Читать книгу The Changing Face of Sex - Wayne P. Anderson PhD - Страница 35

Music is both a reflection of sexual attitudes and a molder of those attitudes. I have not followed personally the changes in music over the years since early on it all became just so much noise to me.When I first became a professor at the University of Missouri in the early ’60s, my wife and I were occasionally asked to supervise dances. It was all too noisy and wild for us and we soon gave up the duty.

What my daughters listened to in the ’70s and ’80s sounded all the same to me, and I seldom could make out the lyrics. I have depended on feedback and research studies from my classes to let me know what was happening in the world of music.

My generation had crooners like Crosby and Sinatra. The music was highly romantic and anything sexual was only suggested. Love was the thing. In the ’50s the change toward more direct sex began with Elvis Presley whose on-stage gyrations led the way into the sexual revolution. He also became noted for the number of his fans he had sex with, a reputation that was to follow many of the rock and roll stars who followed him.

Pop music has become even more of a factor in today’s everyday life with iPods, portable radios and the Internet. Behavior and sex roles are being influenced by celebrities who portray standards with their lyrics, their performance and their social status. My most recent class was into a pop artist called Lil’ Wayne with lyrics such as “shawty wanna l-l-lick me like a lollipop, she said I’m like a lollipop, saying he’s so sweet, maker her wanna lick the rapper, so I let her lick the rapper” (Lil’ Wayne, “Lollipop”). My students’ research shows that the majority of pop songs reference sex, violence or drugs. Sexual behavior is normalized through the use of lyrics and popular culture.

While we have made many gains in women’s rights and women now take a very different attitude toward their careers, marriage and sexual rights, the modern rap music that is so popular has a definitely misogynistic tone. Women are seen as sexual objects to be used for the males’ sexual gratification. They are referred to as ho’s and bitches and are expected to provide oral sex on demand. A Britney Spears’ title “I’m a Slave 4 U” reflects this attitude. Let me quote from one of my students’ research papers:

“Britney’s scantily clad body in her breakout hit ‘Baby One More Time’ suggests that she views her body as an object to be desired. Christina’s song ‘Dirrty’ has her singing about and performing such overly sexual activities as table dancing, mud wrestling, and muscle worshipping. The New York Times has described her behavior during the ‘Dirrty’ era as ‘skanky,’ ‘raunchy,’ and ‘a sweat-drenched disaster.’

“These sorts of behavior by predominant female artists may in fact be counteractive to promoting women as legitimate social actors rather than sexual objects. While singing of their bodies may be liberating, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that doing so simply reinforces the stereotype of women as purely sexual beings and may increase young women’s desire to emulate these sexual behaviors rather than a more conservative lifestyle.”