After class on Wednesday, I got to wondering what other
songs with catchy beats were in fact full of sexualization and objectification. After asking my girlfriend what songs were
catchy on the radio she suggested several, including the song “Talk Dirty to
Me” by Jason Derulo (which I have provided a link to below). This song, albeit
catchy, is incredibly sexualized and objectifies women significantly. This in and of itself is a problem, but the
even bigger problem is that this song is on the radio for people of all ages to
hear.
Talk Dirty To Me
As we discussed in class, cultural transmission is the
process of passing on culture from one generation to the next. Values and beliefs used in the media can have
a huge impact on how younger generations grow to identify their culture. More specific to this post, the content of
songs and music videos can be very influential in what kids view to be cultural
norms. In the song Derulo states that he
does not need to understand the language that girls speak in, as long as he can
tell when they are talking dirty to him.
He also implies that language does not matter, as long as women have a
nice “booty.” 2 Chainz goes on to use
several sexual innuendos concerning females and sexual acts. He also mentions
that he lists women in his phone under the name “Big Booty.”
Lyrics like these present a lifestyle to our youth that
portrays women as being sexual objects who are there to fulfill the sexual
fantasies and desires of men. They also
represent women as only mattering for their ability to look sexy, talk dirty,
and to obediently perform sexual behaviors.
I feel like sending this message to kids is inappropriate, and that this
is a valid concern when one considers cultural transmission. If kids see this behavior as a norm, the
youth of our country will grow to expect it and accept it. I personally find this to be very
problematic, and I feel like something should be done to counteract this trend
in mass media toward sexualization and objectification of women.
Behavior today is definitely influenced and shaped by this stuff. Just sit and listen to people, guys or girls, talking in the hallways between classes, at restaurants, or anywhere for that matter. Few people in our generation seem to show or convey any respect to anyone, especially towards women. It is concerning, especially when thinking about the future.
ReplyDeleteThe cultural norms that are happening today are not direct cultural transmissions. The generations before use did not listen or make music with lyrics like they do today. Lyrics like this are influencing our generation more than most people think. Young people are listening to these lyrics and thinking they are cool and the cool thing to do and starting to talk and act like the things they are hearing which I believe is wrong. Our generation is loosing a lot of the characteristic of the generations before us like respect, and honesty. If our generations don't start getting there shit together we are going to be in a world of hurt as things are going to get out of hand.
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