Objectification in Music

There is no one solution to ridding of the demeaning lyrics and portrayals of women. And, these may exist forever. But, the reception is what really matters. The solution is manifold. In order to help this, it has to come from a lot of directions, including that of teachers, artists, and families.

Educating the Population

School often ignores a lot of real-world problems including mental health and the struggle with self-identity. I don’t think it was until this year that I heard the words ‘body image’ in a class, and I am grateful that I had exposure to the issue in an educational setting. he fact that a problem so pressing is not discussed makes people feel that they can not openly talk about it. They hide behind the fear of being judged. And, maybe return to listening to music with raunchy lyrics, unbeknownst that those negative messages are playing right into their ears and subconsciously affecting their view of themselves and others. If teachers cultivate a setting in which these kinds of things are talked about, people may realize that some music lyrics are only sinking them deeper. This allows them to make the decision as to whether or not that is the sort of thing they want to be exposed to.

Talking Within the Home

Parents often restrict types of social media. However, when it comes to music, it is usually a free-for-all. I think it is important that parents both educate and monitor their children’s music choice, to ensure that they know the meaning behind what they are listening to and how that may affect them. It all begins from the home, and this would help to introduce them to the discussion in the school setting.

A Shift in Industry Norm

The industry is concerned with making money. Although they may sacrifice some profit as a result of not releasing certain content, the focus should be on the viewers and producers well-being. This would entail not producing music videos and lyrics that objectify people. In addition to this, artists need to understand the impacts that their lyrics can have on people – both negative and positive – when writing music.

Encouraging a Healthy Lifestyle

Rather than focusing on how your lifestyle can affect your body, society should focus on how it affects your health. If this becomes the more prevalent means of advertising, it may decrease women’s concern with body image, and thus, decrease objectifying themselves.

Knowing your Artist

It is important to know some history behind the artists that you are listening to, and make the decision as to whether or not you want to support them. There are plenty of artists who do heroic things, and some that are harmful in many ways. So, get to know a little bit about them before purchasing there music. Is the music worth it? Or would you rather boycott it for a good cause?

I became slightly self conscious of my body around middle school. I thought Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” was a good message for young girls. I was not alone, because the video reached over two billion views, and received significantly more ‘likes’ than ‘dislikes.’ I also heard it sung by girls all around me constantly. It was not until I grew up a little bit, and really understood the lyrics, that I realized the song was objectifying women. Some people even argue that it is encouraging an unhealthy lifestyle.

All About That Bass

Trainor created this song with the intent of promoting body positivity. Instead it only emphasizes that women are “supposed” to please men, stating “I can shake it…like I’m supposed to do.” For the majority of the video, Trainor is pointing at her body, as well as dancing with other girls wearing revealing clothing. This is likely a result of the industry, and supports the claim that “cultural and industry expectations motivate female artists to participate readily in their own sexual objectification” (Aubrey et. al). The representation in this video turns a lot of eyes onto her, and she becomes the object of many gazes.

The Gaze

This objectification reminds me of Michel Foucault’s “Discipline and Punish.” This book describes the panopticon, an institute where prisoners are placed in cells in which they are unable to see the guard. This gaze gives the guards power in the same way that men watching the music videos have power as women are conforming to invite the gaze. They become the observed to a mass amount of people, and are portrayed as sexual objects.

This theory supports my claim that women lose power and agency as a result of their portrayal in music videos. While women do have some agency as to how they are portrayed in the videos, many of them are asked to follow the industries requests. They do so in order to make a living off of their career as music artists.

How this Media Affects Body Image

With music being teen’s number one source of media, they are constantly bombarded with the messages of it. And often times, these messages are negative. The rap genre is a major perpetrator of objectifying song lyrics (Aubrey et. al). While these lyrics are spoken quickly, the messages can still stick out and subconsciously affect how we view ourselves and others. It is easy to listen to music and enjoy it, but it is more difficult to look at it critically and think about if that is something you really want to expose yourself to. The same thing goes for the artists, and whether or not you want to filter your music based on what kinds of things that person has done (such as illegal or harmful acts). Are you supporting those acts by supporting the artist? This is a complicated question, and one I do not have an answer to. But, it is a good thing to keep in mind.

Works Cited

Aubrey, Jennifer Stevens, et al. “Check That Body! The Effects of Sexually Objectifying Music Videos on College Men’s Sexual Beliefs.” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, vol. 55, no. 3, July 2011, pp. 360–379. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/08838151.2011.597469. Accessed date 4 March 2019.

Foucault, Michel, 1926-1984. Discipline And Punish : the Birth of the Prison. New York: Pantheon Books, 1977. Print.

Trainor, Meghan. “All About That Bass.” YouTube, YouTube. 11 June 2014, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PCkvCPvDXk. Accessed 4 March 2019.

1. Popularity of Music

Music is everywhere. We hear it in grocery stores, in our cars, sometimes even in school. There is no denying the positive power of music – it brings cultures and people together and allows for bonding. Lyrics can be inspiring, and sometimes they are relatable in a way that helps people overcome hardships. Music is used in religious practice, for dance, and for many other things. It is a readily available form of media. Music videos are available on demand to a variety of audiences. “By the age of 15, the amount of time an adolescent listens to music exceeds the amount of time they spend watching TV or spending time with any other medium” (Aubrey et. al). The messages in both the music lyrics and the videos are thrown at us time and time again. And, many of those messages are not positive, especially for women.

2. The Effects of Sexually Objectifying Women

I did not go into this research with the idea that I would only find the sexual objectification of women in lyrics. In fact, I wanted to be able to talk about the objectification of males. But, I was not able to find a study on that. Instead, I found the same results when I searched “objectification and music” as I did when I searched “objectification and music and women.” When I was discussing the topic with a male peer, he said, “That doesn’t really happen to men, there’s no song says ‘look at that ….’”

Women often struggle with what to wear, while keeping in mind who it is they want to impress – whether it be fellow girls, potential employers, or men (whom could also be a potential employer). This concern with dress transfers into media. With a music industry that is encouraging skin exposure and close-ups of body parts for women, women are often viewed as sex symbols. This portrayal affects how society views women, as it runs rampant in the music industry.

“Critics maintain that the dominant discourse in music videos reproduces distorted ideologies of women’s sexuality” (Aubrey et. al).

So, how does this portrayal of women affect the viewers and those objectified? For one, the objectification of women is not entirely forced – “Cultural and industry expectations motivate female artists to participate readily in their own sexual objectification” (Aubrey et. al). This contributes to women’s concerns regarding body image and sexual appeal. But, it also affects how the male viewers see women.

In a study, participants were assigned to one of two conditions, one group to watch music videos of female artists that are high in sexual objectification, and the other low. The results showed those exposed to sexually objectifying music videos increased male’s acceptance of interpersonal violence, and a level of marginal significance, disbelief in the legitimacy of sexual harassment.

Works Cited

Aubrey, Jennifer Stevens, et al. “Check That Body! The Effects of Sexually Objectifying Music Videos on College Men’s Sexual Beliefs.” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, vol. 55, no. 3, July 2011, pp. 360–379. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/08838151.2011.597469. Accessed date 4 March 2019.