these music videos. To analyze the music videos, the first step perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id10
that is needed is to find the signifier and signified inside the music videos. Signs
can be in the form of words, images, hairstyle, make-up, costume, gaze, body
language, gestures, music and sound effects (http://www.uk.sagepub.com/upm-
data/5171_Berger_Final _Pages_Chapter_1.pdf). In music videos semiotic is used
for finding the meaning from the images, lyrics and the narration of the music
videos. It also used to understand the symbolization that is contained in the other
component of the music videos, such as costume, colors, make-up and hairstyle,
gesture and facial expression.
Because this research will analyze about the existing of women image and
power in the society, the Socio Cultural Approach is applied to correlate the result
of the analysis to the context of socio-cultural condition of American society.
Socio Cultural approach is used in order to understand the condition and culture
that existed in the society. This approach also used to find the pattern of attitudes,
beliefs, life style and way of thinking of the society. It also helps to understand the
influence of social condition and culture into Katy Perry’s music videos.
This research analyzes about women image and women femininity in
lyrics and music videos. Since the research of the femininity cannot be separated
from gender concept and construction, Gender approach is used to analyze the
signifier of the music videos. This approach is needed to understand how those
signs and symbols construct and represents gender concept. Gender concept is a
cultural ideology that creates in order to differentiate men and women’s stereotype
in society. In this research, the theory of power from Foucault and femininity and
technology from Gamble are used to understand how the signs in Katy Perry’s commit to user music videos construct and represent women image and femininity as power. perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id11
H. Thesis Organization
Chapter I : The research’s introduction consists of background, scope of
research, problem statement, objective of the research, significance of the
research, methodology and thesis organization.
Chapter II : Literature Review consists of the discussion about the
development of feminist movement in America, the relation between women and
media in 2000s, the existence of music video as one of social product in society,
and the semiotic of music video that consists of semiotic theory and music video
analysis theory.
Chapter III : Analysis consists of three sub chapters. The first sub chapter will
explain about women body as the power. The second will discuss about
technology as women power. Moreover, the last chapter will discuss about the
femininity as the new power.
Chapter IV : Conclusion and Recommendation
commit to user