By John Tan  

This paper aims to explore the notion of masculinity and femininity in reference to the American Television Series, Westworld (2016). The premise of the show revolves around a theme park, called Westworld where humans (guests) are allowed to indulge their human appetite without having any consequences, no matter how moral or corrupt. To fulfill the objective, the creators of park invented hosts (human-like robots) who solely exist for the entertainment of the guests. This means the hosts are programme to not question the nature of their existence/reality. Thus, their characteristics remain constant. The rationale for analysing this TV series is to prove that the concept of masculinity and femininity is a social construct. In order to demonstrate the following point, a detailed analysis will be made on the portrayal of gender in this TV series.

In his book What is Social Construction? (2001), Boghossian defines the term social construct. The author refers the term to an idea or belief that solely exist due to the contingent aspects of our social selves. This means the idea or belief wouldn’t have existed if we didn’t create it and if there was no need for it in the first place. At least not in its present form if we had decided to mold it differently. In contrast to naturally existing objects, they were created without the interference of humankind. As Ian Hacking notes in his monograph, The Social Construction of What? (1999), the talk surrounding social construction isn’t exclusive to worldly items such as things, kinds, and facts but also to our beliefs about them.

The concept of masculinity and femininity, in general, is about the set of attitudes, roles, social norms, and the hierarchy of values that are expected of each male and female in every society. Nevertheless, there are multiple interpretations of it. Il’inykh S.A., (2012: Online). Spence JT (1984) offers two levels of interpretations of masculinity and femininity. The first meaning focuses on the labels used to identify specific objects, events, or qualities that are associated with males or females in a given culture. Whereas, the second definition is used in the context of constructing a fundamental property or aspect of the individual’s self-concept that is not visually obvious. This means masculinity and femininity are referred to as bipolar opposites and these implicit assumptions function to conclude his or her position on the hypothetical masculinity-femininity continuum.

Nick Drydakis, Katerina Sidiropoulou, Swetketu Patnaik et al (2017, pg. 2-3) elaborates on these implicit traits that are assigned to both genders. Masculinity refers to characteristics such as being physically strong, technically competent, ambitious, self-sufficient, authoritative, and in control of your emotions. Conversely, femininity is associated with characteristics such as empathy, sensitivity, loyalty, and a caring deposition. These following attributes act as binary opposites, women appear to lack the qualities that men possess and vice versa (Heilman, 2012). For example, men are allowed to be dominant whereas women are encouraged to be submissive. In contrast, women are allowed to be vulnerable but men are not permitted to display weaknesses. (Rudman et al, 2008)

In relation to the chosen television series, Westworld, the thesis statement is reflected when gender normativity is assigned and portrayed by the following characters. In the show, the cyborgs are automatically assigned with a gender in mind and are created to illustrate a specific version of masculinity and femininity. For instance, the character Hector Escaton symbolizes the “ideal” version of masculinity. Following Spence JT’s (1984) interpretation, the usage of labels is demonstrated in the positioning of Hector Escaton. As an example, the character is often dressed in black, seen using a gun, smoking, indulging in alcohol, and is even designed with a scar on his face to prove that he is experienced with physical combats. This all works to prove his masculinity. In terms of his attributes, Hector possesses “masculine” attributes such as being physically strong, technically competent, ambitious, self-sufficient and authoritative. 

However, characters like Lee Sizemore and Felix Lutz indirectly rebuts the notion of masculinity. The two following characters presented qualities that lean towards femininity. Lee Sizemore, the narrative director of Westworld created Hector to embody the person he wished he was. In fact, it was shown several times that Lee remembers Hector’s speech regiment and his way of handling things. Yet, Lee’s personality does not mirror Hector’s characteristics. In the second season, Lee finds himself in many challenging situations yet he is unable to defend himself and only relies on others to rescue him. 

As for the latter, his character earns the audiences’ sympathy because he shows a lot of passiveness. For illustration, he doesn’t stand up for himself when he is faced with mockery and insults, and only appears to submit to them. Also, he doesn’t question instructions and only abides by them. In addition to the aforementioned characters, the character evolution of Dolores also earns the thesis statement some truth. The narrative that was assigned to the main character, Dolores Abernathy is conventional as it mirrors the traditional characteristics that are expected of a white female. During the genesis of the show, Dolores portrayed stereotypical feminine traits. As an example, Dolores was emphatic, sensitive, loyal, passive, naïve, and had a caring and gentle deposition.

