Who's bad? The performance of black masculinity in Michael Jackson's "bad" video

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2013

Abstract

Since the death of Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009), various forms of media have highlighted the factors that contributed to the rise, fall, and planned resurgence of this late musical icon. However, given his national and international success, few scholars to date (Clay, 2011) have provided scholarly insight into how Jackson, known as "The King of Pop" or "MJ" performed masculinity in his songs and music videos, and we are aware of no studies that have critically examined the masculinity demonstrated by Jackson in his 1987 music video, Bad. We focused on this particular video because it was the only song and music video in which we felt Jackson exemplified a hyper-masculinity that was simultaneously supported by a large group of men. In light of the increasing body of work that has examined how Black men demonstrate masculinity (Alexander, 2006; Chaney, 2009; Dottolo & Stewart, 2008; Ferber, 2007; Gilligan, 2012; Harris, Palmer, & Struve, 2011; Richardson, 2007; Summers, 2004; Vincent 2006) as well as Clay's (2011) recent scholarship regarding the masculinity demonstrated by Michael Jackson, the following questions were foundational to this study: (1) How is masculinity asserted in the lyrics of Michael Jackson's Bad (1987)? (2) How is Black masculinity asserted in the lyrics of Michael Jackson's Bad (1987)? (3) How is masculinity demonstrated in Michael Jackson's Bad (1987) video? (4) Is it possible for a Black man in a racist world to create an alternate masculinity that is embraced by members of the dominant culture, and if so, how is this possible? To answer these questions, special attention was given to the lyrics, dress, and behaviors in this video. In addition, we advance a conceptual framework of Black masculinity, the "Masculine-Feminine Dominant Figure," that was instrumental to the international appeal and success of the late icon, Michael Jackson. © 2013 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Masculinity and Femininity Stereotypes Myths Psychology and Role of Culture

First Page

25

Last Page

50

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