User:Nederlandse Leeuw/Sexual consent in music

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Sexual consent in music concerns the presence, absence or ambiguity of elements of sexual consent in the lyrics of a song, or sometimes the audiovisual representation of a song in a music video. This has been the subject of numerous analyses by music journalists, feminists, sociologists, human rights activists, as well as public debate in the media.

The main concern of critics is that the lack or ambiguity of sexual consent in music may send a message that encourages rape culture in human society.[1][2][3] Artists and their sympathisers whose musical productions are criticised for an alleged lack of consent have responded to these allegations in a range of different ways from invoking the artistic freedom of expression to publish/release any work regardless of content, to explaining their own interpretations of the work, to changing the contents of their work, to apologising for and denouncing their work in hindsight (for example, Pharrell Williams for his co-authorship of "Blurred Lines"[1][2]). In some cases, other artists have written their own pro-consent versions of controversial songs such as "Baby, It's Cold Outside"[4][5] or "Barbie Girl".[6] In other cases, radio stations or students' unions have banned certain songs because they were deemed to promote sexual violence or misogyny.[7]

Academics and social commentators have paid particular attention to the alleged lack of sexual consent in hip hop (rap) music (see also misogyny in rap music),[3] while others have argued that problematic messages about consent are to be found in all music genres,[8] and that several well-known rap songs such as "Freek-a-Leek" and "Candy Shop" are pro-consent.[9] Hip-hop feminism, a sub-set of black feminism, advocates for a better balance in gender interactions in hip hop culture while still appreciating hip hop music.[10][11]

See also[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Phillip Wadds, Bianca Fileborn, Stephen Tomsen, Carnival, Sexual Violence and Harm at Australian Music Festivals, The British Journal of Criminology, Volume 62, Issue 1, January 2022, Pages 1–17, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azab047
  • Are Graphic Music Lyrics Harmful?. United States, Greenhaven Publishing LLC, 2016. ISBN: 9780737776218, 0737776218
  • Popova, Milena. Sexual Consent. United Kingdom, ZONE Books, 2019. Page 191
  • Beale, Sam. The Comedy and Legacy of Music-Hall Women 1880-1920: Brazen Impudence and Boisterous Vulgarity. Germany, Springer International Publishing, 2020. page 94

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Pharrell says he's 'embarrassed' by Blurred Lines lyrics". BBC Newsbeat. BBC News. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b Laura Snapes (15 October 2019). "'I realised we live in a chauvinist culture': Pharrell denounces Blurred Lines". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b Johnson, Kimberly; Markham, Christine; Tortolero, Susan R. (2017). "Thematic Analysis of Mainstream Rap Music - Considerations for Culturally Responsive Sexual Consent Education in High School". Journal of Applied Research on Children. 8 (1). Children at Risk. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  4. ^ Alyssa Edes (20 December 2016). "One More Time, With Consent: 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' Gets An Update". NPR. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  5. ^ Stephen Thompson (8 November 2019). "'Tis Already The Season To Argue About 'Baby, It's Cold Outside'". NPR. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  6. ^ Josh Smith (4 April 2019). "Ava Max on why her new song is all about "Queens taking back their thrones"". Glamour. Retrieved 3 March 2021. I started writing my music when I flipped Barbie Girl into Not Your Barbie Girl because I felt like I wasn't anyone's girl. When I heard that song growing up I never really thought about the lyrics, I just liked the melody. Later on, a few years ago, I switched it and changed the lyrics to, 'I am not your barbie girl, I'm living in my own world, you can't touch me there, you can't touch my body.' I think that was such a strong message. Also, as females, people think they can come close to us, touch us and get in our personal space just because we're beautiful women. That's not ok and people need to ask for our permission if they need to get near us like that in a sexual way.
  7. ^ Dorian Lynskey (13 November 2013). "Blurred Lines: the most controversial song of the decade". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  8. ^ Fina Valenzuela (18 May 2020). "5 songs that "get" consent, & 5 that don't". Seattle Against Slavery. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  9. ^ Cet Mohamed Moore (21 November 2015). "5 examples of consent in popular music". Cet Mohamed Moore. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  10. ^ Lindsey Addawoo (31 March 2017). "How Black Female MCs Changed the Conversation Through Hip-Hop". Vice News. Vice Media. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  11. ^ Durham, Aisha; Cooper, Brittney C.; Morris, Susana M. (March 2013). "The Stage Hip-Hop Feminism Built: A New Directions Essay". Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. 38 (3): 721–737. doi:10.1086/668843. ISSN 0097-9740.

Further reading[edit]

  • Rodgers, K. B., Hust, S. J. T., Li, J., Kang, S., & Garcia, A. L. (2023). Sexual Scripts and Sexual Consent: Gender Stereotypes, Music-Media Messages, and Sexual Consent Expectancies Among College Men and Women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(15-16), 9264-9289. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605231165766
  • Hust, S.J.T., Rodgers, K.B. and Bayly, B. (2017), Scripting Sexual Consent: Internalized Traditional Sexual Scripts and Sexual Consent Expectancies Among College Students. Fam Relat, 66: 197-210. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12230
  • Cassandra Alexopoulos, Annie Maheux & Zoë D. Peterson (2023). “I Can Tell You Wanna F***”: A Content Analysis of Sexual Communication in Popular Song Lyrics, The Journal of Sex Research, DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2023.2246952
  • Julie Whiteman (2023) Unmasking the ideological work of violence in music videos: findings from ethnographic audience research into contemporary sexual politics, Feminist Media Studies, DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2023.2219032
  • Fidzgerald, Joshua. Chapter:9. Asking for consent: The need for media literacy in consumption of sexually objectifying music and music videos. Work:The Importance of Media Literacy: Getting the Most from the Digital World. N.p., Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2024. pp.114-126
  • Bows, H., Day, A., & Dhir, A. (2024). “It’s Like a Drive by Misogyny”: Sexual Violence at UK Music Festivals. Violence Against Women, 30(2), 372-393. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012221120443

Categories to be added[edit]

Category:Cultural studies Category:Feminism and sexuality Category:Music controversies Category:Music video controversies Category:Misogyny Category:Obscenity controversies in music Category:Songs with double entendres Category:Songs about sexuality Category:Works about stalking Category:Sexual ethics Category:Rape Category:Human sexuality