Social media is no doubt one of the valuable inventions of the modern era. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, Snapchat and Youtube, among many others, have no doubt facilitated the world to be a global village. As a result, many cultural values have been shared massively, thus making some societies adopt specific values and practices and abandon theirs. Women, in particular, have been affected by social media, especially in relation to music. Social media continues to cement specific values and practices that marginalize women. In particular, social media affects women in music by emphasizing the practice of objectifying women. For centuries women’s significance in society has always been reduced to being available for men’s pleasure. Social media affects women in music by emphasizing the negative stereotype of objectifying women to be sexual objects for man’s pleasure.
For centuries, many societies worldwide have minimized women’s significance in society. Women were seen as weak creatures; their only importance was being homemakers and sexual objects for men’s pleasure. This perspective on women had numerous impacts, including the development of rape culture. Women who unfortunately got raped were accused of dressing indecently, thus causing a man to have no other option but to force them into a sexual engagement. For example, Kesha accused her producer, Dr Luke, of sexual assault and emotional abuse, but a court dismissed her claims in 2016(Strong, 570). Despite the development in the modern era, including civil rights, social media continues to emphasize the culture of women objectification. Digital images, especially music, which is massively portrayed in social media, have increased the sexual objectification of women.
The massive increase in the sexual objectification of women in music via social media is a problem that needs an immediate solution. This claim is an issue as it affects women and implants negative perspectives of females in the minds of men. The issue affects women because it brainwashes young women into thinking their only value lies in displaying their uncovered bodies in media for them to be seen as significant (Gervais,226). As a result, young women can forego their goals and lean more towards self-objectification to feel significant and valued in society. Moreover, the sexual objectification of women in media gives young men a corrupt idea that women are only important because of their bodies.
In the modern era, it is common for women to be used as sex symbols in music, especially hip-hop and rap (Chung, 35). These two types of music genres portray women as half-naked and dancing exotically. In most music videos, women emphasize showing sexualized body parts such as the breasts, legs, thighs, and bottoms. In hip-hop and rap videos’ the women’s faces are rarely shown, and much of the display is about the sexualized body parts and erotic dancing moves; less is shown of their faces. The minimal showcasing of women’s faces in the music video is a clear emphasis on the sexual objectification of women, whereby women lack their personality and are only suitable for the sexual pleasure of men (Gordon, 250).
For instance, some of the music well-known on social media is by Jason Derulo and Nicki Minaj. In their song ‘Wiggle’, Jason Derulo features Snoop Dogg, where they sing about a man who praises a woman’s buttocks as being like two planets. In the lyrics, Jason Derulo and Snoop Dogg urge the woman to wiggle their buttocks as it pleases the man to their core. In the music video, the women featured tend to wiggle their buttocks for approximately half the recording, with little captioning of their faces. In another video by Nicki Minaj, ‘Anaconda’, the woman featured women in the video who dance in erotic moves.
Other well-known music videos that appear to denigrate women include Cardi B’s “WAP” music video, where Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are portrayed as sexual objects as males watch or hold positions of authority. Women in the music industry are frequently criticized or assessed more harshly for their beauty than for their skills or ability. For instance, when Lizzo performed at the Lakers game in December 2019, she received backlash for wearing a revealing costume, unlike male singers who have done the same in the past (Shaw). Although putting in the same amount of work as men, women are often paid less than men. Women make up only 22.4% of famous music artists. Yet, they get only 12.3% of the total money earned by the music industry, according to a study done by the University of Southern California(Witt). These instances show how social media aids the music industry’s objectification and marginalization of women. It’s an issue that affects women in the industry and can potentially have far-reaching consequences for how society treats women generally.
Society must work together to find a lasting solution to this issue and to guarantee that women are respected and valued for their abilities and efforts rather than their external attractiveness. One possible solution is to support and promote female musicians who create music that inspires and encourages women. We may divert attention away from music that objectifies and sexualizes women by highlighting female singers that promote self-love, self-confidence, and respect for women. You can achieve this by using a variety of platforms, such as radio stations, music streaming services, social media, and music awards. For instance, the MTV Video Music Awards may establish a new category to recognize female singers who utilize their music to spread uplifting messages for women. This could motivate other female musicians to compose songs that celebrate and support women.
