Gender Roles In Popular Music

1227 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Feminism in art critical essay

Popular music in the United States throughout the decades have always consisted of different genres of music and during the late 70’s and early 80’s, many of the popular bands consisted of only male artists and members. In an era dominated by male artists, Fleetwood Mac featured their lead female singer Stevie Nicks, who went on to transcend the gender expectations of the time and pursue a solo career in the midst of heavy adversity. Fleetwood Mac’s lead singer, Stevie Nicks, is a prime example of the evolution female artists have endured as they struggled to gain equal footing in this male dominated industry. This essay will examine the different factors contributing to Stevie Nicks’s popularity, along with her breaking these normative masculine roles and the way she combined different genres and personal …show more content…

This is the song that gave her hope in her musical career and essentially what shaped her image when it came to her personal style and look. Stevie Nicks was known for her long dresses and wing-like sleeves, which is probably why many people thought she was a witch like the one she sang about in Rhiannon (Crowe). She transcends the female stereotype Wald discusses in the Just a Girl article, and it’s Nicks’s differences that cause people to see that she’s singing about something more than just being an innocent girl, even if they think it’s about her being a witch. Stevie Nicks sang about her heartbreaks and life experiences, and it led to her becoming one of the most iconic artists of her generation and later generations to come. There weren’t many women during the time that transgressed this male dominated industry, but she did so by not only creating her own music about her emotions and her life, but also creating a solo career after a successful career with Fleetwood

Show More
Related

  • Janis Joplin Gender Roles

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    Whether it was rebellion, liberation, or changing an industry, Janis Joplin had a profound influence on the freedoms and opportunities that people have today. Many of the social norms of today where once the tabu acts that created disapproval during the counterculture. When Janis Joplin began challenging social norms it was to define who she was, and in return she set an example for others to define themselves as well. Women were expected to illustrate femininity and obedience, and in true Janis from she disregard gender roles and encourage women to take control of their image and sexuality. Janis Joplin turned the music industry into a women industry, and her rise to fame was proof that a women was a significant and irreplaceable part of society. By being different Janis Joplin was able to represent the population of people who had never experienced true

    Read More

  • Attitudes towards women, and their role in American Musical Theatre.

    2056 Words  | 5 Pages

    Porgy and Bess was a totally new concept. Not only did it have a black

    Read More

  • Carole King, It's Too Late By Carol King

    1348 Words  | 3 Pages

    Coupled with its relatability during the rise of feminist movements in the 1970s was Simon’s ability to share feelings harbored from past relationships with men. Simon’s new work was “playful, vulnerable, and romantic,” and her commitment to independence helped her to finally be seen as a meaningful voice within the industry. Her ability to put her career before romantic relationships and above conforming to traditionalist views of women “set her apart from her closest female peers” (Weller 168). Later songs like “You’re So Vain” continued to show that Carly was a force to be reckoned with as an artist who was unafraid to share negative feelings about men (Weller 343). Like King, Simon’s struggles surrounding society’s dictations of her role in her relationships with men and that allowed for her mistreatment by music industry professionals held her back in the short term, but when she was able to come into her own as an artist, these same struggles served as source material for her hit

    Read More

  • Essay On Women In Popular Music

    479 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Objectification Of Women In Music Videos

    1834 Words  | 4 Pages

    Most generations have been influenced by a trend of music that inspires them to dress, behave, and talk in a certain way. There are people who have the special talent of making others relate to their emotions, thoughts, or ideas by creating music. In current society most artists decide to create videos to make their lyrics visual for their listeners and to earn more profit. The negative thing about the creation of music videos is the way in which females are stereotyped. In a lot of music videos, especially hip-hop/rap, females are portrayed in a negative way, which causes a harmful influence on the people who view them.

    Read More

  • Sociology: Sexual Objectification of Women in Music Videos Today

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a 1, p. 66-87. Sommers-Flanagan, R., Sommers-Flanagan, J., & Davis, B. (1993) The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. What’s happening on music television: A gender-roled content analysis.

    Read More

  • Rap Music Anti Feminist

    1736 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nicki’s apparent feminist agenda through her music and identity is being distributed to her wide audience, which covers a massive array of hip-hop and pop music fans. Her wide reach and continual influence has the potential to lastingly correct the anti-feminist, misogynistic tone of the male-dominated genre and culture. Despite her hyper sexualized image and defamatory lyrics, she is arguably a positive, albeit controversial, feminist role model, which is evident in her motivation for success, lyrical discourse, and use of and meanings behind her alter egos.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of 5 Seconds Of Summer

    1198 Words  | 3 Pages

    My object of analysis is going to be “boy bands” which I am defining as “a band of boys usually playing pop music that is marketed towards young women.” I am going to specifically look at the band 5 Seconds of Summer and I am going to look at how their music and success becomes undermined because their target audience is primarily young women. I am going to do this using feminist theory and this project will examine how ideologies regarding the connection between young women and the band itself being written off artistically are almost embedded within society, in that people say things such as “this band sucks” without ever really listening due to their classification as a boy band. This is primarily linked back to who they are marketed toward,

