Violence Against Women In Music Essay

There are so many talented female artists in music today that it's hard not to think of some right off the top of my head. Not only do they have great voices, but they're successful and confident, not to mention pretty darn rich! Some of these artists knew that they were going to become a star while they were still in diapers. The two females that I will be highlighting are two of the younger musical talents that are out in the industry at this time. They both worked hard to get to where they are today by starting off with many of the same dreams and aspirations many of us women share. These women have contributed so much at such a young age that it's almost hard to believe. Music is such a

Glorifying is a issue as well Brownback gives an example of the impact glorifying has, “ Record companies that promote violent music implicitly push the idea that more people should listen to, purchase, and enjoy the sounds of slaughter. When MTV name Marilyn Manson the best new artist of the year, they held Manson up as an example to be aspired and emulated. Promoting violence as entertainment corrodes our nation within.”

The corruptness of music today seems to be linked to the crude language and aggression found particularly in hip-hop and rap music. Some rap artists use vulgar language in their lyrics that are easily adoptable by teens (Holden). Not only have certain lyrics influenced the way teens speak but also their actions. An article on Headliners.org stated that “lyrics in the music are too violent and are to blame for many problems.” The problems range anywhere from suicide and aggression towards women to underage drinking and drug use. Lyrics are not only to blame, but also what people see in artists’ music videos can affect what they do (Doaks). The urge to emulate these rap musicians has escalated quickly causing a spike in rebellious tendencies among teens.

From the lens of feminist theory rap music portray women to be lustful. Rap music suppose to be a positive influence on injustices and social issues, but the strong content, language forces self-objectifying and self-exploitation (Herd; 2015). This music genre also up spring off capitalism and patriarchy which is mediated through racism. Elitism tradition of African American which is also known as “Playing the dozens” (Herd; 2015). Hip-Hop music genre has affected young adults in American society. In Neena Speer’s study hip-hop contains violence and misogyny which are offensive musical lyrics. In this context women and men are controlled by a negative image of themselves. The significance of this this focus on how many of the themes that are included in the song most young black adults claims to be apart of who they are (Speer;2014). Greenberg, Baron-Cohen, Stillwell, Kosinski and Rentfrow show how preference of musical genre is related to cognitive. The main focus of the study was to get participants to report their reactions to different musical genres (Speer; 2014). In the article “Constructing Racial Rhetoric: Media depiction of harm in Heavy Metal and Rap Music” music genre was judged on a level that the writer picked and choose what material to put into the media. Music that was considered to be rap or heavy metal was projected out to the

The topic of femininity in pop culture is important today because women are still far from achieving equality with men socially, economically, and politically. Music is a huge part of everyday life and affects millions of people. The music industry is intertwined throughout many outlets of the media. From commercials, to television, to the radio, music is a part of everybody’s daily life. What is noteworthy about trendy music today is that the messages that the artists are singing about can influence the listener's behavior, even though they may not consciously know this. With many popular anthems being so influential in every aspect of today’s world, we have to closely look at the correlation between music and how this alters how people act in today’s culture. Those who’ve been closely following the trends in country music over the last few years have had a sense that songs that objectify and degrade women (“bro-country”) have been on the rise, but it was only anecdotal evidence that we could

This paper will argue that although contemporary R&B perpetuates socially constructed gender norms, namely the group Next, many artists, such as Brandy and Monica, Erykah Badu, and Musiq Soulchild successfully challenge these hegemonic stereotypes through their music. How a woman should look and behave is an issue that is widely looked at. Should women behave like “women” in terms of dressing conservatively and being soft-spoken or are women supposed to maintain a degree of attractiveness by submitting to what men find attractive (e.g., dressing provocatively)? In a content analysis by Aubrey and Frisby (2011), they found that “female artists were more sexually objectified, held to stricter appearance standards, and more likely to demonstrate sexually alluring behavior” (p. 2). The researchers continued stating that the objectification of women is found mostly in R&B, hip-hop, and pop videos.

In this lens, women are viewed as prostitutes, strippers, or porn stars that are used for male pleasure and nothing more. This theme can be seen both in the degrading lyrics of rap music and in the rap videos in the form of scantily dressed “video vixens” that crowd around the male rappers. The second view of women is seen through utilizing their voices in the hooks of rap songs. Often these hooks have sexual or demeaning messages behind them. The final category that women fit into is the “ride or die” category.

