Misogyny in the music industry: why is it still here?

By: Abigail Rohrbeck

staff reporter

What do artists like Taylor Swift, Billie Ellish, Bebe Rexha,  and Beyonce have in common? Other than being great artists, they are all examples of women who have experienced misogyny in the music industry.

Misogyny is the hatred, dislike, or prejudice against women. It usually stems from thinking that men are superior.

And a prime example of this double standard in today’s society is the music industry. For example, women are expected to behave a certain way, from the way they dress to the way they write song lyrics. The standards are untenable and unrealistic.

Some, like Bebe Rehxa, are told to change their look or style when they reach a certain age, saying not to show too much skin and lose weight.

On the other hand, male artists are almost never criticized for how their body looks, often being labeled “sexy” with age.

Women in the music industry are often labeled as too confident, too weak, or too expressive in their music.

Take for example, Taylor Swift.  Her music is a lot about her greatest heartbreaks, and most beautiful romances. But people label her as “whiny” or “dramatic”. 

But when it comes to artists like Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeren, who also write about their greatest heartbreaks and relationships, no one says anything about it.

So that doesn’t seem fair, does it? Women have to work twice as hard to get the recognition they deserve, and they still get criticized.

According to a student newspaper, “The Spartan Shield,” in an article about this topic, written by Sarah Chen, “Singers write about their own experiences, trying to be authentic, transparent, and passionate in what they create. Writing about heartbreak and love is only natural for many songwriters, so women shouldn’t be criticized for their own emotions.” 

Writing about love songs isn’t being “whiny” or “dramatic.” It’s putting your emotions out there, and hopefully having someone relate to you. It’s a very intimate way to express yourself.

But yet, women are criticized for it. 

Another way that there is misogyny in the music industry are singers or bands who have a predominantly female fan base.

Take Taylor Swift for example. While men hate on her, some women also hate on her to feel “cooler” and “not like the other girls” who like her music. 

Just like how some girls don’t like to do “girly” things because they don’t want to be seen as “too girly.” And just because someone does or doesn’t like an artist doesn’t make them too “girly".

Every woman should be able to like an artist, or dress however they like, or be too girly or not too girly without being shamed into one or the other.

But sadly, this is how misogyny works in the music industry. 

Another example of this is the Beatles. When they first started, they had a predominantly female fanbase that launched them into their fame. But those fangirls were looked down upon, just like the fangirls today. And without those fangirls, the Beatles would have never taken off. But now the Beatles have a lot more men listening to them. And it’s cool to be a fan of the Beatles.

So what happened to those original fangirls? They were shunned. But what happens when guys start liking a band? It becomes cool.

See what’s going on here?

Also, women in the music industry are supposed to cater to men’s gaze, but also are shamed for showing their own sexuality, it can lead to very misogynistic views.

An example of this is Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s 2020 summer hit single, “WAP.” This song is all about women owning their sexuality, and uses terms that are typically used against women. And it has a lot of explicit words, which is typical for this type of music.

But why is this song so securitized and other extremely explicit songs by male artists, like “I Love It” by Kanye West and Lil Pump are not?

When men use them, they are just fine, but when women use them, they are “bad role models,” and we shouldn’t listen to them.

Does this seem fair?

In short, misogyny is present everywhere, but especially in the music industry. Woman artists are constantly being torn apart in the press because of how they look, or for being “dramatic”, they are told to be “bad role models” when men do the exact same thing as them, and the bands and artists that they like are constantly being shunned because they happen to have the support of half of the population.

So maybe we should take a step back and look at how messed up the music industry is.

But how can we fix this? 

Let’s start liking what music we like, and not being embarrassed by what you listen to. Everyone has different music tastes, and we shouldn’t shame someone just because they like women artists. We also should stop shaming how women act, dress, or how they write their lyrics. They are sharing their deepest feelings with us, and we should be grateful for that.

And remember, there is a difference between hating a song because it’s bad, rather than because a woman sings it.