Battling Double Standards... Then Contradicting Themselves (2001 THROWBACK)

There are artists who do praise female empowerment through the lyrics of their songs. Artist such as Madonna, Queen Latifa, and Cyndie Lauper created to promote the feminine beauty and empowerment to battle the societal expectations of sexually active women being labeled as “whores.” But since then the music industry has profited from these sexually confident artists and enforced future female popular music artist into sexually exposing themselves to sell music. Since hypersexuality has been normalized by the music industry, these female popular music artists are expected by society to sing and act provocatively. Now that it has become the norm, women are remembered for their body and not their talents. This leaves the female artists wondering why they are being objectified by society. 

Back in 2003, the song, “Can’t Hold Us Down” by Christina Aguilera featuring Lil Kim was released to combat the societal negative perception of the promiscuity among women, a common double-standard among gender. The two prominent vocal activists, Christrina and Lil Kim, sing/rap influential lyrics of empowerment.  

"If you look back in history,

It's a common double standard of society.

The guy gets all the glory the more he can score

While the girl can do the same and yet you call her a whore.

                       

I don't understand why it's okay.

The guy can get away with it & the girl gets named.

All my ladies come together and make a change.

Start a new beginning for us. Everybody sing!

 

This is for my girls all around the world

Who've come across a man who don't respect your worth

Thinking all women should be seen, not heard

What do we do girls?

Shout Out Loud!

Letting them know we're gonna stand our ground.

Lift your hands high and wave 'em proud.

Take a deep breath and say it loud,

'Never can. Never will. Can't hold us down!'"

However, they contradict themselves through the visuals portray in the music videos of the same song. In their music video, Chrisitna Aguilera and Lil  are the ones wearing minimal clothes. Even though the time of the setting was during a hot day, the silent, less active women are fully clothed, implying how women who display their bodies are more powerful. Christina being an alumni from Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club airing during the 1990s, one wonder is she is embracing hypersexuality as an escape for the lingering Disney child image. (CAguileraVEVO 3:15)

 

 

"We Can't Stop" Breaking Societal Expectations

Another more recent artists attempting to promote independence and empowerment through sexuality is Miley Cyrus. Attempting to shed from her lingering Disney image, Cyrus’s recent album, Bangerz, features songs with explicit content regarding casual sex and drug usage. 

In the music video of her new hit song, “We Can’t Stop,” Miley barely wears clothes, baring her abdomen while dancing provocatively, teasing her audience by attempting to show her gentalia with the lowering of her panties. Not to mention the issue of race after realizing that the African American women were hired to silently dance or “twerk,” rapidly gyrating their diaherras behind her, objectifying these women as mere props. Both the song and the music video, “We Can’t Stop” promotes drugs and sex in the name of adulthood and independence, offering a dangerous choice of life for her fans to follow. (Figure 2, MileyCyrusVEVO 2:35)

Do "Chains and Whips" Excite You?

Popular hit song "S&M" by Rihanna accompanied with the explicitly sexual loaded visuals that made up her music video portray Sadism & Masochism as desired sexual acts.

Turned on by this? Well, the girl is pretty and well dressed, but the distant gaze in her eyes shows that she is not looking forward for what awaits to happen to her. Looks similar to anything? Maybe like an international crime...?

The previous image reflects that victims experience. Victims of HUMAN SEX TRAFFICKING! Shackled, abused, exploited, then repeat with multiple men against their will, without any consent to say at the least. These victims are used to fullfill the fanasties of their "owners," pimps.

"What is the impact of sex trafficking?

Trafficking has a harrowing effect on the mental, emotional and physical well being of the women and girls ensnared in its web. Beyond the physical abuse, trafficked women suffer extreme emotional stress, including shame, grief, fear, distrust and suicidal thoughts. Victims often experience post-traumatic stress disorder, and with that, acute anxiety, depression and insomnia. Many victims turn to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain.

Sex trafficking promotes societal breakdown by removing women and girls from their families and communities. Trafficking fuels organized crime groups that usually participate in many other illegal activities, including drug and weapons trafficking and money laundering. It negatively impacts local and national labor markets, due to the loss of human resources. Sex trafficking burdens public health systems. And trafficking erodes government authority, encourages widespread corruption, and threatens the security of vulnerable populations." (http://www.soroptimist.org/trafficking/faq.html)

What's the Problem with "Sex Sells"?

The music industry and societal expectations discourage female popular music artists from succeeding without sexualizing the artists’ professional image to market her music. Since these female popular musical artists are influential idols of her fans, these fans often mimic the artists’ actions to later adopt her beliefs. Because of the artists’ influence on these fans, which consists mostly of the upcoming generation, the artists should learn to become more conscious of the beliefs that she portrays including the gender stereotype of female empowerment through hyper-sexuality. Through analyzing the relationship between the lyrics from hit songs of female empowerment and its music videos in the United States, I will expose the myth subtly portrayed through the relationship of these media to later be absorbed subconscious in the minds of the viewers.  This will untangle the association of hyper-sexuality with femininity. Until the society understands this, people will continue to objectify female popular music artists as well as females in general by measuring her success by the industry standards of beauty and body, not her talent.

Female pop stars have normalized female submission and are taught women to ignore the glass ceilings that to prevent women to achieving to full equal rights and respect as human beings. The popular artists influence other women to accept being submissive and judge themselves as well as others on specific standards of beauty idealized by the patriarchal society. 

Even worse is how these female artists are not admitting to supporting feminism because society sees feminists as only focusing on the rights of females and not fighting for the rights of males, children, and/or animal as well.

Also female pop contradict their messages of female and relationship empowerment with portrayal of self-objectification to appease the male gaze and industry standards of successful sex selling. Men and women see females as sexual objects. Female submission has become normalized in society, placing women as no more than mere objects. This prevents job opportunities and equal rights and treatment of everyday women in society. This can also cause depression among women who do not meet the standards of the music industry. Men belittle women as well as women belittling see each other. If we want to see decreased rates of women reporting depression and low self-esteem issues, changes must be made in the portrayal of female pop artists in the music industry who influence of the perception of femininity among the males and females of all ages.