Dec. 16, 2003 -- Karyn Robinson's 5-year-old daughter Siobhan has never watched a music video.

That means she probably has never seen throngs of barely dressed, beautiful women gyrating in circles around one or two rich, powerful men. That means she probably has never watched a woman writhe around on her hands and knees in front of a sprawling mansion, surrounded by rows of expensive cars, just to capture the eye and fantasy of a famous rocker or rap star who lives there.

And if Karyn could have her way, these are images Siobhan would never see.

The 41-year-old, D.C.-area technical writer thinks there is simply too much at stake, especially her daughter's self-image.

"What you see in so many videos is that in order to be sexy, a woman has to take half her clothes off and she has to be light-skinned and have long hair," Robinson said. "I worry about the effects of those images on her. "

So like her own mother did for her years ago, Karyn spends a great deal of time shielding Siobhan from images she sees as damaging.

"When videos are on, I turn the channel. I try to tell her that it's not all about looking a certain way, but it's what you do and how you treat people. And I point out positive images of women to her — women who aren't excessively skinny and who dress appropriately."

But not all young people have positive influences to counter the oversexed images of women found in many music videos and other forms of media. And some fear this puts the self-images, self-respect and even health of young girls at risk.

Now, there may be proof to back up those fears.

Connection to risky behavior?
A study released this year by researchers at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health indicates an association between 'gangsta rap' videos and risky behavior.

Researchers studied 522 unmarried African American females ages 14-18, from non-urban, lower socioeconomic neighborhoods.

The study (link requires free registration) found that among black teen girls, those who watch more rap videos are more likely to get in trouble with the law, use drugs and become infected with sexually transmitted diseases.

Those who watched more than 14 hours of rap videos per week were:

• Three times as likely to have hit a teacher (7.1 versus 2.4 percent);
• 2.5 times more likely to have been arrested (17.3 versus 7.2 percent); and
• Nearly twice as likely to have had sex with multiple partners (19.3 versus 11 percent).

Gina Wingood, study co-author and associate professor of behavioral sciences and health education at Emory, said one reason she wanted to conduct the study is that there has been "quite a bit of research looking at the effects of music videos upon adolescents, but a dearth of research looking at its effects upon African American females."

Wingood said she thinks the findings point to a combination of factors.

"It's not just the images seen, but the total amount of exposure, the constant reinforcement of these images and the lack of parental monitoring," said Wingood.

Future studies, she says, will focus on larger populations of adolescents and whether differences in the amount and type of videos viewed impact involvement in risky or criminal behaviors.

An issue for men, too
Holly Bass, a 32-year-old writer and theater dance performer, doesn't need results from a study to tell her what she already knows about women's images in music videos and the impact they can have.

"I spent a year in Italy, and most of the images they see of blacks, especially black women, are on music videos," said Bass. "I remember thinking, 'Wow, if I didn't know any black people, I'd think all black women just walked around half-naked and wanted to shake their behinds all day long.'"

But Bass believes the images aren't just detrimental for young women.

"Because the images are designed to cater to the male mind, I think they are much more affecting for men," said Bass. "I also think it makes it possible for people to misconstrue what a relationship is or should be."

Bass says she needs look no further than her 25-year-old brother for an example of the problem.

"I'll hear him use the word bitch in reference to a woman, and I'll stop him and say, 'Do you mean women or are you talking about one woman who is acting a certain way?'" Bass said. "In the real world, bitch does not equal woman, but it often does in videos and in some song lyrics."

Bill Sutley, an assistant professor of journalism at Auburn University, has a firsthand interest in the impact of videos on young men.

He recently wrote to Tolerance.org about his concerns:

I'm concerned because my 13-year-old son and so many of his friends seem fascinated with the 'pimp' culture … largely due to the popularity of such rap artists as Snoop, who glorify the pimp lifestyle. I'm not anti-rap or hip hop…I'm just concerned that so many of them promote such a misogynistic lifestyle.

These concerns involve product marketing, too.

Following the success of his hit song, "Pimp Juice," Grammy-award winning rapper Nelly took to the energy drink market late this summer with "Nelly's Pimp Juice," a green, non-carbonated drink containing apple juice.

Some leaders in the black community have blasted the venture, saying the drink, like the music video that came before it, exploits stereotypes and glorifies misogyny.

Rap videos not only culprit
While critics are quick to speak out against negative images of women in rap videos, others caution against placing the blame upon one genre.

Janel Hobson, assistant professor in Women's Studies at State University of New York, Albany, says the misogynistic images in rap videos are found in country, rock and heavy metal music videos, too.

"I think it's a dicey argument when you start to blame rap music. This marketing of violence and misogyny is reinforced in mainstream society, not just in rap music," said Hobson, who teaches a course titled Black Bodies, Blonde Ambitions, Global Trends: Women and the Media. "We have to be careful not to condemn rap as the only culprit; that just isn't true."

Hobson sees the current indictment of rap music and videos as violent and misogynistic an interesting ending for how the genre began.

"What's interesting about rap is that in terms of hip hop, it started as a critique of the poverty and the violence in society. Now that it's become so marketable, I think many of the political critiques are being taken out of context," said Hobson. "Now, instead of exposing the problems, we think this is something to emulate."

What's the answer?

Hobson and Robinson have very different takes.

"Young people need more skills to critique media and more awareness, and parents need to be aware of what their kids are watching and talk to them about these images," Hobson said. "When the music is popular, it's just not enough to say 'Don't watch.'"

But for now, Robinson says 'Don't watch' is the only right answer for her family.

"It's pretty simple: I won't watch that trash, and neither will my daughter."

>> DIG DEEPER
Check out previous installments of Tolerance.org's series on Misogyny in Music.

• Misogyny In Music: Hip Hop's Bad Rap
• Beyond Rap: Musical Misogyny