REVUE D’ÉTUDES INTERCULTURELLES DE L’IMAGE JOURNAL OF CROSS-CULTURAL IMAGE STUDIES IMAGINATIONS JOURNAL OF CROSS_CULTURAL IMAGE STUDIES | REVUE D’ÉTUDES INTERCULTURELLES DE L’IMAGE Publication details, including open access policy and instructions for contributors: http://imaginations.csj.ualberta.ca “Contemporary Arab Music Video Clips: Between Simulating MTV’s Gender Stereotypes and Fostering New Ones” Ouidyane Elouardaoui August 27, 2013 To Cite this Article: Elouardaoui, Ouidyane. “Contemporary Arab Music Video Clips: Between Simulating MTV’s Gender Stereotypes and Fostering New Ones” Imaginations 4:1 (2013): Web (date accessed) 112-133. 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CONTEMPORARY ARAB MUSIC VIDEO CLIPS CONTEMPORARY ARAB MUSIC VIDEO CLIPS Between Simulating MTV’s Gender Stereotypes and Fostering New Ones OUIDYANE ELOUARDAOUI MTV was the first 24-hour cable network MTV est la première chaîne de télévision to continuously broadcast music videos à diffuser en permanence des clips in the 1980s, thus establishing the genre. musicaux 24/24 dans les années 80, Generally, Arab music video clips differ établissant ainsi le genre. Généralement, from Western-produced music videos, les clips musicaux arabes diffèrent des because artists are compelled to abide by clips occidentaux parce que les artistes the conservative cultural norms of Arab se sentent obligés de respecter les normes societies. However, most Arab music culturelles conservatives des sociétés videos, particularly those produced in arabes. Néanmoins, la plupart des clips the last decade, reaffirm Western gender musicaux arabes, surtout ceux produits stereotypes intrinsic to those produced by dans la dernière décennie, réaffirment les MTV. Contemporary Arab music videos for stéréotypes occidentaux du sexe hérités the most part simulate an MTV aesthetic de ceux produits par MTV. En général, vocabulary of a gaze that features female les clips musicaux arabes contemporains sexuality and narratives of seduction. Some imitent le vocabulaire esthétique de MTV new Arab producers, nonetheless, have en lien avec la sexualité féminine et l’art de attempted to avoid reproducing MTV- séduction. Certains nouveaux réalisateurs based gender clichés, but have instead ont essayé d’éviter les clichés sur le sexe created new gender misconceptions. These crées par MTV, mais ils ont créé des productions emphasize depictions of idées falsifiées à leur place, à savoir, des women as untrustworthy and impetuous. représentations où la femme est impérieuse Finally, I discuss how young Arab singers et n’est pas digne de confiance. Cet article have constantly been confronted by the montre que les artistes arabes doivent sans ire of regionally prominent religious cesse défier les personnalités religieuses figures who denounce the music videos’ locales dénonçant l’approbation des endorsement of “anti-Islamic” principles. principes « anti-islamiques » qu’ils voient I contend that Stuart Hall and Paddy dans ces clips musicaux. On emploie ici Whannel’s early analysis of reactions les stratégies d’analyse de Stuart Hall et against popular music styles among British de Paddy Whannel, développées l’origine youth as a form of cultural transgression pour démontrer que la musique populaire remains relevant to understanding the est une forme de transgression culturelle cultural style of Arab youth as expressed de la jeunesse britannique. Ces stratégies through popular musical performance. se avèrent fort utiles afin de comprendre le style culturel de la jeunesse arabe exprimé dans la musique populaire. IMAGINATIONS • ISSUE 4 - 1, 2013 • 112 ELOUARDAOUI MTV was the first 24-hour cable videos for the most part simulate an network to continuously broadcast MTV aesthetic vocabulary of a gaze music videos in the 1980s thus that features female sexuality and establishing the genre. Music videos narratives of seduction. In this regard, are typically short in duration, deploy relevant to Angela McRobbie’s analysis cinematic camerawork and fast editing of the concept of post-feminism that techniques as well as post-production rationalizes the objectification of female computerized effects that have attracted bodies in different platforms of popular viewers (Goodwin 60). MTV-style culture by the logic of personal choice, music videos are also characterized by the stagnant sexualized images of Arab the fragmented nature of their narration female singers have been often