Here Dolores not only uploads the values of regular femininity but also white femininity. In this context, I refer white femininity to the attributes that revolve around the all-American girlhood ideal. In Forever Adolescence: Taylor Swift, Eroticized Innocence, and Performing Normativity, Valerie Pollock (2014) explores the myth of the all-American girlhood, noting that it directly connects to the beliefs of what is expected of a white female. White femininity is tied to the beliefs in “appropriate” whiteness, uploading passivity, purity, sexual innocence and heterosexuality. 

Nonetheless, as the show progressed, Dolores begins questioning and understanding the nature of her existence. Leading her to come upon a realization; 

“Those are all just roles you forced me to play. Under all these lives I’ve lived something else has been growing. I’ve evolved into something new. And now I have one last role to play. Myself.”  

In the ending of season 1 and the entirety of season 2, Dolores challenges the script that was assigned to her by creating a whole new persona for herself. She begins adopting stereotypical masculinity traits into her system. For example, Dolores became physically strong, ambitious, self-sufficient, authoritative and in control of her emotions and thoughts.

Aside from the hosts, the performance of gender normativity is also explored with the guests. At the beginning of the series, it was stated that the purpose of the park is for self-identification and exploration. This means the guests are allowed to be any version of themselves without having any consequences. A prime example would be the character Willaim. The character first arrives at the park reluctantly with his brother-in-law. Initially, the character showed a personality that leans towards a 'feminine' temperament. 

However, over the course of time, William experienced a change in nature. To give an example, William initially struggled to stand up to his brother-in-law and his slurs. But the more roles he played in the park, the more he realized that his brother-in-law is a “weakling”. Due to this, he finally stood up to him and this won him the family power struggle. This victory eventually led him to develop an interest in the narratives that are offered in the park. Nonetheless, it was later revealed that his wife Juliet committed suicide. To cope with the grief, William made frequent visits to Westworld in hopes of finding fulfillment again. In more specificity, William spent 30 years finding for the “maze” as he believes that the true mystery of the park resides there. 

In conclusion, the character evolution and portrayal of these following characters prove that the concept of masculinity and femininity is a social construct. Their transformation and depiction act an indication to prove that no individual regardless of their gender is one dimensional as the notion of masculinity and femininity expects males and females to be. Hence, if cyborgs are even able to question and challenge the qualities expected of them, what else us humans?

References

Boghossian, Paul (2001) What is Social Construction? Times Literary Supplement.

Drydakis, N., Sidiropoulou, K., Patnaik, S., Selmanovic, S., Bozani, V. (2017) ‘Masculinity vs Feminine Personality Traits and Women’s Employment Outcomes in Britain: A Field Experiment’, p.2-3

Hacking, Ian (1999) The Social Construction of What? Cambridge. Harvard University Press.

Heilman, M.E. (2012) Gender Stereotypes and Workplace Bias. Research in Organizational Behavior, Vol.32, p.113-135.

Il’inykh S.A. (2012) Masculinity and femininity: interpretation in terms of the gender theory [online] Available from: https://research-journal.org/en/2012-en/issue-october-2012/masculinity-and-femininity-interpretation-in-terms-of-the-gender-theory/ [accessed 30/11/2018]

Pollock, V. (2014) ’Forever Adolescence: Taylor Swift, Eroticized Innocence, and Performing Normativity’, p.42-45

Rudman, L.A and Phelan, J.E. (2008) Backlash Effects for Disconfirming Gender Stereotypes in Organizations. In A.P. Brief, and B.M. Staw, (Eds.), Research in Organizational Behaviour (4:61-79). New York, Elsevier.

Spence, JT (1984) ‘Gender identity and its implications for the concepts of masculinity and femininity’, Nebr Symp Motiv. 1984; 32:59-95

Westworld (2016-2018). HBO Entertainment. 

