Analyzing Iggy's 'Struggle In The Music Video Work'
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The Dominant Iggiology
Much of popular culture is filled with dominant ideologies that subliminally tell you what to do. These ideologies are run by power sources of hegemony, which operate in order to control our interpretations of the world. Since we can’t predict or control what these power structures produce, the only thing left, is to analyze and understand in order to make informative decisions about a text. In this essay, I will be analyzing the music video “Work” by Iggy Azalea. I will demonstrate the way Iggy promotes normative discourses, how she uses the gender threat in terms of gender and race, and finally, how Iggy reinforces power masked by “struggle” within the rap/music industry. In the music video “Work” (Youtube.com),…show more content… In Zeus Leonardo’s text, The Souls of White Folk: Critical Pedagogy, Whiteness Studies, and Globalization Discourse, he states “Whiteness is supported by material practices and institutions. That said, white people are often the subjects of whiteness because it benefits and privileges them.” (Pg. 31-32) This goes back to how Iggy uses her whiteness for power. Although she raps about her struggle, she never had it nearly as rough as African Americans trying to make it in the industry. I don’t doubt that Iggy had a challenging upbringing, but her “whiteness” could only benefit her when attempting to get noticed and succeed in the industry. Leonardo continues, “Whiteness has developed into a formidable global force in its attempt to control and transform into its own image almost every nook and cranny of the earth.” (Pg. 32) This is a spot on observation due to the fact that we continually see dominant white ideologies taking over other cultures, (i.e. Harajuku girls, Fergie’s Cholas, etc.) Iggy is no different. By breaking into the rap industry, she is beginning to normalize whiteness within rap. These cultures are being taken over by dominant ideologies, with no signs of slowing