Kim Dankoor

Utrecht University, Interdisciplinary Social Science, Faculty Member

Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication, Alumna

Georgia State University, African-American Studies, Faculty Member

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Media expert/Interviewer /PhD candidate.
Supervisors: Prof. dr. Tom Ter Bogt (PhD), Prof. dr. Dionne Stephens (PhD), and Prof. dr. Pauwke Berkers (master thesis)

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Videos by Kim Dankoor

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Kim Dankoor discusses the political side of mumble rap from Atlanta

In the national radio show 'The Night of BNN/VARA' Kim Dankoor discusses the most important prote... more

02:39

Kim Dankoor discusses rap music, her PhD research, and Hip Hop feminism

In the national radio show 'The Night is Black' Kim Dankoor discusses the history of rap music, h... more

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Papers by Kim Dankoor

Am I feelin' myself? A focus group study of African American college students' attitudes toward gender ideals in commercial rap music videos and their relevance for self-images

Current Psychology, 2025

Black American commercial rap videos have been criticized for portraying stereotypical gender ide... more Black American commercial rap videos have been criticized for portraying stereotypical gender ideals concerning gender-appropriate behaviors, appearances and attractivity, and heterosexual relationships. We explored to what extent African American college students reject (REJ) and value (VAL) gender ideals in these videos. Additionally, we examined the connections between the perception of these ideals and students’ actual and ought self-images (i.e., attributes they believe they possess and those they perceive others in their social environment expect them to have). We focused on the self-image domains: gender-appropriate behavior, physical appearance, and mate desirability. Social Comparison Theory and Social Discrepancy Theory provided sensitizing concepts for reflexive thematic analyses of focus group discussions on music videos with eight college women and seven college men. Among women the themes were: Black women behave like sexual freaks (REJ); attractive women are exotic-looking (REJ) and naturally thick (VAL); and desirable women mates are beautiful, confident and toned-down (VAL). The themes among men were: Men are playas (REJ) and prioritize making it financially big (VAL); attractive men look fashionable and rich (VAL); and desirable men mates are emotionally distant (REJ) and provide for their partners (VAL). Same-gender comparisons of these ideals with the actual self resulted in both positive and negative self-images and emotions. The comparison of these ideals with the ought self-image resulted in negative emotions. These results demonstrate that portrayed ideals in music videos are relevant to the formation and evaluation of the self during emerging adulthood. Implications for future research and intervention programs are discussed.

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"Girl, I Think My Butt Gettin' Big": The Importance of "Thickness" in Music Videos for Dutch Black and White Women's Body Image

Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2025

U.S. commercial women rappers often promote a "thick hourglass" body ideal in their music. This q... more U.S. commercial women rappers often promote a "thick hourglass" body ideal in their music. This qualitative study, guided by social comparison theory and self-discrepancy theory, explores how 10 Black and 10 White Dutch women rap fans, aged 18-25, compared their actual body image with this ideal and the emotional consequences that result. A hybrid comparative thematic analysis revealed that both Black and White respondents view the thick ideal as dominant in women rap and part of Black culture. They consider it a standard of beauty and sexiness, when achieved naturally and not through plastic surgery. Comparing their actual body image to this ideal can evoke positive outcomes, such as body satisfaction and the motivation to work toward this ideal through exercise or by choosing clothing that better expresses it. However, it can also lead to negative body images and emotions, such as insecurity, especially when this ideal is perceived as difficult or impossible to attain, or when peers or family expect conformity to this ideal. For Black women, comparison to the thick ideal may result in more positive outcomes, and this ideal is more frequently endorsed by their social context compared with White women. These findings indicate that for rap fans, the Afrocentric thick ideal is more relevant than a Eurocentric thin ideal, highlighting the importance of developing healthy body interventions targeting gender and cultural and contextual beliefs. Further, this knowledge can increase practitioners' ability to integrate an influential media genre when working with young adults across different cultures. Public Significance Statement This study found that the Afrocentric thick hourglass body ideal in U.S. women rap music videos has both positive and negative consequences for Dutch Black and White women's body image. This study highlights the need for culturally relevant intervention programs to accurately tackle body image concerns in the context of global music consumption among diverse groups of (young) women.

format_quoteParticipants reported conflicting emotions from comparisons with thick ideals; some experienced insecurity while finding motivation for self-improvement.format_quote

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The Polylogue 3

Amsterdam Journal , 2024

In this roundtable, Jasmijn Blom, Yahaira Brito Morfe, Kim Dankoor, Darek Mercks and Peter Pesken... more In this roundtable, Jasmijn Blom, Yahaira Brito Morfe,
Kim Dankoor, Darek Mercks and Peter Peskens discuss
approaches to and perspectives on reproduction in music
from their various disciplines. In this engaging Polylogue,
Imogen Mills (editor of the Polylogue) and Lola Abbas
(editorial support) invited the speakers to reflect on a
broad range of themes: from the practical implications of
reproducing music; to the reproduction of societal values
through music; and the significance of social media and
musical reproduction. Together, they examine the historic
and contemporary role of reproduction in music and the
rapid changes behind music and cultural industries.

format_quoteSample libraries like Splice democratize music production but may compromise authenticity, allowing inexperience to produce genre-specific tracks without true understanding.format_quote

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Queens of Royal Badness! Rapmuziek en royale symboliek

Rekto:Verso, 2024

Hiphop was nooit uitsluitend het terrein van mannen. Artiesten als Queen Latifah, Lil’ Kim en Rap... more