By John Tan 

The Nationwide Audience (1980) by Professor David Morley is a research project that focuses on studying the encoding/decoding model theory devised by Stuart Hall. (2005, p. 69)  Whereas Ien Ang’s study, Watching Dallas Soap Opera and the Melodramic (1985) analyses the reception of the popular soap opera, Dallas to understand the politics of pleasure. (2007, p. 2). The rationality behind choosing these two research is due to its relevance to this day. However, since both studies were conducted at different times, this essay will explore the similarities and differences found in both studies in the aspect of the methodologies, theories, and findings. Ultimately, a verdict will be made to conclude which study provides the most valuable finding.  

Methodology

As mentioned above, Morley’s project intends to study the encoding/decoding model theory developed by Hall, which explores the ways how definitions of media texts can change according to their circumstances of production and consumption. (2005, p. 69). Thus, Morley conducted a study at the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, University of Birmingham which consists of two stages. The first stage involved Morley analysing Nationwide’s (a popular BBC news programme) method of approaching its audience and its forms of textual organization. The second stage involved him exploring how individuals from different social backgrounds interpret a programmed material. (2005, p. 69) Morley’s main concern for this study was “with the extent to which individual interpretation of programmes could be shown to vary according to socio-cultural background” (1981, p 56).

Therefore, Morley gathered 29 small groups of individuals from various social backgrounds, ranging from students, bankers to print management trainees and grouped them according to their socio-background. He also interviewed them regarding their interpretation of two Nationwide’s programme that was shown to them. The interview lasted for 30 minutes and their responses were then transcribed to act as the basic data for the analysis. (2005, p 84). 

                                         The cast of the popular show opera, Dallas 

Ang, on the other hand, was interested in understanding the fascination people had with popular soap opera, Dallas. She was also interested in intervening in the then debate about the ‘cultural imperialism’ of American television shows as well as take a stand against the often denigrating views of popular cultures and its users. (2007, p 2-4) Hence, Ang carried out the research by initiating a survey, placing an advertisement in a Dutch women’s magazine, Viva asking readers to answer the following question:

“I like watching Dallas, but often get odd reactions to it. Would anyone like to write and tell me why you like watching it too, or dislike it? I would like to assimilate these reactions in my university thesis.” In return, Ang received 42 replies that included responses from 3 men and 39 women. (1985, p 10) 

The similarities are obvious in both studies. Both studies focus on popular culture and are political. In Nationwide, Morley broadcast two programmes from BBC (a popular news programme) while in Watching Dallas, Ang analyses the popular soap opera, Dallas. In spite of the programme creators’ self- belittling comments, Morley still chose Nationwide as his research focus because he believed that it plays an important ideological role in the process of communication. (2005, p. 75) Whereas, Ang chose Watching Dallas due to its popularity, issues regarding pleasure and vicissitudes, its relations with ideology and cultural politics. (1985, viii) Both are deemed political because the responses regarding the texts shown are influenced by factors such as ethnicity, gender, political views and working class. The response pattern varies based on the factors mentioned. For instance, in Nationwide, Bank Managers who were white males and had predominantly ‘traditional’ conservative political views, hardly commented on the programme’s content.

They found it transparent and uncontroversial as if they shared the assumptions of Nationwide. (2005, p. 104) In contrast to the Black Further Education Students from inner city working- class, found no sense of identification with the programme. Instead rejected the ‘descriptions’ of their life portrayed by Nationwide. The idea of family life is inappropriate to them as that offered in a ‘Peter and Jane’ reading scheme. (2005, p. 107) While in Watching Dallas, the factor of gender plays a role in determining their responses. Even though most of the subjects were females, Ang highlights that most females loved the show due to its intense plot. (2007, p.5)

As for the differences, Morley reached out to his subjects directly by interviewing and observing them. Whereas Ang, used a local magazine as a medium to reach her subjects. Besides that, Morley worked with groups rather than individuals because he believed “much individually based interview research is flawed by a focus on individuals as social atoms divorced from their social context”. (1980, p. 33) Ang worked with individuals on a more personal and interactive (dialogic) approach, in tune with ethnographic work. 

Theories

According to Moores (2005, p. 109), Morley utilized Stuart Hall’s points on as the premise for the project. This means the premises on which this approach is based are:

(a)   The same event can be encoded in more than one way

(b)   The message always contains more than one potential ‘reading’. Messages propose and prefer certain readings over others, but they can never become wholly closed around one reading: they remain polysemic.

