Essay Example on End Misogyny in Music: Its Effects on Society & Young Listeners

Sexism has always existed in the music that the society is exposed to, with the misogynistic lyrics used in them sending the wrong message to the people in the community. The effects of the misogyny are even more detrimental to the younger listeners since the lyrics in the music shape their young minds, thus affecting their attitudes and outlook of life and the genders that are degraded in the lyrics.

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The catchiest songs contain either apparent or underlying lyrics that promote violence, sexism, objectification of women, and other degrading and negative suggestions that can prove harmful to the listeners (Neff, 1). However, despite the other negative aspects promoted by pop music culture, sexism stands out.

Despite the society's stands and apparent attempts to stop the sexist tendencies especially in arts such as in music, it is proving to be a futile attempt, since the media seems to be winning in promoting the songs and popularizing the sexist artists, despite also appearing to take a stand against the sexist tendencies in the society. Despite the double standards, the media has no option but to promote the sexist brands due to the financial gains they stand to reap from the practices.

Sexism has a significant impact on the process of writing lyrics, with the process being a no-holds-barred situation, whereby the artists and composers stop at nothing to create catchy songs which will go on to sell millions of records, bringing in money for the people involved from the artists, promoters, media and the government due to the taxation that they receive from the concerned individuals.

Admittedly, the most popular songs over the generations have contained sexist content and instances of objectification of women, and they were still celebrated as good music and their composers and performers enjoying successful careers characterized with popularity and financial prosperity from their sexist creations (Bjorck, 2). Researchers have been looking into the reasons behind the success of the careers of the artists whose lyrics contain sexist material.

One of the suggested ideas was the effect taboo has on the human psychology, with people becoming more inclined to follow the ideologies that are antisocial as well as those that seem to challenge the regular order and functioning of the society, thus meaning that people deemed as rebels create attention to the subject matter, hence providing room for a big following on the matter that was initially supposed to be censored or removed from the said society.

Apart from the sexist ideologies suggested by the artists, there are also sexist practices that have been seen as standard in the music industry. There are disparities between the male and female artists, and the chances of the female artists being a success and making more impact on the industry depend on their ability to sexualize their lyrics and visual content, whereby they have to record explicit videos to their songs, with the more explicit videos getting the most attention.

Additionally, there have been instances where women have been forced to go to extreme measures to gain the popularity on which their music careers would be built (Bretthauer, 1). Therefore, some female artists have leaked their nude photos or explicit videos to get the public's attention. In essence, although there is no given requirement for female artists to do so, it is evident that female artists are still forced into becoming the perceived image that society has on what women should be. This being so, female artists are only relevant in the industry when they younger and perceived to be more beautiful and have a sexual appeal, thus making the public buy more of their content, expecting to see more nudity and sexuality from the female artists.

Sex has been attributed to the success of the pop culture, and the more explicit the audio and video contents, the more popular the music and the artist becomes. Sex has been used, not naturally and romantically, but in the derogatory and misogynistic manner, where women are dominated by the men and used as sexual objects. Sexual content is appreciated by the younger, more liberal audience, while the older generation frowns upon the style being used in the pop music of contemporary times (Glantz, 1).

The contents of the songs describe sexual acts and how women are to be used as objects to satisfy the desires and fantasies that male artists and audiences have. The lyrics promote sexual promiscuity, having non-consensual sex, and having a no-strings-attached attitude towards sex. The audience is encouraged to have multiple sexual partners and leave them once they have sex with them. Additionally, the female artists do not help the situation either, since they have submitted to the idea of women being used as tools of achieving the sexual desires that one has. They also sing songs that show their willingness to use their male counterparts sexually, with some lyrics suggesting that they are okay with having to share their partners.

Studies show that while blame on objectification and degradation of women and sex has been laid mostly on hip hop music, pop music is taking over from the hip hop culture and advancing their ideals on sex and other vices in society related to intimate relationships. For example, some lyrics promote having sex with multiple partners at the same time, thus popularizing the practice of the same in society.

This leads to a rise in sexual pervasion and an increase in sexual abuse in the community due to the negative influences of pop music. There is also a suggestion that pop music is as violent as gangster rap or hip hop music, with some songs promoting the need for women to fight other women who may be interested in their partners, with suggestions of doing grievous harm on them as a way of protecting their relationships. It is also common for pop music to have songs with lyrics promoting women to commit suicide as a solution to being left by their lovers, therefore suggesting that women are weak and need men to be in their lives for them to have purpose and reason to live.