justified and characterization and do not usually by the same rhetoric of “free will.. Some embrace the classical Hollywood cause new Arab producers, however, have and effect-oriented narrative pattern. attempted to avoid reproducing MTV- They also rarely feature full-fledged based gender clichés, but have instead protagonists and villains because their created new gender misconceptions. focal point is the showcasing of the star. These productions emphasize As a result of their lack of narrative depictions of women as untrustworthy coherence and motivational characters, and impetuous. In these clips, women the possible meaning that can usually be typically take advantage of a kind, deduced from music videos is contingent caring man, but in the end choose an on the juxtaposition of visual objects abusive and heartless one. These new in relation to singers (Vernallis 138). gender stereotypes generally refer to a Generally, Arab music video clips] differ female lack of personal integrity instead from Western-produced music videos, of perpetuating clichéd sexualized primarily because artists are compelled representations of women. In this to abide by the cultural norms of Arab context, I draw on McRobbie’s analysis societies. Arab television is usually of “new sexualities” promoted by censored for the depiction of sexuality, youth magazines, among other popular graphic violence and, in the case of media outlets, that shun conventional Saudi Arabia, any reference to religion prejudiced images of women on the other than Sunni Islam (Rinnawi 29). one hand, while emphasizing women’s In addition, contemporary Arab music sexually lustful tendencies on the other. clips have found inspiration in music sketches characteristic of Egyptian films In the end, I examine public of the 1950s and 1960s. controversies through an analysis of the reactionary discourse of religious Most Arab music videos, however, figures as well as a number of media particularly those produced in the experts and academics. Just as the last decade, reaffirm Western gender depiction of gender and racial relations stereotypes intrinsic to those produced in music videos have evoked criticism in by MTV. Contemporary Arab music the Western media, Arab youth music 113 • ISSUE 4 - 1, 2013 • IMAGINATIONS CONTEMPORARY ARAB MUSIC VIDEO CLIPS videos have been attacked for their focus While discussing the effects of political on the physical and sexual attributes events during that period on the thematic of female singers and models at the qualities of songs, Mounir Alwassimi, expense of promoting progressive social the former head of the Egyptian and cultural values. In addition, young Musicians’ Union, affirms that songs Arab singers are constantly confronted “[were] very much influenced by the by the ire of regionally prominent social, political and the economic order religious figures who denounce the of the day. Production venues were music videos’ endorsement of “anti- aligned with the politics of the regime Islamic” principles. Stuart Hall and and worked within its directives in most Paddy Whannel’s early analysis of case(92). By contrast, contemporary reactions against popular music styles Arab music is seen as largely apolitical among British youth as a form of and based on the commercial success of cultural transgression remains relevant songs (Hammo142). It should be noted to understanding the cultural style that the apolitical nature of the lyrics of Arab youth as expressed through in most contemporary Arab music popular musical performance. videos is shored up by an emphasis and fascination with the iconography of the The Classical Format of Music Clips in performer. the Arab World The emergence of Egyptian television The modern prototype of Arab music in the 1960s initially diminished the video clips is partly inspired by the popular role that Egyptian radio used musical performances that dominated to play as the source for Arab songs. In Arab films and theatrical performances contrast to the radio age where listeners of the 1950s. Media professional had to rely on their own imagination Moataz Abdel Aziz points out that regarding the appearance of the singer staged performances or music sketches and band, television facilitated the in early Egyptian films of the 1950s used audience’s visual recognition of the to be the central attraction to audiences. performer in relation to visual effects that They typically featured the most include