The aim of the study is to investigate how femininity is depicted by the female, influential artists Madonna and Beyoncé through music videos. Besides their influence in the musical world, they have also become role models and feminist symbols for women all over the world – however not without also receiving critique. The study will identify the lexical and visual choices that the artists use by a critical multimodal discourse analysis (MCDA). To execute this, two videos from each artist will be analyzed. The most central theories are representation theory and gender theory. The theoretical framework relates to femininity and its representation in media along with relevant connecting concepts. The results show that Madonna and Beyoncé work in different ways to construct femininity in their music videos. Madonna portrays herself in various gender roles whilst Beyoncé usually shows one main character. Both norm breaking and normalized elements are found in the analysis, and it is discussed whether the theme of the video (love/female empowerment) is affecting the results. The relevance of the study is motivated by its anchoring to the UN’s Global Goals on gender equality, the influence of popular culture on young people’s gender-identity development and how this study differs from similar previous research. / Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur femininitet skildras av de två kvinnliga, inflytelserika artisterna Beyoncé och Madonna genom mediet musikvideo. Förutom artisternas påverkan i den musikala världen har dessa kvinnor blivit förebilder och feministiska symboler för kvinnor världen över – men även bemötts av kritik. Studien söker att genom en kritisk multimodal diskursanalys identifiera de lexikala och visuella val artisterna använder sig av i konstruktionen av femininitet. Två musikvideor av vardera artist används för att utföra detta. De centrala teorierna är representationsteori och genusteori. Det teoretiska ramverket relaterar till femininitet och dess representation i media samt relevanta anslutande begrepp. Resultatet visar att Madonna och Beyoncé arbetar på två olika sätt för att konstruera femininitet i sina musikvideor. Madonna porträtterar sig själv i flera olika genusroller medan Beyoncé visar en konstant karaktär. Både normbrytande och normaliserade element hittas under analysen och det diskuteras huruvida musikvideornas tema (kärlek/female empowerment) kan påverka resultatet. Studiens relevans motiveras med koppling till FN:s Globala mål om jämställdhet, populärkulturens påverkan på ungdomars genus- identitetsskapande samt hur studien skiljer sig från tidigare forskning inom samma område.

[pt] O presente trabalho tem como objetivo estudar a cultura de fãs no Rio de Janeiro, suas formas de comunicação e de interação com a cidade. Este estudo também se concentra em entender de que maneira os fãs percebem seus ídolos, uma vez que estes se apresentam perante a sociedade e a mídia, muitas vezes, como seres superiores e/ou indefectíveis. O ato de ser fã é um fenômeno já bastante investigado por alguns teóricos e, por outro lado, carrega significados, por vezes, pejorativos, quando tratado pelo senso comum e por alguns contextos midiáticos. Utilizando a abordagem dos estudos subculturais em uma etnografia foi possível constatar que o impacto das divas do pop estudadas, Lady Gaga e Beyoncé, em suas respectivas fandoms, Little Monsters e Beyhive, dá-se em âmbitos não só de entretenimento, mas, acima de tudo, subjetivos. A cultura de fãs atua como criadora de grupos sociais altamente organizados no mundo digital e no mundo real, capazes de promoverem bem-estar e debates políticos e ideológicos de forma a estimular a reflexão sobre as minorias às quais pertencem e a luta contra os mais diversos tipos de discriminação sofridos pelos participantes das fandoms. / [en] This work aims to study the culture of fans in Rio de Janeiro, its forms of communication and interaction with the city. This study also focuses on understanding how fans perceive their idols, once they present themselves to society and the media, often as superior or indefectible beings. The act of being a fan is already investigated by researchers and on the other hand carries some meanings that sometimes are pejoratives while handled by the common sense and also by some mediatic contexts. By using the subculture studies approach in an etnography it was possible to verify that the impact of the studied pop divas, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, on their respective fandoms, Little Monsters and Beyhive, takes place not only in the entertainment area, but also in a very subjective way. The fan cultures acts as the creator of highly organized social groups both in the digital and in the real world, promoting not only their well-being, but also political and ideological debates, in order to stimulate reflection on the minorities to which they belong to, and the fight against the most diverse types of discrimination suffered by participants of the fandoms.