Drip Too Hard? Commercial Rap Music and Perceived Masculinity Ideals and Actual Self-Evaluations among Black U.S. and Dutch Adolescent Men

Sexuality & Culture, 2023

Popular American commercial rap is believed to (re)produce cultural narratives of masculinity. Ye... more Popular American commercial rap is believed to (re)produce cultural narratives of masculinity. Yet, there is no knowledge about the relationship between consumption of idealized masculinity in rap and young (Black) men's senses of masculine selves. This study aims to explore how sixteen American and Dutch Black adolescent men perceive ideals of masculine behavior, physical appearance, and mate desirability in commercial rap. Grounded in social comparison theory, it furthermore aims to understand whether these young men compare themselves to these ideals, and if so, how this informs their self-evaluations. A (hybrid) comparative thematic analysis of interviews with eight U.S. and eight Dutch adolescents revealed three masculinity ideals to be present in rap and congruent with the majority of the respondents' own ideals. First, it is appropriate for young men to be 'playas' and view (young) women as either (sexually) freaky girls or wifey material. Second, attractive men look wealthy, and, third, desirable men financially provide for their partners. The participants who endorsed these ideals and, subsequently, compared themselves to them, reported positive self-evaluations and emotions, which were believed to translate into their own behavior, appearance, and desirability. Interestingly, although the participants came from different cultural contexts, systematic differences in perception, attitude, social comparison and self-evaluation were not found. Suggestions for future research are provided and implications for intervention programs are discussed.

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There's some womxn in da house: Hiphopfeminisme en het grijze gebied tussen respectabiliteits- en plezierpolitiek

nY - Belgisch literair tijdschrift, 2021

In een video van de Noord-Amerikaanse opiniewebsite The Root (2019) wordt gesuggereerd dat hedend... more In een video van de Noord-Amerikaanse opiniewebsite The Root (2019) wordt gesuggereerd dat hedendaagse vrouwelijke rapartiesten ‘feminisme bij de microfoon grijpen’. Deze (sub)groep van MC’s, wier rapverhalen niet altijd op waarde worden geschat, lijkt een ware comeback te maken met behulp van socialmediaplatformen en online streamingdiensten zoals SoundCloud. De twee commercieel succesvolste rapartiesten uit deze vrouwelijk hiphopgolf zijn ogenschijnlijk Cardi B en Megan Thee Stallion. Zij hebben beiden verscheidene nummer 1-hits gehad in de (Noord-)Amerikaanse Billboard top 100, en hun gezamenlijk nummer WAP verbrak meerdere streaming records.

Alhoewel deze twee artiesten geen gebrek hebben aan (internationale) fans, zijn er ook luisteraars die de muziek van Cardi B en Megan Thee Stallion (TS) als extreem aanstootgevend ervaren. Zo heeft hun performance van WAP op de Grammy Awards 2021 een hoop kritiek ontvangen van morele entrepreneurs en conservatieve feministen en commentatoren. Candace Owens, een van de meest omstreden commentatoren van dit moment, betoogde in een programma van de Amerikaanse nieuwszender Fox News (2020) dat het WAP-optreden een aanval was op Amerikaanse waarden en respectabele tradities, omdat Cardi B en Megan TS meiden en (jonge) vrouwen zouden aansporen om zichzelf seksueel te objectiveren. Ironisch genoeg koos juist deze nieuwszender ervoor om het meest seksueel expliciete fragment van hun optreden uit den treure te herhalen. Aan de andere kant van dit ‘spectrum van kritiek’ bevinden zich de liberale(re) opiniemakers, commentatoren en social media influencers, die de muziek van Cardi B en Megan TS interpreteren als een nieuw feministisch geluid binnen hiphop. Deze luisteraars zien de conservatieve kritieken op WAP als een bevestigend voorbeeld van het patriarchale gedachtegoed dat maar wat graag vrouwen kadert, en de seksuele vrijheid en het seksuele plezier van (zelf- identificerende) vrouwen bestraft.

Deze twee uiterste perspectieven worden meestal geïsoleerd besproken in Amerikaanse en Europese media, zoals op de websites van nieuwsorganisaties The New York Times en BNR (Business Nieuws Radio). Hierdoor kan de indruk worden gewekt dat het inderdaad zo zwart-wit is (bijvoorbeeld: je bent pro ‘respectabele waarden’ en antihedendaagse vrouwenrap of je bent pro hedendaagse vrouwenrap en blind voor gelaagde maatschappelijke structuren). Er is kennelijk geen ‘grijs gebied’ waar denkbaar veel maatschappelijk bewuste vrouwen en hiphopliefhebbers zich in kunnen vinden. Voordat ik de twee eerder genoemde invalshoeken vanuit een intersectionele lens bespreek en een mogelijk grijs gebied duid, werp ik graag een licht op de vrouwelijke rapartiesten die Cardi B en Megan TS zijn voorgegaan; de MC’s die ook het feminisme binnen hiphop hebben aangewakkerd; de MC’s die veel betekenen voor de hiphopcultuur; de MC’s die dus sowieso hun ‘bloemetjes verdienen’; en de MC’s die ook een paar van mijn feministische standpunten hebben vormgegeven.

Books by Kim Dankoor

Cultuur voor iedereen? Koloniale mechanismen in de cultuursector

LKCA, 2024

Dit nummer van Cultuur+Educatie staat in het teken van vijftig jaar hiphop en haar betekenis voor... more

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