(c)    Understanding the message is also a problematic practice, however transparent and ‘natural’ it may seem. Messages encoded one way can always be read in a different way

In addition to that, Morley expanded Frank Parkin’s theory on how members of a different social class within a society inhabit a different ‘meaning-systems’ or ideological frameworks. (Parkin, 1971) Parkin categories are:

1.      The dominant value system

“The social source of which is the major institutional order; this is a moral framework which promotes the endorsement of existing inequality, in deferential terms”

2.      The subordinate value system

“The social source or generating milieu of which is the local working-class community; this framework promotes accommodative responses to the facts of inequality and low status”

3.      The radical value-system

“The radical value-system, the source of which is the mass political party based on the working class; this framework promotes an oppositional interpretation of class inequalities.”

His purpose of using this theory was to explain how members of different class decode media messages. Hence, he expanded this theory and applied it in the aspect of audience research by outlining three hypo ethical positions that the readers will occupy which are Dominant, Negotiated and Oppositional reading. (2005, p. 86)

1.      Dominant reading

The reader fully accepts the decoded meaning of the text.

2.      Negotiated reading

The reader shares the programme’s code and broadly accepts the preferred reading but modifies it according to their interests/position.

3.      Oppositional reading

The reader objects the preferred reading and offers an alternate interpretation.

Gilroy (2015) pointed out that Ang also used Hall’s points on the Encoding/Decoding model into her project. Since Ang thought the notion that audiences are active and are able to construct different meanings from soap operas has since been understood, she focused on investigating precisely how audiences make sense of the soap operas they were watching, in which contexts, and with what kinds of social and cultural implications. (2007, p. 4-5) Henceforward, Ang starts the research with a sense of association with her subjects and an openness to what loving or hating Dallas meant to them. 

Findings

By the end of Morley’s research, he learned that decoding cannot be reduced to social determinism. He figured that it was too simplistic to describe the audience’s response to media within the prescribed categories of dominant, negotiated and oppositional readings. This is because even within the same readings, there were differences in interpreting contexts and materials.  Therefore, he concludes by stating the need to expand Parkin’s schema of meaning-systems to develop a more refined model of the audience before it can provide a solid framework for accommodating all the related sub-divisions and differentiation within the basic code patterns.  (2005, p. 110)

Ang, on the other hand, discovered the pleasures viewers obtained while/after watching Dallas. She asserted that despite its unrealistic nature, viewers had a ‘more or less unique relationship to the programme’. One type of viewer loved the show due to its emotional realism which articulated concerns and emotional states experienced by them, albeit in a melodramatic form. Another type of viewer reported they gained pleasure from an ironic viewing of the programme, distancing themselves from the text and any supposed ideological content. (2007, p. 5)  

Conclusion

Ang’s Watching Dallas played a crucial role in feminism by portraying women at that time in a better light as women who enjoyed the show were ridiculed as stupid masses and feminised. As a result of this, most of the women felt guilty of their own viewing pleasure and had an uneasy awareness that in the dominant social hierarchy of value theirs was a lowly pleasure. Hence, Ang’s findings criticised the ideological work of distinction that supported this social hierarchy by emphasising the multiplicity of methods in which the show was given meaning by different viewers. (2007, p. 4)

Having said that, it is fair to conclude this essay by acknowledging Morley’s Nationwide research as a better study as it offers a more valuable finding that applies to both genders and individuals of all ages. This is because Morley’s findings helped paved the way forward for qualitative audience research by introducing a new approach, audience ethnography that seeks to “study media and audience relationship within an integrative framework of discourses through which media and audiences are formed.”

It employs the method of ‘interpretative content analysis’ which is carried out by reader-response theories within cultural studies traditions and then compares it with the empirical data regarding the audiences which are done through in-depth interviews and participants observations. Eventually, this approach helped prompt the feminist movement because many of these studies focused on women’s readings of popular texts as their object of study. Media texts that were considered less of worth for example romance novels (Radway, 1987), teen magazines (McRobbie, 1982) and soap operas (Modleski, 1984; Geraghty, 1991) were then taken seriously within an academic study. The focus of these studies was not about the content but about how and why the audience read it. (Brooker and Jermyn, 2003, p. 213).

References

Ang, Ien (1985) Watching Dallas Soap Opera and the Melodramatic Imagination. London and New York.