    Read More

  • Racism In The Music Industry Essay

    1925 Words  | 4 Pages

    The music industry’s history is a convoluted mess. There is no real consensus on what the music industry IS and what paths it has taken. Were the Beatles the greatest band to ever exist? Maybe. Is there a hyper objectification of women throughout the “men’s club” that is the music industry? Probably. It’s this hard to define, frankly confusing business that is worth roughly $130 billion dollars today. With it’s flimsy and opaque edges, can the music industry ever be called into question on its wrongdoings? The racist undertone throughout its history may force it to. With the music industry as an ever growing business that seems to change almost every decade, the one thing that has not changed throughout time is an undercurrent of racism that

    Read More

  • Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: Elton John and the Loss of Sexual Autonomy

    3203 Words  | 7 Pages

    The past three decades have been filled with contrasting types of popular music, which reflect an evolving culture. What was popular in the Seventies provides a sharp contrast to what appealed to audiences in the Nineties. Ironically, the earlier decade was filled with ideas of freedom and non-conformity, while ideas of clear categories and cautionary reluctance dominate the latter. Despite the supposed 1970’s ‘revival’ in the 1990’s, symbolized by Volkswagen Beetles and Madonna’s retro hairstyle, certain perceptions and ideas from the seventies did not survive into the nineties. These lost concepts made it hard for the nineties culture to accept a more expansive sexual liberation. One song artist who lived through all three decades and was part of the force, which created the sexual liberation of the seventies, was Elton John. John serves as an ideal case study to illustrate the loss of this sexual freedom into the nineties. Though one would think that it would be impossible for one performer to be popular throughout these times, he seemed to soar. In addition to being a popular musician and singer, his reputation ranged from being named "worst dressed woman" by a popular magazine to being knighted by the Queen of England. This change is clearly represented in the pictures displayed here. In the seventies, Elton John is seen in cat suits and sparkles. In the recent pictures, he is wearing traditional suits and glasses. It is easy to generalize that there must have been some sort of conscious conforming to the times by this man, since he fits in so well throughout the decades. However, the truth may be that he conformed only at the end of this time period, w...

    Read More

  • Gender Differences In Jazz Music

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    We have always been told from a young age that there is a big difference between men and women. First of all, they look different from their body structure, their views are different, and what’s expected from them is different. But since then, the world has changed so much, to a point where women are able to do things that men can do and vice verse. There are still things that both aren 't able to do just because of nature. As connecting to jazz music, it is considered american classical music, which can be used to describe as strengths of American diversity. Women that have been associated with jazz music have held much respect.

    Read More

  • Women in Music

    1304 Words  | 3 Pages

    History shows that women were not as big of participants in music as men until later in the medieval era. This is due to many obstacles that faced women disabling them from singing, playing any instruments, or even composing music. Although barriers were present, many women and nuns were able to surpass them, and make use of their abilities and skills. In this paper, I will present the role of women as they interacted with polyphony, and as they became scribes, performers, composers, and patrons.

    Read More

  • Madonna: A Feminist and an Entertainer

    1812 Words  | 4 Pages

    Madonna is a controversial legend whose attitudes and opinions on sexuality have forced the public to take notice and change the image of females in society. Madonna believed women’s sexuality was a natural aspect of life; therefore, she dared to challenge the rules and definitions of femininity and sought to expand the meaning of it. In a male dominated world, she wanted to focus on the importance of women and let them have a voice of their own. Madonna shattered all the myths on traditional beauty standards and made her statement on sexuality and feminism, which changed how society viewed the standards of beauty. She impacted female power by encouraging sex- positivity into her music and her style. It is mainly because of Madonna that ordinary women, and women in modern entertainment have more choices and freedom which continues to influence further generations.

    Read More

  • Portrayal of Women in Rap and Music Videos

    1724 Words  | 4 Pages

    Misogyny and degradation of women is present in almost every genre of music, yet the one genre that completely revolves around demeaning women is rap. Over the years rap and rap music videos have continually become more sexual and degrading towards women. Rap has been criticized numerous times for this reason, and that is because rap is one of the most popular genres of music for the younger generations. It is more than a genre of music, it is a complete industry filled with clothing and other merchandise. The reason this constant demeaning of women exists is because rap as a genre that rewards the objectification of women. The excuses used to justify the misogyny in rap are incomplete and lack accurate support. The most effective way for this continuous cycle ends, is if the fight and protest comes from the women themselves. Men are the problem in the objectification of women but in order for it to stop, women need to step up and take control of the situation.

    Read More

  • Sexism in Dancehall Music

    1534 Words  | 4 Pages

    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...

    Read More

More about Gender Roles In Popular Music

Open Document