Sexism in Music
Sexism in Music
There are countless forms of media out there that are in one way or another degrading and offensive towards women. The one that is of most interest to me is music. Whether songs are blatantly sexist and downright rude to women, like many rap songs, or overtly offensive such as many rock and roll songs, women are commonly demeaned by lyrics in countless songs throughout the ages. I don’t even listen to rap music because it is particularly offensive to women, more so than any genre, making it very profane and unenjoyable in general. Because of this class I have started to become more aware of media that supports stereotypes of women, and other cultures, and while listening to music the other day, I began to notice that rock and roll (my favorite genre) can at times be just as offensive to women as any other type of music, even rap. Whether it is plain and obvious in the lyrics, or in some form of innuendo, many classic rock songs are in fact very insulting or disturbing to me as a woman, in many ways. This is detrimental to our society because many men and women alike listen to these songs and they taint their image of gender roles. The lyrics in these songs make it seem as if it is okay for a man to hurt women, possess or own women, and makes women believe that the most important thing in life is their looks. A culture that believes all of the aforementioned ideas, is not a culture I want to grow up in.
Even some of the most famous artists, such as The Beatles, have hit songs that are in fact very offensive and degrading to women. For example, the song “Run For Your Life” includes lyrics such as “well I'd rather see you dead, little girl/ than to be with another man.” These lyrics speak for themselves; the singer would rather see his girlfriend dead than to have her be with someone else. He clearly thinks that he owns her, and she is his property. This is not an uncommon theme in songs, and sadly in reality as well. There are many instances
There are countless forms of media out there that are in one way or another degrading and offensive towards women. The one that is of most interest to me is music. Whether songs are blatantly sexist and downright rude to women, like many rap songs, or overtly offensive such as many rock and roll songs, women are commonly demeaned by lyrics in countless songs throughout the ages. I don’t even listen to rap music because it is particularly offensive to women, more so than any genre, making it very profane and unenjoyable in general. Because of this class I have started to become more aware of media that supports stereotypes of women, and other cultures, and while listening to music the other day, I began to notice that rock and roll (my favorite genre) can at times be just as offensive to women as any other type of music, even rap. Whether it is plain and obvious in the lyrics, or in some form of innuendo, many classic rock songs are in fact very insulting or disturbing to me as a woman, in many ways. This is detrimental to our society because many men and women alike listen to these songs and they taint their image of gender roles. The lyrics in these songs make it seem as if it is okay for a man to hurt women, possess or own women, and makes women believe that the most important thing in life is their looks. A culture that believes all of the aforementioned ideas, is not a culture I want to grow up in.
Even some of the most famous artists, such as The Beatles, have hit songs that are in fact very offensive and degrading to women. For example, the song “Run For Your Life” includes lyrics such as “well I'd rather see you dead, little girl/ than to be with another man.” These lyrics speak for themselves; the singer would rather see his girlfriend dead than to have her be with someone else. He clearly thinks that he owns her, and she is his property. This is not an uncommon theme in songs, and sadly in reality as well. There are many instances