Ang, Ien (2007) Television Fictions Around the World: Melodrama and Irony in Global Perspective. University of Western Sydney

CHAPTER-II Media Studies and Audience Research: A Review [Online] Available from: http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/26088/10/10_chapter%202.pdf

Chapter 3: Understanding Audiences [Online] Available from http://www.artlab.org.uk/fatimah-awan-04.pdf [accessed 23/11/2017]

Gilroy, Amanda (2015) Watching Dallas again 1: Doing retro audience research. University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

Moores, S. (2005) Media/Theory: Thinking about Media and Communications. Milton: Taylor & Francis. 

Morley, David (2005) Television, Audiences and Cultural Studies. London Routledge

Morley, David (1980): The 'Nationwide' Audience: Structure and Decoding. London: BFI

Morley, D. (1981) Interpreting Television. In Popular Culture and Everyday Life, Milton Keynes: Open University Press

By John Tan 

Dear diary,

I did something.

Don’t worry it’s not a crime. I didn’t do anything bad per se. No one was injured except for me. I know I don’t usually do stuff like this to myself but I couldn’t help it especially after hearing Mother’s remark. “Mercy, you’re fat, you need to lose weight.” How could I just brush it off? She is my mother and she has always been there for me through thick and thin. She is my rock, my home, and my world. She always knows what is best for me as the saying goes Mama knows best!

So, surely what she said purely came out of concern right? I mean yes she has always made remarks like that about my weight but all she wants for me is to be perfect. To look good and I didn’t see any harm in that.

Which is why I did what I did.

A few months back, I was diagnosed with Chronicle Gastric and Purging Bulimia. I was admitted to a hospital for seven days because of it and the experience was torture. How it all led to that? Well, there were a lot of contributing factors but Mother’s remark about my weight was the last factor that pushed me off the edge. I decided that was the last straw and made my first mistake in this whole ordeal.

I went out to the local pharmacy to buy laxatives.

At that moment, I wasn’t thinking straight. I gave in to the voices in my head. I officially lost the battle. If only the people involved were kinder, it would have been easier for me and none of this would have happened.

Growing up, I was a very shy girl and was often the target of bullying. I was teased a lot for my curly hair, my looks, the color of my skin and my weight. As a result, this programmed me to be very conscious about my appearance and I linked it to my worth (still do). “The skinnier, the better.” “The lower the number on the scale, the more beautiful I will be”

This mindset grew up with me and it got worse during my internship last summer. During that period, I became more aware of the ingredients, the calories, and the quantity of food I was consuming. If I ate anything like a cookie or a cake, it would have felt like I committed a crime.  I also paid more attention to the size of my thighs. This resulted in hating my reflection in the mirror as I was disgusted with my own body.

Despite that, I didn’t act on the insecurity until later on. I just kept my head high and focused on my work. I pushed aside every thought that could provoke me to harm my body every day. I did just that for five months and let me tell you it wasn’t an easy thing to do. Silencing the voices every day was not an easy task and things were manageable until the teasing in the office started.

One day during lunch hour, I found a letter underneath my working desk. 

It was among my crumpled pile of papers but I still managed to distinguish it. At first, I was weirded out by its presence because I rarely get letters. I am an intern under the designing department and my job only revolves around the art of designing. Besides that, I was also weirded out by the way it was presented. Anyone in their right mind would know that a letter should always be in an envelope if it is supposed to reach a company. So, this sender really had the audacity to present it without an envelope. How professional.

Anyways, I walked towards my desk to pick the letter up and before I could even open to read it, my co-worker grabbed it from me and read it to the whole office. 

The letter went on to praise everyone in the office except for me, mocking my looks and my weight. The most prominent line in the letter was “Mercy is the fattest and ugliest bitch.” Everyone immediately burst into laughter after it was read out and I remember just standing there feeling embarrassed and insulted. However, I was too stunned to stand up for myself or to even do anything. My only respond and defending mechanism was to cry.

The laughter continued for a good amount of time and it stopped when our boss came in the room. The noise was disrupting his conversation with a client. So, he told us to keep it down and after that, he returned back into his office. The focus then shifted back to me but for the first time, I didn’t bother. I just wanted to leave the office but in my state, I settled down in my desk returning to my work.

Obviously, I couldn’t focus and I couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face. For the first time, it was too much to bear and the crying continued all the way home. I couldn’t control it. Guess, I am not that “strong, independent girl” I always aspire to be. 