“You say you want a revolution/ Well, you know/ We all want to change the world/ You tell me that it's evolution/ Well, you know/ We all want to change the world,” The Beatles’ Revolution, 1968. In their call-to-arms lyrics above, Lennon and McCartney are instructing their listeners to revolt and rebel against harmful social norms in a peaceful, yet powerful, manner. Ironically, while telling their listeners to resist the societal norms created by “Minds that hate,” The Beatles were inadvertently caught up in gender stereotypes and social norms upheld by the music industry in order to sell records, tickets, and merchandise. The music industry has long been criticized for their often blatant display of gender inequality and the promotion and exploitation of unhealthy gender stereotypes put into practice in order to profit off audiences. In the rock and roll and pop genres in particular gender inequalities are simultaneously seen and heard manifested in lyrics, music videos, performances, personas, and its audience. Music, as an artistic medium, has traditionally provided an outlet for artists to express their opinions on society which then ultimately has an effect on the society they are commenting on. Music can empower it’s fans to think and act a way they might otherwise have not, posing the question should a social institution be held accountable for the ripple effects they cause?

In defence of music and music industry Rosen says, “It’s true that the most controversial lyrics in popular music reflect the violence and despair in an artist’s imagination or in society. But they reflect it—they don’t create it” (82). Therefore, music does not cause violence. In fact, it gives chance to parents to understand their children through lyrics of music, and provide children with proper guidance, if they are going on wrong path. Moreover, “Recording company executives constantly make choices not to put out certain songs or albums because they don’t meet the test of artistic credibility or they believe something is sensationalist but empty of meaning. But for record companies to deny opportunity to an artist with a difficult

In today’s society many individuals listen to music. With so many different genres to choose from in the music industry, one of the most popular genres of music is Hip Hop. With the constant urge for new artists, lyrics, and rap styles, it seems as though Hip Hop is the holy grail of music. One of the main problems with Hip Hop is the misogyny of women. Adams and Fuller (2006) define misogyny as the “hatred or disdain of women” and “an ideology that reduces women to objects for men’s ownership, use, or abuse” (p. 939). Popular American hip-hop and rap artists, such as Eminem, Ludacris and Ja Rule, have increasingly depicted women as objects of violence or male domination by communicating that “submission is a desirable trait in a woman” (Stankiewicz & Rosselli, 2008, p. 581). These songs condone male hegemony in which “men find the domination and exploitation of women and other men to be not only expected, but actually demanded” (Prushank, 2007, p. 161).

Generation after generation, music has revolutionized cultures around the globe. Every generation goes through a trend of music that greatly inspires that specific era on what to wear, how to act, and what to say. Music is something that everyone can connect with and as it continues to evolve, so will society. As of today and what has been going on for decades is rap music and how it portrays women. In the rap world, women represent success and are treated as accessories: a means for rappers to prove that they have made it to the top. It is not that rappers feel that women are inferior, but they feel treating women as a collector’s item is how they should go about displaying their new found success.

When children listen to sexual lyrics, they become tempted and become inspired, leading them to teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Studies show that between 2001 and 2006, the proportion of pregnancies that were unintended, increased from 79% to 83% among women aged 18 and 19 years and from 59% to 64% among women aged 20–24 years. In comparison to the twentieth century, studies show that even though teen childbearing overall has declined steeply over the last half-century, the proportion of all teen births that are no marital has increased equally dramatically, from 13% in 1950 to 79% in 2000. According to NBC news a study found that teens whose iPods are full of music with raunchy, sexual lyrics start having sex sooner than those who prefer other songs. On the other hand, the study shows that, Teens who said they listened to lots of music with degrading sexual messages were almost twice as likely to start having intercourse or other sexual activities within the following two years, as were teens that listened to little or no sexually degrading music. Just like it is mentioned. According to the article “ give rap music a positive spin”, the author portrays that themes that degrades women can generate productive conversations that many encourage young people to put themselves in others shoes. This could be true, however this is only true when it comes to their own family because teens regarding this situation

Nowadays, the average teenager listens to about two and a half hours of music per day. Chances are they are listening to a song referencing drugs, alcohol, sex, misogyny, racism and so much more. Little did you know, one-third of popular songs contain explicit references in their lyrics. But, the question is, do the controversial lyrics in today's music, referencing distasteful actions and more, affect the adolescents listening to it? Music plays a large part in many children's lives and personal development. Although, music nowadays, specifically rap and hip hop, are setting an atrocious example for current generations and generations to come. The music industry should censor the use of foul language and reference towards immoral acts,

Gender expression has been an important part of the music industry, representing fashion trends and aesthetics, but most importantly, identity and culture. In this essay, I will be exploring how gender is represented and expressed in music and different genres express gender and ideological values in different ways. To illustrate how gender functions and is represented in music, I will describe and analyze four texts. The first “Forging Masculinity: Heavy Metal Sounds and Images of Gender”, exploring how metal music upkeeps masculine gender norms, next “Repressive Representations: Patriarchy and Femininities in Rock Music of the Counterculture”, describing how counterculture music of the 1960’s reconstitutes antiquated gender roles of women,

(Weisstuch). The underlying message is that women live exclusively for the sexual gratification of men based on male power, privilege and preference. These images serve as a grim reminder that women are being exploited as sexual objects through rap videos. Therefore, the objectification of women through the means of rap music is a major influence in the exploitation of women.