MuchMusic | Media Education | BookTelevision

Eve of the Millennium

Program Length: 1 hour
Produced: 2000

This program examines issues of female images in music and their influence on fans. People from inside and outside the music business express their opinions about the pressure on women to exploit their sexuality. The following discussion activities appear chronologically as they occur in the video. Discussion leaders may use them all, or select those that best suit the group and the time frame.

Other MuchMusic Cable in the Classroom videos and study guides that complement Eve of the Millennium are Womaging and Girl Power, which address the difficulties of being respected while maintaining one’s sexuality.

1. This program examines the complex question of how a woman’s sexuality affects how people perceive her and judge her talents, to a degree that is not seen with male performers. Artists like Foxy Brown have to struggle with the common dichotomy that is presented to female performers: the notion that if you’re sexy, then somehow that -- rather than your talent -- explains your success. Discuss why it is that people tend to combine a woman’s sexuality with her talent, and explore this relationship. Have your students name some male performers who have a strong sexual presence (e.g. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, D’Angelo), and discuss whether their sexuality seems to be subject to the same scrutiny that that of a woman. Then, have them list some female performers who have a strong sexual presence (Foxy Brown, Britney Spears) and compare your student’s perceptions of these women to those of the men. (It might be useful to examine Madonna in this context as someone who is highly in control of her sexual image.) Other questions to be considered: do some female performers exploit their sexuality as a marketing ploy? Do male performers do this as well? If they do, is it done differently? If you have time, you could extend this discussion into its broader social implications: is the state of the music industry indicative of social mores in general?

2. Lilith Fair was visiting Toronto during the making of Eve of the Millennium. Lilith Fair is much more than just another music event: research the genesis of Lilith Fair to discover its political implications. Why is Lilith Fair much more than a music festival? What does it symbolize for its fans and for the artists? How does Joni Mitchell relate to Lilith Fair? None of the artists are known as Lilith, so why is the festival named Lilith Fair? The kinds of artists who appear in the Fair have changed each year. Have they always been true to the political intentions of the creators?

3. Several guests debate the reasons for so many female artists using their sexuality in their music. Some suggest that the artists can choose whether to be sexual or not; others explain that artists are told how to dress and act by managers. Warren Sonoda, a music video director, states that the consumer controls the image -- what consumers want dictates what artists produce.

What do you think? Do artists have choices? Can consumers easily find artists who do not exploit their sexuality? Do artists who exploit their sexuality have negative influences on impressionable girls? Why?

4. Eve of the Millennium ends with a long excerpt from TLC’s "Unpretty". Watch the excerpt and discuss how well it reflects the issues raised during the program. Does "Unpretty" add any new issues to the debate about sexuality? What does the video say about the relationship between music videos and women’s self-images? Do you agree with the statements being made in "Unpretty"? How can music videos present a healthier version of sexuality for girls? Who is already providing those images?

Written by: Neil Andersen

Neil Andersen is a Curriculum Consultant with the Toronto District School Board. He is also a speaker and consultant in media and communications technology. His most recent work includes the Media Launchpad website, the teachers' study guide for the award-winning Scanning Television, and study guides for Space, Bravo! and MuchMusic's Cable in the Classroom broadcasts of original media literacy programming.

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