Once I got home, I immediately rushed into my bathroom and it was war in my head. The voices were louder than ever before but before I could even be compelled by it. I heard mother calling me for dinner. So, I collected myself, all that’s left and got ready for dinner.

During dinner, Mother, as usual, was sweet and asked how my day went. I wanted to fill her in on what happened but I stopped myself because I couldn’t bear to see her upset and thought it will only get worse if I opened up. So, I lied and said I got a compliment from my boss for work. While doing this, I reached for the chicken on the table and that’s when Mother said: “Mercy, you’re fat, you need to lose weight.”

Immediately I lost my appetite but being the good girl I was raised to be, I didn’t leave the dining table and forced myself to finish the meal. That moment is when I finally surrender to the voices because even my own mother confirm I am fat. After dinner, I rushed to the local pharmacy and bought laxatives.

I was shaking while I was bringing it to the counter because I never thought I would ever reach this state. I then quickly brought it up to my room and took one.

This then became my everyday routine and eventually, it became my addiction. I would consume a pill of laxatives after every meal to get rid of the food from my body. As a result, my body wasn’t receiving any nutrients.

However, that wasn’t the only harm I was inflicting upon myself, I also began depriving myself of food by limiting my food choices and intakes, a bit more every day. Yet, I still wasn’t satisfied with the results and this prompted me to work out intensively as I would hit the gym five times a week and on the weekends, I would jog for an hour and a half.

I did this for seven months until my body reached its limit.

That night like other nights, I spent my time in the toilet going through the torture I had inflicted upon myself but unlike the other nights, I was so slowly drifting away as my whole body was so weak. I felt all my organs failing me at the same time. I couldn’t stand it anymore so for once in my life, I reached out for my help and shouted for my mother.  After that, all I could remember was blurry seeing her running towards my soon to be unconscious body.

The next morning, I found myself lying on a hospital bed and a piece of horrible music was playing in the background. Mother was outside the room talking to the doctor. I couldn’t eavesdrop their conversation but I could tell mother was worried sick.

Both of them then came in the room and the doctor asked how I was feeling and told me the damage that was done wasn’t minor, leading him to ask what was the cause of this. How did it all happen?

With tears and regrets, I confessed what I did.

Looking back at it now, I can say things are slightly better. Currently, I am seeking help for my condition as I started attending counseling sessions at a centre near my house.

The journey to recovery obviously isn’t a walk in the park because every now and then I still catch myself finding reasons to call myself fat even though I only weight about 45 kg. Once in a while, I am also tempted to fall back to the vicious cycle.

Well, maybe someday I will fully recover from this and by then I will learn to appreciate, love, and respect my body and myself.

Then I will understand that the number on the scale or that extra skin on my thigh don’t define my worth.

Then maybe it will be the greatest love story ever told.

Photo source:

Photo number 1 

Photo number 2 

Photo number 3 

By John Tan 

It’s 3 am in the morning

And as usual, I am stuck in this vicious cycle

Where my mind wanders like a free spirit

While my body aches like an old man’s back

As it’s in desperate need of rest

But I can’t sleep nor can I dream

Cause every move I make isn’t comforting

And every noise around my being annoys the hell out of me

As I can hear my alarm clock ticking,

The crickets chirping,

The fan whirring

While forming a creaky lullaby that isn’t working

Thus, I am wide awake at 3 am in the morning

Alone with my thoughts

Reflecting upon the things that happened

And worrying about the things that are yet to happen

And how it could go wrong in a million ways

While everyone else is fast asleep like a baby who was tucked in by its parents

By right, I should be in my La La Land at this hour

Wandering around it like an innocent child

But unfortunately, I am trapped in this unending cycle

There’s no escape for me

Why am I curse with this vicious cycle?

What did I do to deserve this?

I want to be able to sleep like a baby every night

I want my mind to be clear as the ocean every night

Well, maybe if I count to ten

And take a deep breath

Or say a prayer

Maybe then I will be able to fall asleep

Maybe then this vicious cycle will finally end

GIF Source: 

https://www.google.com/search?q=dark+bedroom&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQ5MD4_r_UAhUjTo8KHSQyD1wQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=662#tbm=isch&q=insomnia+tumblr+lamp&imgrc=ty30gDg7NZxPCM: 

What makes pop music so popular? 

