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Equality in today's society
Misrepresentation of gender in the media
Misrepresentation of gender in the media
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America has reached a point in their government system where they are giving women the same treatment and opportunities as men but in music, we often don’t see that equality. In music today, we see a lot of half-naked women who are being abused by male artists and this affects the perceptions of younger generations who will believe that is the way a woman is supposed to act and/or be treated. Many artists such as Christina Aguilera with her song “Can’t hold us down,” Queen Latifah with “U.N.I.T.Y,” use their powers as music idols to instill ethics and strength in their audiences. Both of these songs are in different music genres but both speak about the social issues of the inequalities between genders and the degrading of women.
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More specifically, these two songs will be analyzed using masculine hegemony, the male gaze, third-wave feminism, and radical feminism elements of the feminist perspective. Masculine hegemony “describes gender and power inequalities that account for multiple masculinities and how hegemonic structures oppress all other forms other than heterosexual masculinity,” (Sellnow, 2015, p. 140). We see masculine hegemonic structures in music when a male artist flaunts an abundant amount of cash in their videos while claiming they are “the man” as well as using words like “bitch” and “Hoe” when speaking about women. Moreover, we also see male gaze which “describes the way in which viewers (both males and females) look at the people presented and represented in visual images by identifying with the male actors” in music videos, (Sellnow, 2015, p. 145). The male gaze is present when the viewers have a need to identify with or as the people they see in music videos for example girls would imitate the half-naked women dancing on the men in the video if they believe that is what males like. Next, in regard to
Objectification of women and misogyny is a common trend in song lyrics, but it is often socially accepted and further perpetuated. Finding a song in which the roles are reversed and a woman depicts a man as a sex object is incredibly difficult because when women try to break norms in the music industry, they are often criticized. In “Blah Blah Blah” by Kesha, she reverses the typical gender roles in song lyrics by objectifying men. Kesha has her own struggles within the male-dominated music industry because her producer sexually abused her and trapped her into a record deal. However, Kesha lost her court case, which illuminates gender issues within the music industry and the larger society. In 2010 when Kesha’s songs were popular, people weren’t aware of her battle with her producer. Instead, her lyrics classified her as more of a party figure and people even saw her as “trashy.” This song
Throughout our society, gender essentialism has manifested itself in many ways, one of which is through music. Risman (1988:2) writes, “Essentialism is the assumption that basic differences in orientation and personality between men and women are rooted in biology and nature.” Gender essentialism has four key parts: 1) sex differences are based in biology and nature, 2) sex differences are fixed/innate, 3) men have deep unseen properties in common because they look alike, and vice versa with women, and 4) categorization is exclusive (Taylor 2017: Week 1 Day 2). Beyonce’s
There are many instances of degrading and misogynistic lyrics in country music, both historically and contemporarily. There are differences in the lyrics of this genre based on the gender of the artist: gender roles, hypersexuality, and in the resistance or conformity to rigid gender-based stereotypes. The main points of my argument will include how country music lyrics have historically and contemporarily conformed to and defied gender roles and misogynistic stereotypes. This paper will then examine how men are portrayed as sexual oppressors and exploiters to women. As well, I will discuss the lyrical differences between men and women in this genre, including the limiting role of women as objects as opposed to subjects. Next, this essay will address in my paper the unhealthy environment country music lyrics creates for women. Country music lyrics currently and historically portray stereotypical gender roles, and women have limited roles within country music songs as subjects and objects.
Traditionally, an image of Honky tonk girls permeate the collective unconscious of the American country music (Wilson, 2000). Honkey tonk are referred to bars that play country music and women in country music are represented as corrupted temptresses who sit in honky tonks with painted lips and tinted hair to seduce men or as innocent virgins who are loving and patient (Wilson, 2000). However, contemporary female country musicians reject this traditional view on women because such simplistic dichotomy fails to recognise diverse identities that are adopted by women in a contemporary world (Wilson, 2000). In other words, country music provides a space for female musicians to challenge normative gender roles that dominant culture embraces and
Women in popular music have created a tremendous history in the wake of feminism. They have made their presence visible by identifying themselves as feminists. Being a woman was hard during that stage. Women were not allowed to do many things due to gender inequality such as the right to vote and to own a property. Therefore, from that moment onwards, women decided to stand up and make some changes. During the early stage of feminism, women developed their skills in popular music to create awareness. They associate popular music with feminism. Although there were racial issues between the black and white during that time, both sides continued to establish in different ways, through different genres of music. Black women focused on ‘black genres’ such as blues, jazz, and gospel, whereas white women performed in musical theatres. Female artists such as Lilian Hardin, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Nina Simone were among the notable exceptions of female instrumentalists during feminism. In this essay, I will assess feminism focusing on the second-wave.
