Growing up in Today's society, women are given much more opportunities and freedom than in the past. However, even still, there are stereotypical "roles" that women play. Specifically in the music industry, women are expected to be the pop and/or soul artists. They are either the powerhouse vocalists or the peppy songs on the radio. Another aspect, their lyrics, are almost always about men.
I relate this to the Bechdel Movie Test. It's a standard created to depict the role of women in entertainment. In order for a movie to "pass" the test, there must be at least two women that have a conversation about something other than a man. In a song, the requirements are...
- Have at least one female-identifying lead performer, performing as themselves or a female-identifying likeness
- Involve the female self, another woman, other women or otherwise an implied female audience in the song’s lyrics
- Have a central lyrical topic or theme that’s something or someone besides a man.
Though it's not perfect, we continue to see more and more female artists breaking the gender norms. They are finding different themes in their music and even branching out in genre. The numbers of women in rap, rock, country, etc are increasing everyday!
The artists are not the only ones that are stereotyped in their preference of music. Female listeners are also deemed to be attracted to the soapy love songs and dreamy male artists. Why does our gender/appearance determine what music we listen to?
I am personally affected by this stereotype on a regular. Every time a new person (male or female) listens to my playlist, I get the comment, " Wow Ryleigh, I didn't expect you to listen to this" or "You don't like like the type of person to listen to this song." When I was younger I didn't let people listen to my music, or I would pick the "more appropriate" songs for a girl. Even now, I felt slightly uncomfortable talking about my musical journey in the last blog. Much like colors, sports, clothes, etc; music has no gender.
Though most of this post has been about female stereotypes in the music industry, there are also similar misconceptions of men in such roles as well. In country music, people mock the men with their beer, boots, and trucks. In rap, all guys talk about is women, money, and guns. In rock, the artists are seen as rebellious addicts that don't bathe. Though these comments are harsh, many people truly believe them.
The male audience is corrupted by toxic masculinity, being pressured to exclude female artists from their music preferences. They are seen as feminine if they listen to slow songs or love songs. What? Are they never supposed to show emotions? Once again people are hiding what they enjoy due to social pressures.
I think it's important to think about this next time you start to stereotype a song. Let's be honest, we've all done it, but if you keep yourself aware you may just find a new song/genre that you really connect with. It's always a great idea to continue your musical journey!
EXACTLY!! These things are hard to deal with. I also get those "Oh, I didn't know you listened to that," or "This isn't your style." I appreciate all these women breaking the norms. Music shouldn't be stereotype nor the people who listen to it. For example, not everyone who listens to Twenty One Pilots is depressed or not everyone who listens to country music is a fish, hunting, or truck loving guy. If you connect with certain songs or genre, you shouldn't be criticized for liking it.
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