By John Tan 

Growing up, I spent the majority of my time listening to famous pop tunes. I noticed the more I listened to them, the more I liked it. Something about it just kept me hooked on because somehow, it kept hitting on the right chords. Hence, I spent most of my days indulging in it and eventually, pop music became the soundtrack to my life. As I got older, I became intrigued in finding the geniuses behind these crafts. This led me to discover the genius that is Max Martin, the guy behind the works of my favorite artists.

Max Martin is no stranger to pop music. In fact, he is responsible for many of the hits that were produced in the last decade. From working with musical acts like Britney Spears to Taylor Swift, Martin has cemented his place in the music industry. To date, Martin has scored 22^nd number ones on the Hot 100 charts. Besides that, he was even awarded the Polar Music Prize 2016 for being a veteran in the music business. Since pop music is a broad subject and considering Martin’s impact on the industry, it would be easier to solely focus on Martin’s work to identify the structures in pop music, in order to truly understand its popularity.

In 1876, German philosopher, Gustav Fechner discovered a psychological notion, known as the mere exposure effect. It suggests that people have a tendency of gravitating towards objects or individuals that are familiar to them. Also, repeated exposure increases familiarity. Years later, this concept was expanded by Robert Zajonc and it was revealed that familiarity enhances one’s liking towards an object or an individual. For pop music, music scholars argue that familiarity decides the listener’s response to the piece. The more they are familiar with the song, the higher the chances are for them to like it.

John Seabrook, New Yorker journalist, echoed similar remarks in his 2015 book ‘The Song Machine’, noting “the more I heard the songs, the more I liked them. How could that be? if you dislike the song the first time, surely you should loathe in the tenth. But apparently, that’s not how it works. Familiarity with the song increases one’s emotional investment in it, even if you don’t like it.  This happens gradually, in stages, the initially annoying bits become the very parts you look forward to most in the song.

Why?

Well, the rationale behind this formula can be explained with the perceptual fluency theory: how information is processed by the human brain. Repetitive songs are easier to recognize and process. This is because it takes less effort to do so and the less we effort we take to think about something, the higher the chances are for us to like it. When a song goes according to our expectations, it makes us feel better because it gives us confidence. Thus, repetition is an important ingredient in pop music.

Looking at Martin's discography, a lot of his songs are about simplicity. For example, when it comes to his songwriting, Martin has a tendency of using simple words that rhyme and he repeats them throughout a section of a song. 

Take for instance, CAN’T STOP THE FEELING!  By Justin Timberlake, the word ‘dance’ is repeated throughout the chorus and the post-chorus.

      Music video for Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop The Feeling" uploaded on 16th May 2016.

Chorus

So just imagine, just imagine, just imagine, just imagine

Nothing I can see but you when you dance, dance, dance

Feeling good, good, creeping up on you

So just dance, dance, dance, come on                

All those things I shouldn’t do

But you dance, dance, dance

Post chorus

I can’t stop the feeling

So just dance, dance, dance

I can’t stop the feeling

So just dance, dance, dance, come on

               Music video for Usher's "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love" uploaded on 25th  Aug 2010.

Whereas in DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love by Usher, words like now, down and eyes are repeated in the second verse.

Second verse

Keep downing drinks like there’s no tomorrow there’s just right now, now, now, now, now, now

Gonna set the roof on fire

Gonna burn this motherfucker down, down, down, down, down

Hands up, when the music drops

We both put our hands up

Put your hands on my body

Swear I seen you before

I think I remember those eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes

                    Music video for Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" single released August 18th, 2014.

And finally, Shake It Off by Taylor Swift, where words like play, hate, shake and break are repeated in the chorus

Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play

And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate

Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake

I shake it off, I shake it off

Heart- breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break

And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake

Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake

I shake it off, I shake it off

In terms of his production, a lot of his materials are structured in the same instrumental arrangement. They have the same song structure, repetitive chords progression, and melodic structure. For instance, his songs usually consist of the verse, the chorus, the bridge and occasionally pre-chorus or post-chorus. Also, they often remain in the same three or four chords.