Leonard, Marion. Gender in the Music Industry: Rock, Discourse, and Girl Power. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate, 2007. Print.
In one such critique, the author likens Queen Latifah stance to eliminate the widespread use of “hoe, bitch” to “Christian squares who rallied against rock and roll. “ (O'Neill) Brendan O’Neill of The Telegraph is one of those critics, arguing that there is always someone campaigning against evil lyrics in hip-hop. He states that the anti-hop hop baton has passed to feminist and black activist’s new edgy and radical campaign to excise words such as hoe and bitch. Muskogee-battling activists are to O’Neill “swore wives of late 1980’s American parental advisory strike” on every album and moves. He critiques Queen Latina and feminist hip-hop as a patronizing movement to protect fans from their own worst instincts. Feminists have an allergy to free speech, as drab people made uncomfortable by popular music. He believes black women hip-hop artists such as Queen Latina; want to quell lyrical content within popular music for the sake of preserving decency and
Throughout Ludacris’s lyrics, Ludacris describes himself in a way that portrays him having more power than the woman. Many of his lyrics signify that women are only useful for sexual pleasures and entertainment, whereas males like to have control and a powerful figure; he reiterates this by saying how he is going to “own her” and “make her obey him” throughout the entire song. The woman is clearly being portrayed as a submissive to Ludacris, as the woman has no say in what she is doing while Ludacris is throwing these demands at her such as, “Better call yo ' boss, tell him that yo ' daddy 's home Take a couple days off and take it off” (Ludacris, Sex Room). The last aspect of Ludacris’s song that supports the existence of patriarchy is how Ludacris refers to his woman in a multitude of derogatory terms such as “girl”, “bitch” and “hoe” while he refers to himself as “yo daddy”. In today’s society it is becoming more rare to find songs that reflect women in a positive, respectful, and equal light, which would likely influence society’s view of gender
The song “Q.U.E.E.N” by Janelle Monáe provides a concrete example of intersectionality. Janelle Monáe expertly blends the discrimination felt by women and African Americans in her upbeat song from 2013. She sings, “She who writes the movie owns the script and the sequel/ So why ain't the stealing of my rights made illegal?/ They keep us underground working hard for the greedy But when it's time pay they turn around and call us needy/ My crown too heavy like the Queen Nefertiti/ Gimme back my pyramid, I'm trying to free Kansas City” (Monáe, 2013). In this verse, Monáe is able to address the sexism she faces in the music industry when she asks “So why ain’t stealing of my rights made illegal?” right after she addresses the fact that she is self made (“he who writes the movie owns the script and the sequel”).
The second wave of feminism starting in the late 1960s presented new ways of thinking about female rights and roles and gave greater attention to the issues affecting the various groups of women in the feminist movement. One of the essential topics that rose was the debate over female sexuality. From this point on efforts were made for changes in how women were expected to express their sexuality, which was controlled and adapted to the standards of men . These changes were also seen in the music area of which women sought to control their own representation and agency. Women began to challenge any models forced upon them based on preceding gender norms and traditions, and began to express their own identities according to their own comforts . The shift from traditional industry to the new media age in the 1990’s was a period of rapid transformation regarding female representations, of which females have claimed the freedom of expression through music, mainly seen through the sexual appearance of the female body. Nevertheless this achievement has been debated over most predominantly between liberal and radical feminists. This Essay will discuss the distinct views of radical and liberal feminists regarding the development of women’s freedom of expression and opportunities over time. Liberal feminists believe that women are in control of their own sexuality and have the right to express it in any way they choose. In contrast, radical feminists believe that female artists who expose their body in a sexual way and believe they have full control over themselves, are actually still trying to satisfy their predominantly male audience, therefore giving them control . To exemplify the different views on female development over time this es...