A society that appreciates women beyond their beauty must start by educating young people about the harmful impacts of objectifying women in music. Young people may be empowered to build a more respectful and just society by being taught to detect and combat negative attitudes about women. Schools are a powerful tool for educating young people. Lessons on gender equality and wholesome relationships may be included in the schools’ curriculum. Lessons on consent, respect, and the negative impacts of objectification are all possible. We may stop wrong views from forming in the first place by encouraging positive attitudes about women from an early age. Social media campaigns are another powerful tool for advancing positive views about women. Messages that promote self-love and respect for women may be shared on social media sites like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Artists, influencers, and activists who support uplifting messages about women’s dignity and worth may upload content as part of these initiatives. This project will significantly lessen the adverse effects that contemporary music has on young people’s minds.
We can encourage media literacy to help people critically analyze the media they play, including music videos that objectify women. People can learn to recognize and challenge harmful messages in music and other media by promoting media literacy skills. This can be done through various channels, such as school media literacy programs, social media campaigns, and public service announcements. For example, we can create online resources that teach people how to analyze and critique music videos that objectify women. Artists themselves can use their platform to promote positive messages about women. They can create music celebrating women’s strengths and accomplishments beyond their appearance. They can also use their social media accounts to share messages encouraging respect for women and challenging harmful attitudes.
One option to deal with the music problem that objectifies women is to implement a law that makes music producers and record companies responsible for the material they create and market. This strategy entails establishing rules or laws that oblige record companies and music producers to think about how their material affects women and to support the music that shows women in a favourable light. Boycotting music that objectifies women and supporting music that empowers women are practical ways to pressure record companies and producers to alter their behavior. This might be accomplished via several platforms, including social media campaigns, demonstrations, and petitions. To encourage record companies and music producers to stop advertising music that objectifies women and promote music that uplifts women, for instance, an online petition might be started. Social media campaigns could use hashtags, postings that call attention to the problem of the objectification of women in music, and calls to action. Protests might be staged outside of record company headquarters or at music festivals to raise awareness of the problem and demand action. Those who support the cause may sign petitions that can then be disseminated to the appropriate authorities to pressure them to act.
Lastly, we can create more opportunities for women to be involved in music production, such as songwriting, producing, and directing music videos. By increasing the representation of women in the music industry, we can create more diversity and reduce the objectification of women in music. This can be done through various channels, such as music education programs, mentorship programs, and scholarships for women interested in music production. For example, music schools can offer scholarships for women interested in music production, and music production companies can offer mentorship programs to help women develop their skills.
In conclusion, social media affects women in music by emphasizing the practice of objectifying women, which has negative consequences for both women and men. The problem affects women by reinforcing the stereotype that their only value is appearance. It also affects men by promoting a distorted view of women that emphasizes their sexual appeal over their individuality and talent. However, there are several solutions to address this problem, including promoting female artists who create music that uplifts women, educating young people about the adverse effects of objectification, promoting media literacy skills, holding music producers and record labels accountable, and creating more opportunities for women to be involved in music production. We can work together to create a culture that respects women and values their contributions beyond appearance.
Works Cited
Chung, Sheng Kuan. “Media/visual literacy art education: Sexism in hip-hop music videos.” Art Education 60.3 (2007): 33-38.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00043125.2007.11651642
Gervais, Sarah J., and Sarah Eagan. “Sexual objectification: The common thread connecting myriad forms of sexual violence against women.” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 87.3 (2017): 226.
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-19810-002
Gordon, Maya K. “Media contributions to African American girls’ focus on beauty and appearance: Exploring the consequences of sexual objectification.” Psychology of Women Quarterly 32.3 (2008): 245-256.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2008.00433.x
Shaw, Susan Maxine, and Janet Lee eds. Gendered Voices, Feminist Visions. Oxford University Press, 2022.
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-73762-7.pdf
Strong, Catherine, and Emma Rush. “Musical genius and/or nasty piece of work? Dealing with violence and sexual assault in accounts of popular music’s past.” Continuum 32.5 (2018): 569-580.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10304312.2018.1483009
Witt, Aja. Colourism in the music industry and the women it privileges. Diss. University of Iowa, 2018.
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