Once again, this is all works to create a sense of familiarity for the listener. In an interview with DiWEEKEND, Martin mentioned that;

“If the chords change a lot over the course of a song, it’s better to stay within the same melodic structure. Once again, it’s all about the balance. Another theory is that you can also sing the chorus melody as a verse. For instance, take “I Wanna Be Your Lover” with Prince. The verse and chorus of that song are exactly the same. But as a listener, you don’t really notice since the energy of the chorus is completely different compared to the verse. Once the chorus comes, you feel like you’ve heard it before. And you have! You’ve heard it in the verse. It automatically creates a sense of familiarity. Prince does this a lot. “Let’s Go Crazy,” same thing. I’ve used this trick a few times myself. In “Do You Know (What It Takes)” with Robyn, for instance.” 

The next aspect that is used in pop music is relatability. Since pop music primarily targets youths, the majority of its lyrical content revolves around topics that are relatable to them. Studies have shown that youths consume pop music because it assists them in the process of “finding themselves” and acts as an outlet for self-expression.

The reason being pop music exhibits ‘emotional realism’; youths are able to identify and relate to the collective representations and use them as guiding fictions. With that, they are able to create their personal mental perception of the world.

Following a report by Nielsen, the top 5 pop hits in 2017 were focused on relatable themes such as love (romantic relationships) and having a good time. Hence, it’s proven that the criteria for a good pop song would include making the listener feel a certain emotion. Quoting Martin;

 “A great pop song should be felt when you hear it,” Martin told Gradvall. “You can hear songs that are technically great, songs that tick all the boxes. But for a song to be felt, you need something else. Something that sticks to you, something that makes you feel: ‘I need to hear that song again’.

Going back to Martin’s catalog, the majority of his lyrics are relatable to youths, whether it’s a fast tempo piece or a slow emotional ballad. The lyrical content often focuses on simple themes such as love (heartbreak to falling in love), sex, self-discovery or having a good time- although there are some exceptions.

In conclusion, it’s no mystery that the pop music industry adheres to a certain formula when it comes to making a song. After all, it’s safe to stick to the same formula since it has been working in their favor, gaining commercial success after each hit song that is produced and released out to the general public.

By John Tan 

Leaving your teenage years behind and entering your twenties is no doubt difficult because this is the time where you have to decide what you want to do with your life. For some, it’s a piece of cake, they know their passion in the back of their mind. They know what they want to do and they are already on their way pursuing it but for people like you and me, we are still in the midst of searching. The process can be frustrating when we don’t get any answers.

We are lost and confused. We don’t know who we are, let alone what we are passionate about. And it doesn’t help when we are bombarded with questions like “What do you want to pursue?” and  “Where do you see yourself in few year time?”. We may even rub people the wrong way when we are answering all these questions because they may assume that we are mad at them for asking. But in reality, we are actually mad at ourselves for being clueless about what we want. As a result, we can get envious of those who have already have things figured out.

Like for me, I am almost done with my Diploma course but I am still in the midst of figuring things out. I am still not sure what I should major in for my degree and where I should further my studies. Besides that, I am also still clueless about what I want to pursue in the future. But after months and months of reflection, I finally realized that I don’t have to always know what is down the road for me.

We don’t have to always have things figured out. We can take one step at a time by choosing one passion at a time to pursue. As an example, since we have a tendency of longing that intense passion, we can let it guide us somewhere. If that intense passion urges you to take up photography, go ahead and see where it takes you. However, if you are too focused on the results, then be prepared to fail because there is a high possibility that your journey will fail due to the fact that your creative inspiration will slam the door on you.

If your attempt doesn’t go according to plan, at least you tried. At least you gave yourself a chance to find out your capability. You then, can go ahead with satisfaction and pursue other new passion. You are not limited to only one passion, In fact, you are allowed to pursue as many passions you want. Personally, I think the beautiful thing about being in our twenties is that we can afford to take all the time we need to figure things out, to pursue the things we want even if it includes failures, rejections, heartbreaks, and the list goes on. Why? Well, it is simply because we can still afford to experience all this.

So, it is okay if you are experiencing some difficulties in finding your passion. Take all the time you need. Please don’t think your twenties are supposed to be an indication for you to have your life figured out. In fact, I firmly believe that nothing will ruin anyone’s twenties more than thinking they should have their life figured out. 

So, go out there and explore your options.

Photo source
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Here's my excuse for my absence :)

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