Intervention

Responses to misogyny in hip hop music have ranged from criticism by women’s rights activists, student protests and organized campaigns to a 2007 congressional hearing Female rap artists have used their music or started organizations to explicitly oppose hip hop misogyny or expressed resistance by using self-empowering lyrics and adopting an independent woman persona. By contrast, some female rap artists do not actively resist misogynistic portrayals.

While there is a significantly low connotation on misogynistic lyrics within hip-hop and rap music, there are several artists who are encouraging a change from this trend. John Legend’s “You and I” song and video show various forms of beauty regardless of imperfections. Rather than sexualize women, the video focuses on the amiable qualities that each unique individual encompasses. Colbie Callet’s music video “Try” has recently received much recognition as it responds and rejects the constant editing and photo shop used in media platforms. Her video, too, emphasizes natural beauty and the glorification of women. From a contrasting perspective, Jennifer Lopez’s “I luh ya papi” music video centralizes on objectifying men instead of women. Though this is not the direction we are encouraging, it does suggest an interesting perspective on gender role reversal.