Additionally, I will look at fan feedback of the band and see if even the people who are buying the albums and going to the concerts are even acknowledging the successes of the band as something of merit, or are viewing their music in terms of how the patriarchy tells them to (i.e as a guilty pleasure). This is where I will apply the idea of discourses (whole systems of thought, speech, and knowledge production that structure institutional and social practices, (O’Brien & Szeman, 2014), ISAs, and feminist ideas of patriarchy spurring off Gill’s challenges of postfeminist assumptions of power that “women have not overthrown but rather internalized the disciplinary regime that dictates particular and compulsory ways of looking and acting” (O’Brien & Szeman, 2014), the idea that not only is the band not given respect musically, but perhaps these young women themselves become convinced that their music is more of a “guilty pleasure” than it is “quality
Among the 10 songs that were analyzed in 2016, some of the most common terms that were used to refer to women were “baby”, “broads”, “bitches”, “side bitch”, “lil mama”, “baby mama”, “wifey”, “hoe”, “girl”, “lady”, “woman” and “PYT” (Pretty Young Thing). Each individual song used either two or three of the listed terms when referring women. Furthermore, each song analyzed during this period contains lyrics that were directed towards women in positive ways (labeling them as “Queens”) and negative ways (viewing them as sexual objects). In addition, there were also song lyrics that referred to the way the male character perceives himself. One contradictory example is when artists make character comparisons with men who are stronger or more successful than them, while other artists dictate that their character is original and cannot be mirrored. Specifically, in his song “Panda”, Desiigner makes a hypermasculine reference towards himself in the line: “Man I’m the macho like Randy”. Randy Mario Poffo, also known as “Macho Man”, is an American professional wrestler who has been labeled as one of the greatest pro wrestlers in history. In the song “Broccoli” by D.R.A.M., the male artist’s lexicon perpetuates hegemonic masculinity through his demonstration of competitiveness, dominance, assertion of power
Common expectations seem to indicate gender roles on every individual. The males will play their part in being masculine while the females act an as object. There are several ways one can see how gender roles are played. A way is through hip-hop and rap music in the black community. Joan Morgan, an African American feminist and hip-hop and rap music fan, shows us how gender roles are being played in her community through music. Since Morgan is a feminist, she voices her opinion on the way black men treat black women in her article, “From Fly-Girls to Bitches and Hos.” Morgan states her argument that black men write lyrics ranting about black women to give a self-reflection. The males feel oppressed and express it through music. There are many reasons a male can feel oppressed, whereas one reason is becoming masculine. Michael Kimmel, a sociologist professor at Stony Brook University and the author of “‘Bros Before Hos’: The Guy Code” states that guys tries their best to show that they are manly. To clarify on how the men portray their oppression is to sing of misogyny and self-hatred in disguised hatred toward women. Men expressing their oppression through music tie the guy code of acting masculine and Morgan’s view of men feeling oppressed. Morgan describes black men express their oppression by objectifying black women sexually in music. Jean Kilbourne, the author of “‘Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt’: Advertising and Violence” and an activist on advertisement based on public health problems and violence against women agrees with Morgan on women being sexually identified. Kilbourne and Morgan connect to Kimmel by showing how males are seen to be masculine and females are soft and emotional. Morgan’s claims, in “From Fly-Girls to Bi...
Many people associate sexist language with the music genre of rap and hip/hop, but the truth is that sexist language invades every style of music. While it is true that the lyrics to rap songs contain the most obvious derogatory terms towards women, research has found that popular pop music also includes language that can demoralize women or make women seem inferior to men. Women are often referred to as objects and even as possessions by artists, implying that even in this day and age females are still second-class compared to males. Some artists compare women to cars, others use their words to enforce their male dominance. Regardless of how popular an artist or song is promoting sexist lyrics shows that as a whole the public does not have a problem with demoralizing women. Numerous male musicians even use this sort of language as a marketing tactic, knowing that their lyrics will cause a controversy that could inevitably boost album sales.
The lyrics of music play an important part of interpreting the meaning of the song. The roles which women have been allowed by the society to embody have changed drastically. Women may question their roles because of what they see portrayed by popular culture or media. Change in female’s identity can be seen in how women are viewed or how they portray themselves in popular culture specifically through music. In general, music continues to...