Attitudes Towards Women In The Media And Pop Culture

Women are portrayed in the media as objects and essentially exist solely for men. In a lot of popular music a woman's worth is defined by her looks or how wanted she is by men. In media and pop culture women are held to ridiculous and unrealistic beauty standards that are basically impossible to meet. To the media, women are not even seen as human; they are just something to use or look at.

The most negative examples of attitudes towards women I observed in the samples our class watched were songs that were demeaning to women and could be found on the top of music charts, which is upsetting because that means so many people listen to and enjoy them. Songs like “God Made Girls” by Raelynn and “Thank God for Girls” by Weezer contained the message

“Just A Girl” by No Doubt discussed how in a male-dominated society, girls are expected to be unable to take care of themselves and have a male “protect” them. This song brings awareness to the belief that women are vulnerable and questions it. In an interview the writer and singer, Gwen Stefani, tells that the inspiration for this song came from a time when her capability to be alone at night was questioned, so in response this song was written. “Try” By Colbie Caillat encourages girls to accept themselves the way they are, which is important because in a world where skinny, white, and flawless is the definition of beauty, girls and women deserve to know that they are perfectly fine the way they are. Lyrics like “When you’re all alone, by yourself, do you like you?” are important because they get the listener to think about who they are as person and how comfortable with they are with themselves, rather than using looks to validate

Up to 30 million people in the United States suffer from eating disorders, but people are not born hating their bodies or wanting to change them. It is because society emphasizes unrealistic beauty standards for women and girls. Women are seen as sexual beings that have no use, but to serve men and I find it infuriating. There are so many amazing women and girls out there that do not get the recognition they deserve because “They’re pretty good for a girl.” As a huge music fan, I have noticed that the more confident female artists do not find it necessary to use sex to sell music or put down other women in their songs. Artsits like Joan Jett, Hayley Williams of Paramore, and Maddie and Tae use their talent to power and encourage women, which is why I think it is important to focus on artists like them.

My own solution to assure that I am not negatively affected by the media is to call out sexism and injustices when it is in front of me. Letting sexism go just allows it to continue and grow, but talking about it and spreading the message creates awareness. If enough people are aware, a stand can be taken against sexism. Media tries to solidify women by pitting them against each other due to looks or males, but if women are united together and call out the injustices against them, a change can be