Portrayal of Women in Modern Day Rap and Hip Hop Music Industry
Do you ever take into account the lyrics of today's popular songs on the radio? During this podcast Montana, Brittney and I all did. We went through a list of recent and popular songs, and decided we wanted to open up to the public about the way our gender is being portrayed in this music industry. We explained how we are compared to objects such as vehicles. In depth description about the way that women should look and act are also included. We did our very best to not make this sound gender biased which we believe is a major factor to getting, not only women's attention, but the male's also. We searched long and hard to find resources that help support our claim. If you do become more interested, our sources are listed below.
Also listed below is our citations, sources, script, and playlist that we picked our songs and quotes from. We also claim no copy rights on any of the songs that we used.
Thank you so much and enjoy!
-Brittney, Reagan, and Montana
Songs
"Party Girls" -Ludacris "Anaconda" -Nicki Minaj "Body" -Jeremih and Wale "Flawless" -Beyonce
Works Cited
"Brain-Mind.com - Environment, Neuroplasticty, Neuroscience, Child, Development, Memory, Emotion, Paranormal, Health." Brain-Mind.com - Environment, Neuroplasticty, Neuroscience, Child, Development, Memory, Emotion, Paranormal, Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.
Conrad, Kate, Travis Dixon, and Yuanyuan Zhang. "Controversial Rap Themes, Gender Portrayals and Skin Tone Distortion: A Content Analysis of Rap Music Videos." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media (2009): n. pag. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/comm/dixon/research_files/Conrad,%20Dixon,%20&%20Zhang%20(2009).pdf.
Https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAUQjhw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fweheartit.com%2Fentry%2Fgroup%2F3964798&ei=b5R-VL22HZGNgwSy_IKgDw&psig=AFQjCNHrfxdtRFJb6rWU996Thlh9DxFNBw&ust=1417667135399475. N.d. Wehearit.com, n.p.
"Rap Music Blamed for Teen Pregnancy." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 23 Aug. 2006. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.
Script
SCRIPT:
M- Hello everyone my name is Montana Coulter and I am here today with the two beautiful 16 year old girls Brittney Ingersol and Reagan Sweeney. We are gathered here on this beautiful Monday morning to talk about the music of our generation and its negative effect on women.
B- Yes Montana, Reagan and I were just talking about how Hip-Hop and Rap songs portray women as nothing more than sex symbols, and tell women to act and look a certain way.
R- “ shake it” “ get naked” “strip” is just some phrases used in a majority of these songs, and to tell you the truth I think it can be offensive towards women!!
M- Brittney what do you think these phrases do to affect the behavior of women?
B- Well you see Montana, the songs tell girls that to get the attention of men, they must compete against other women by acting sexy, partying, and acting sleazy. This is causing our generation to think that women are sex, drug, and partying crazed. Which falls into our overall purpose on talking today.
M- And that theme can be supported in this article I discovered called, “Controversial Rap Themes, Gender Portrayals and Skin Tone Distortion: A Content Analysis of Rap Music Videos,” by Kate Conrad, Travis Dixon, and Yuanyuan Zhang. It discusses how women are confined to misogyny. Misogyny was defined as sexualizing women, such as in modern Hip Hop and Rap. The article states as follows, “Female characters and artists, however, are confined to expressions of misogyny. This finding may reflect a pressure on female characters to put themselves in positions of submission to male characters” When they say submission, they mean that women have to subject themselves and let men control them and act as if men own them.
B- Montana that is so true. One example of this is the popular female artist Lil’ Kim. Although a solo female artist, she often places herself in positions of submission, and as a sexual object in her own videos.
M- Girls I just think this is just a desperate act of attention. Acting a certain way hoping to get the eyes of men. It is sad for our gender in my opinion.
R- Yes and I could not agree more with you guys. One song that is very popular is Party Girls by Ludacris. Here’s a small section of the song that really grabs my attention. (“I need party girls, in my party world/ Titties plastic, ass fantastic/ They just brush my hair, and touch me everywhere/ I don’t say shit, and they be getting naked [x3] / Naked, say shit, and they be gettin naked/ I don’t say shit, and they be getting naked. “) This song explains how Luda just wants all his ladies to party, get drunk, touch him, have big boobs, large tooshes and to shed their clothes with no worries. I’ve read multiple articles, but the article “Rap Music Blamed for Teen Pregnancy” does a great job at explaining how Rap and Hip Hop music encourages theses, what men see as attractive, but degrading qualities of women. I see it daily throughout school. Girls wear skirts that have their butts half way out. They also wear low cut shirts that show just as much as a bikini top! We see it in the media so we think that’s what is “in” and who doesn’t want to be in?
M- Exactly Reagan like this one time I was sitting at a lunch table with a group of girls and we were all talking about that song. They were saying that they loved the beat and they could not wait for the after party after homecoming to “turn up” and do some of the things that were mentioned in the song. Like drinking and smoking, and even getting flirtatious with boys.
B- I just can’t believe that one song can affect the decisions that girls make. It is unfortunate that the lyrics of a song can influence someone to act upon what the song is saying.
R- What I don’t think girls understand is that there is more ways to be attractive other than the generic partier and big boobs and butt and giving themselves away, like in those that the lyrics display.
