Double Standards

By: Adonia Allen-Versosa

The topic of sex has long left the realm of conversational taboo within the music industry. It is something natural, a desire that a large portion of us experience. Then, why is it that men are celebrated for translating the simplicities of sexual desire across every genre, but women are often disgraced? Men continuously benefit from the sexualization of female bodies, particularly with lyrics diminishing women simply as objects for pleasure and little else. And yet, women do not share the same advantages to even describe their own bodies in a sexual manner. 

Take the bouncy phenomenon that is “W.A.P” by Grammy-award-winning hip-hop artists, Cardi B and Meg Thee Stallion. The song is laced with female sexual desires, with infamous lines such as “I want you to park that big Mac truck right in this little garage.” Instead of being welcomed in the arms of female empowerment, the song was met with extreme backlash that is common amongst women in the industry. The song was deemed “vulgar” and “tasteless” in a world that celebrates Silk’s “Freak Me” which displays lyrics such as “Let me lick you up and down ‘till you say stop.” Female sexual empowerment is fine unless it’s voiced by women. Sex sells if it appeals to the male audience. Men will support a female artist’s efforts towards sexual liberation if they benefit from it with the promise of “provocative” music videos or, in Doja Cat’s case, explicit content of their bodies. Other than that, they are “whores” or “seeking male validation.”

Women are often held to a higher standard than their male counterparts, having to be a “role model” for young girls. These artists are told that they have to censor themselves for a younger audience, limiting their self-expression, while men are free to discuss whatever they please as if their influence does not impact young men. This seemingly derives from the notion that women are designed to be “maternal” and therefore have to be consciously aware of their influence on children. However, most of these artists do not make music for children nor men, but rather for other women. Take Adina Howell’s 1995 hit, “Freak Like Me” which empowered women to have the confidence to be open about their desires, paving the way for similar artists such as Lil Kim, Beyonce, and Rihanna. This song was not made for children, but for women who were ashamed to express their sexuality and what they desired from their partners, entitling women to sexual liberation. 

In a society in which the state of women’s reproductive health is being determined by men, the concept of women’s bodies is almost not of our own. Female sexuality should not be at the mercy of men who feel a strange possessiveness over it, as if women are not capable of having it for themselves. In every space, whether music or elsewhere, women are entitled the liberty to discuss the inner workings of their bodies, speak on their desires, and own their need for pleasure. Like Summer Walker said: “Girls need love too.”

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About the Writer

Adonia Allen-Versosa is many things: a recent college graduate in Journalism and Criminal Justice, a PR Manager, a New Yorker, a Gemini. Most importantly, she has held the title of “writer” for as long as she’s held a sense of consciousness at five years old. If her first concert (Prince) at age three didn’t say enough, her love of music has stood the test of time even longer than her pen. 

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