By Jordis Rosolinsky ‘25
Most everybody has a favorite song or artist. And while a lot of music has a positive message, an increasing amount is disrespectful. Many male artists, especially in rap music, are misogynistic, objectifying, and derogatory towards women in their songs. Listeners who innocently bop along to this music are subconsciously consuming these ideas of sexual violence and degradation, which can negatively affect how they treat women.
Multiple studies conducted by large universities have proved the impact of negative lyrics on listeners. The University of California, Berkeley found in a study conducted that, due to the music they consume, many listeners hold highly stereotypical views of women. The research even suggests that this objectification is one reason women continually struggle to make the same career strides their male counterparts do: supervisors are more hesitant to hire women when they view them as just a body - a view that derogatory music contributes to.
The same Berkeley study also discussed the impact of male artists using offensive terms such as “bitch” in their work. These words portray women as aggressive and malicious, and thus encourage male dominance and female submission. 21 Savage’s album Savage Mode II is a perfect example of how these terms are used excessively by male artists: the album’s 15 songs had 122 instances of derogatory language - meaning each song averaged over eight affronts. It was also determined that objectifying lyrics contribute somewhat to women being blamed for male sexual violence, as according to the study they “embody double standards that scrutinize and judge a woman’s sexuality but praise a man’s.”
How young women view themselves has also been negatively affected by sexualizing music. The article “Sexualization of Popular Music” explains how “exposure to sexualized music is related to self-objectification among adolescent girls.” Self-objectification is the process of individuals reducing themselves to just their outward appearance, which can lead to the “development of beauty ideals, body surveillance, body esteem, and dieting patterns.” Self-objectification has even been linked to an increase in anxiety levels and a decrease in mathematical performance in young women. Girls’ lives are made exponentially more difficult when faced with the impossible standards presented by sexualizing music.
The music industry is failing young women. Songs that encourage women to suppress their ideas and succumb to what a woman “should be” are put out and promoted everyday. This needs to stop, and it can only do so if we first stop consuming this hurtful music. If there is any hope for society to change, the music we love must change first.
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