Women having to use their bodies to achieve success have been suggested in pop music lyrics, either explicitly or in underlying lyrics. Prostitution or other forms and kinds of practice that is, exchange of sex for favors and money, has been suggested in the audiovisuals of the music, especially with the use of words that make women be viewed as gold diggers, prostitutes and only interested in men's wealth.

Therefore, it is common to see skimpily dressed women contriving their bodies in tune with the beats of the songs while the male artists and models throw money at them, meaning that the men are only relevant to the women when they have money. The use of derogatory terms to refer to women is another indicator of the extent to which sexism has affected pop culture since these terms apply to women as morally lost and sexually unfaithful.

Therefore, pop culture has had a role in the trends in the society whereby people are unable to or fear commitment to one partner due to the misguided advice of the music that they are exposed to. Romantic relations are also advised against, and therefore the male members of society are encouraged to treat women as objects of sexual gratification and not as life partners.

Violence against women and those who pose a threat to an individual's interest in the women they want to. A classic example would be rapper Eminem's song `Kim,' where he describes violent acts against his wife Kim because of her interests and extramarital affairs with another man. In the end, he kills and buries her out of anger for what he termed as betrayal, despite admitting in the same song that he had cheated on his wife.

The fact that she did not go to the extremes that he describes to exert revenge for being cheated on shows that men are promoted to be sexually unfaithful, but women should not. When they are, they should be punished by beating them as well as going to other extremes to make a point that women are inferior to men.

The Negative Effects of Sexism in Pop Music

As it has been established in the discussions above, pop music and sexism are intertwined in that pop music would not be as popular today had it not been for the role that sexism has had on the industry. First, sexism has led to exploitation of women in the music industry, both sexually and financially, in an attempt for the women to be offered the same platforms as their male counterparts, despite being equally talented.

There have been claims that women are being asked for sexual favors by the male stakeholders in the industry so that they can get them the right connections that would make them more accessible. Therefore, women have had to give sexual favors so that they can gain the things that they need to make an impact in the music industry, for example, being signed to a thriving music label or land lucrative deals with advertisers or promoters (Strong and Sarah, 1). The lyrics of pop music seems to have indeed made their way into the lives of the composers and performers.

Additionally, the sexual promiscuity that is promoted in pop music's lyrics has influenced the public perception of sex, romance, and the role of women in the two instances. Women have been used and viewed as sexual objects meant to satisfy the sexual desires and fantasies that the male artists and listeners have. Therefore sex is not intended to be enjoyed by both parties, but rather by men and women being the tools that would get them to achieve the gratification that they need.

Violence against women has also been promoted, as well as crimes of passion. The worrying trend of domestic violence and abuse in society shows that the lyrics are indeed shaping the public perception of women. Their partners physically abuse women, and some members of the community are okay with the practice, while the other sections are silent on the issues that the method brings with it to the concerned parties.

Rape culture has also been on the rise, with non-consensual sex being promoted by the lyrics of some popular music genres of contemporary times. Objectification of women, with the perception that women are only relevant to the society when they are beautiful and ready to show off their sex appeal as well as their moral looseness and readiness to accept the sexual advances made by the men in society.

Conclusion

Therefore, it is a norm in society for men to rate women, not depending on their value systems or their intellectual capacities but rather by their ability to satisfy the sexual needs of the men (Cooper, 1). Finally, sexism in popular music is an issue that has challenged the advancement of feminist ideals and practices, since while feminism challenges the societal approach of viewing women as objects, the pop culture, which has significant backing from the media promotes the degradation of women and seeing them as objects and denying them their rights as well as taking them for granted in essential issues of the society and romantic relationships.

Works Cited

Björck, Cecilia. "Freedom, constraint, or both? Readings on popular music and gender." Action 10.2 (2011): 8-31.

Bretthauer, Brook, Toni Schindler Zimmerman, and James H. Banning. "A feminist analysis of popular music: Power over, objectification of, and violence against women." Journal of Feminist Family Therapy 18.4 (2007): 29-51.

Cooper, Virginia W. "Women in popular music: A quantitative analysis of feminine images over time." Sex roles 13.9-10 (1985): 499-506.

Glantz, Jaime. "Women in Popular Music Media: Empowered or Exploited?." The Spectrum: A Scholars Day Journal 2.1 (2013): 5.

Neff, Sarah. "Sexism across musical genres: A comparison." (2014).

Strong, Catherine, and Sarah Raine. "Gender Politics in the Music Industry." IASPM@ Journal 8.1 (2018): 2-8.