I chose Nicki Minaj’s music video “ Anaconda” to portrayed racial stereotypes of black women’s bodies that are shown very commonly in hip-hop music industry in today’s media. In this music video Nicki is shown as a hyper sexualized black woman.
Her butt or booty is the main focus of this video. She is using her butt to gain the attention of the audience, and she is using her body, specifically her butt to gain the attention of the audience, and she is using her body, specially her butt, as an object that only black women can have. The concept of jungle in Anaconda can connects with South America therefore even though Nicki is American, but due to her race, gender and color she still viewed as foreign. When the song starts, Nicki is dressed up like she is in jungle, wearing animal skin clothes, therein representing black women as sexually out of control, or “ animalistic”. This particular representation of the black female body is not new, rather its stems from the historical context of black women’s bodies in the USA. Nicki’s portrayal in this music video can remind a viewer of Sarah Baartman displayed in London and Paris museums just because of her buttocks. Sarah was displayed in museums and dehumanized through her booty in a similar way to how Nicki’s booty is displayed in today’s media. In this music video Nicki is portrayed as a typical media representation of the black hyper sexualized women. She is framed as a commodifying object for men, and the visual language that is used in the video, and the media, communicates that black women will always stay the sexual object. This is a story about black women’s hyper-sexualized body image, which is controlled by white upper class American men. These men own the media companies and other major media outlets, as well as advertising and consumer culture around the USA.
Unruly Bodies 
At the beginning of your blog post I was intrigued and laughing because I was only imaging Nick Minaj ‘twerking’. Overall I personally don’t like Nicki Minaj but setting aside my dislike and further reading your post I totally understand what you are trying to get across. And I guess I should go into why I don’t like Nicki Minaj… I feel like she is, dare I say, an icon? She is very popular not only with her music but with her persona. That being said, the way she represents herself is not only demeaning to black women but women in general and gives this perspective that women want this sort of attention. That women are just slaves to the men and we only live to please men. Honestly, I find this song and video annoying and of really bad taste. I really appreciate this post and I am so glad you decided to pull down the curtain and really explain what the media is somewhat trying to make “normal”.