M- Reagan that is another thing that annoys me, and I am sure it annoys you girls as well, is that songs will tell girls to act sexy, and look a certain way to get guys. In the song Anaconda by Nicki Minaj, who I personally do not like, Niki sings about having a big butt, and makes fun of the skinner girls with little butts. She talks about how much guys love her, and her “thickness”. Now the skinnier girls in our generation are going to feel hurt and embarrassed if they do not have as big of buns as Nicki says are “Attractive.” Therefore, from what I have experienced, girls will try to show off their butts a lot more to get attention such as short skirts and shorts or really tight pants. Take a listen of some of the lyrics from this song. ( play lyrics) My Anaconda don't... My Anaconda don't... My Anaconda don't want none unless you got buns hun
(Don't don't don't) My Anaconda don't... (Don't don't don't) Don't want none unless you got buns hun
Oh my gosh, look at her butt Oh my gosh, look at her butt Oh my gosh, look at her butt
Yeah, he love this fat ass Yeah! This one is for my bitches with a fat ass in the fucking club I said, "Where my fat ass big bitches in the club?" Fuck those skinny bitches, Fuck those skinny bitches in the club I wanna see all the big fat ass bitches in the motherfucking club, fuck you if you skinny bitches. What? Yeah!
R- Montana now this is why we are here today, our generation has come to singing about butts and acting, well, slutty. And this just creates a terrible image for women. I know I don't want to be stereotyped as a girl who will look like and act like whatever music tells me to be to get attention.
B- Montana, I know you had another song in mind that always supports your claim?
M- Thank you Brittney I actually do. The song “Body” by Jeremih and Wale is talking about comparing girls bodies to cars. Appealing right? I know I would not want to be compared to a hunk of steel. But in these lyrics the rapper sings about his opinion on a woman's body take a look…… ( play lyrics )
[Pre-Hook: Jeremih]
You put on a show, you don't need no clothes Give me little bit more, always take it slow I know you don't wanna stop, I'm tryna make it go Now speed it up like a Maserati, and look at me and pose
M- So what Jeremih is saying in the hook is that he wants his women to show off for him, with no clothes, and give him a show. In other words, he is talking about strippers. Again, is this what girls are going to think they need to do in order to seem appealing? Will they have to subject themselves to men to get their love? Girls are going to act a certain way now, such as acting easy for guys to take advantage of them sexually, to get that desired attention.
B- Montana and Reagan you both have very good points and examples on how girls have been acting, but I also have a very good example of another song that talks about women’s standards rather than partying and drinking. In the song “Flawless” by Beyonce, there is a speech that talks about how women compete with others and the standards of women. (play the song) The main theme of this song is that in today's society women are expected to fall under certain standards. These standards are that we have to let the man be more successful and more powerful than us so we don’t threaten the man. Along with that the song talks about girls seeing other girls as a competition.
R- I could not agree more! We see it daily! The ads to be and get skinnier are everywhere! Its all one big competition to look better than the person next to you.
B- I found an article that further explains my point titled,“Competition Between Women” by Rhawn Joseph which talks about girls competing with other girls. They say “It was hypothesized that women attach considerable importance to the physical attractiveness and appeal of members of their own sex in a manner that is not paralleled in males. In addition, it was hypothesized that women compete among themselves in regards to attractiveness and seek to find faults with particularly attractive women, because attractive females are threatening to the self-image.” Basically what this quote is saying is that girls look at each other and try to find faults in each other make them seem less beautiful. We do this because we are always competing to be the better women physically to get the better man. Women become very judgmental and involve in drama because of the constant fight to be the prettiest, smartest, most perfect women.
M- Are there any ways you have noticed this personally?
B- Yes. I have seen this happen before in places as common as the grocery store and school. Last year there was a new girl at the high school. She was very athletic, smart, and very beautiful. All the girls at my lunch table would make up rumours and try to figure out all of her flaws to make her seem less beautiful than she actually is. They were threatened by her because they felt she was just more competition to get boys. So, to fix this, they will make fun of her and make up nasty lies to belittle her. This relates to what we are talking about today because the speech talks about what girls are expected to be. Music has set girls up to acting trashy instead of classy. They go out and do whatever it is they have to do to get the man’s attention.
R- I think its fair to say that we do not think us girls should have to do that. Yes, we want to get boys attention but not in that kind of way. We want men to see us for who we are and to let us accomplish the goals we want. We do not want to compete with another girl for a man. We want the man to like us for who we are, not for taking on the inappropriate drinking and partying image.
M- Reagan I agree, but unfortunately I don't see that change coming any time soon time soon. Especially with Hip-Hop and Rap continuing its distinction of women and subjecting them to sexy images.
B- I agree with you Montana, I also do not see a change approaching any time soon, but I hope girls can see and learn that they do not have to act the ways we talked about just to seek a man’s attention.
M- Well thank you girls so much for meeting with me today. I hope our viewers were able to learn today how music is effecting the behavior of women, and maybe help women become more aware.
R- Thank you Montana for having us!
B- Thank you both. See you girls soon!
We hope you enjoyed listening!