Det huvudsakliga syftet med denna uppsats är att belysa pågående förhandlingar om feminism och sexualitet i det samtida medielandskapet, med avstamp i Beyoncés senaste produktioner samt den omgärdande debatt som dessa genererat. För att genomföra detta har jag, genom en diskursanalys, läst sex stycken utvalda låttexter samt videor från Beyoncés självbetitlade skiva (2013) utifrån ett antal feministiska teorier. Fokus ligger på de olika feministiska diskursernas tolkning utav kropp, sexualitet, struktur, agens och etnicitet i dessa verk. Resultatet av uppsatsen visar att de olika feministiska diskurserna har, både historiskt och samtida, olika uppfattning om hur en kvinna får vara sexuell i dagens medielandskap. Samtidigt som Beyoncé reproducerar många av de strukturer som en stor del av feminismen motsätter sig, kan hennes verk, utifrån min analys, samtidigt tolkas som sexuellt frigörande i en tid där kvinnlig sexualitet ofta beskylls och ifrågasätts.

This thesis examines the ways in which Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s 2016 album Lemonade works as a culturally significant text in the realm of popular media. Situated within Black feminist theoretical concepts of freedom practices and Black Feminist Love Politics, the thesis argues that Lemonade mobilizes stylistic and strategic intertextual references to develop a transmedia storyworld within a paradigm of resistance to, and healing from, white supremacist histories. Such intertextual information exists within the musical, lyrical, visual, poetic, and transmedia domains of Lemonade. The transmedia extensions include interviews, live performances, speeches, social media posts, and photoshoots. Combined with theories from Black feminist thought of freedom practices—which include talking back (bell hooks 1989), dark sousveillance (Simone Browne 2015), and interruptions to whiteness (DiAngelo 2011)— and Black Feminist Love Politics (Jennifer Nash 2013), the intertextual data present in Lemonade can be analyzed using methodologies from the field of popular musicology (intertextuality and mediality).

<i> History Will Be My Judge: A Cultural Examination of America's Racial Tensions Presented Through the Symbolization of Booker T. Washington</i> is an interdisciplinary study about the emergence of Booker T. Washington as a black cultural hero. By the turn of the twentieth century, Washington had become the most prominent African American educator, economic reformer, entrepreneur, and race leader in the United States. He is most recognized as the founder of Tuskegee Institute (now University) and his highly acclaimed autobiography, <i>Up From Slavery</i>, which recounts his life growing up enslaved to becoming an international icon. Since his death in 1915, several monuments, memorials, landmarks, and commemorative tributes have been established in his honor. During the 1940s, Washington became the first African American pictured on the United States postage stamp and minted silver half-dollar. Additionally, he was spotlighted in a series of media campaigns called "Famous American Firsts," and was the first African American inducted into the Hall of Fame for Great Americans. Moreover, amidst the presidential transition between Barack Obama and Donald Trump, black popular media has alluded to Washington's economic philosophy through music videos, documentaries, and television programs. I argue that each of these posthumous commemorations belong to larger social justice movements, namely, the Civil Rights movement and Black Lives Matter movement. Throughout these eras, Washington's legacy has served to counter white supremacy and symbolize the rise of integration, the black middle class, economic justice, black self-made, black education, and the legacy of slavery.<div> The purpose of this study is to examine how during periods of racial unrest, African Americans leverage Booker T. Washington's image to counter racist stereotypes and reaffirm black citizenship. The primary framework applied in this study is William L. Van Deburg's theory of the <i>black cultural hero. </i>Two emergent theories from this research are my developing frameworks called <i>Black Hustle Theory</i> and <i>nostalgic tension</i>. Using literary and visual analysis, I assess historical archives from popular press, black literature, American memorabilia, and black popular culture to examine Washington's commemorative legacy through a black radical lens. Specifically, I explore how the following four people have connected Washington's legacy to the Civil Rights movement and Black Lives Matter movement: Major Richard Robert Wright, Sr., founder of Savannah State University; Langston Hughes, famed Harlem Renaissance poet and author; Stanley Nelson, award-winning producer; and, Beyonce Knowles-Carter, singer and pop mogul. I put Washington's legacy in conversation with each of these cultural producers to simulate a call-and-response between his lifework and the generations after him.<br><div><br></div></div>

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