Thursday, October 19 2006 @ 10:36 PM PDT
Bricoleur
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Objectification of Christina
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In my first year of teaching Media Literacy at Victoria High School, one of my students brought in a VHS taped recording of the Christina Aguillera music video “Dirrty”. We had been discussing the objectification of women and the use of sex as a marketing tool and she wanted to show this video in class. We had just enough time in class to watch it once and then the bell rang. But something had caught my attention. It wasn’t so much a visual clue, as it was a sense. Later after school, I decided to go through the video with the SLOW button and watch it frame-by-frame.
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Subliminal Embed
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Sure enough, I found what I was looking for in the first minute of the video. Aguilerra rides her motorcycle past a wall on which there was some graffiti. With the PAUSE button, I froze the image and used a kettle to read the mirror image writing. I was shocked as I read the words out loud: EAT LICK LIVE PUSSY
The next day in class, there was no need for a mirror to read these words. My class were graffiti savvy and read the words immediately. This discovery then led to a discussion of what we should do and if we tried to do something, was it censorship. Eventually, we decided that it would only be censorship if we tried to remove something that was plainly visible. Since this message was only visible for 3/16ths of a second, we thought that this was more in the realm of subliminal messaging and deserved to be removed. Yet none in the class believed that we had the power to do anything. This after all was Christina Aguillera , Much Music and the music industry. There was a collective sense of resignation and powerlessness.
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The Music Biz... Click to see more frames from video
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I went home that night and considered writing the federal governing body, the CRTC. However, Much Music had always been good about promoting media literacy, so I thought that I would give them a chance to respond first. A week later, I came into class with an e-mail response from Much Music. They said that what we had found had slipped by their reviewers and that they would contact Agulierra’s producers and not show the video again until the graffiti was removed. As in a movie, you could have heard a pin drop. Shock and joy and power rippled through the room. WE HAD INFLUENCED THE MUSIC INDUSTRY!!!
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Too Hot or Not?
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Two weeks later, we got an invitation to be part of an hour long special called “Too Hot or Not”. MM sent out a crew and a VJ and we were part of a live program based out of Toronto. They set up in our classroom and we had a chance to see first hand how media carefully orchestras a look of spontaneity.
On my final exam, one of my students wrote that of all the things that he had learned about deconstructing media, his biggest lesson was that as individuals we do have power, if we choose to believe it and use it.
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Click to see full video
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Jim Pine has taught media literacy at Vic High for the past five years but has been interested in the power of the media all his life.
I thought I'd add to your article by posting the lyrics of Christina Aguillera's song, to add to the level of exploration. As you'll see, it's sheer poetry!
Dirrty
[Redman:]
Ah, dirrty (dirrty)
Filthy (filthy)
Nasty (Christina), you nasty (yeah)
Too dirrty to clean my act up
If you ain't dirrty
You ain't here to party (woo!)
Ladies (move)
Gentlemen (move)
Somebody ring the alarm
A fire on the roof
Ring the alarm (and I'm throwin' elbows) [7x]
Oh, I'm overdue
Give me some room
I'm comin through
Paid my dues
In the mood
Me and the girls gonna shake the room
DJ's spinning (show your hands)
Let's get dirrty (that's my jam)
I need that, uh, to get me off
Sweat until my clothes come off
It's explosive, speakers are pumping (oh)
Still jumping, six in the morning
Table dancing, glasses are mashing (oh)
No question, time for some action
Temperature's up (can you feel it)
About to erupt
Gonna get my girls
Get your boys
Gonna make some noise
Wanna get rowdy
Gonna get a little unruly
Get it fired up in a hurry
Wanna get dirrty
It's about time that I came to start the party
Sweat dripping over my body
Dancing getting just a little naughty
Wanna get dirrty
It's about time for my arrival
Ah, heat it up
So ladies, fellas
Drop your cups
Body's hot
Front to back
Now move your ass
I like that
Tight hip huggers (low for sure)
Shake a little somethin' (on the floor)
I need that, uh, to get me off
Sweat until my clothes come off
Let's get open, cause a commotion (ooh oh)
We're still going, eight in the morning
There's no stopping, we keep it popping (oh)
Hot rocking, everyone's talking
Give all you got (give it to me)
Just hit the spot
Gonna get my girls
Get your boys
Gonna make some noise
Rowdy
Gonna get a little unruly
Get it fired up in a hurry
Wanna get dirrty
It's about time that I came to start the party
Ooh sweat dripping over my body
Dancing getting just a little naughty
Wanna get dirrty (oh, oh)
It's about time for my arrival
Here it comes, it's the one
You've been waiting on
Get up, get it up
Yup, that's what's up
Giving just what you want
To the maximum
Uh oh, here we go (here we go)
You can tell when the music
Starts to drop
That's when we take it
To the parking lot
And I bet you somebody's
Gonna call the cops
Uh oh's, here we go's (here we go)
Ohh ooh ohh, yeah yeah...
[Redman:]
Yo, hot damn, Doc a jam like a summer show
I keep my car looking like a crash dummy drove
My gear look like the bank got my money froze
For dead presidents I pimp like Huddy roll
Doc the one that excite ya divas (ow!)
If the media shine
I'm shining with both of the sleeves up
Yo Christina, better hop in here
My block live and in color, like Rodman hair (yeah)
The club is packed, the bar is filled
I'm waiting for sister to act, like Lauryn Hill
Frankly, it's a rap, no bargain deals
I drive a four wheel ride with foreign wheels
Throw it up
Baby it's brick city, you heard of that
We blessed, and hung low, like Bernie Mac
Dogs, let 'em out, women, let 'em in
It's like I'm ODB, the way I'm freaking
Wanna get rowdy (rowdy, yeah)
Gonna get a little unruly (ruly)
Get it fired up in a hurry (hurry)
Wanna get dirrty
It's about time that I came to start the party (party)
Sweat dripping over my body (body)
Dancing getting just a little naughty
Wanna get dirrty
It's about time for my arrival
Rowdy
Gonna get a little unruly
(Ooh oh)
Get it fired up in a hurry
(Ooh oh)
Wanna get dirrty
It's about time that I came to start the party
Ooh sweat dripping over my body
Dancing getting just a little naughty
Wanna get dirrty
It's about time for my arrival
Rowdy
Gonna get a little unruly
Get it fired up in a hurry
Wanna get dirrty
It's about time that I came to start the party
Sweat dripping over my body
Dance and getting just a little naughty
Wanna get dirrty
It's about time for my arrival
Uh, what