I chose songs that I thought raised awareness for body image issues that people deal with. These are songs that showcase some of these issues and how society puts so much emphasis on being beautiful.
1. The first song I chose is called "My Skin" by Natalie Merchant. I chose this song because it talks about how the singer is now "untouchable" because her body has been treated wrong. Lyrics: "I've been treated so wrong, I've been treated so long, As if I'm becoming untouchable."
2. "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera is the perfect representation of a healthy body image. She sings "You are beautiful no matter what they say, words can't bring you down." This song has a strong message for those dealing with body image issues.
3. "Unpretty" by TLC is another good representation that deals with body image issues. Lyrics: "You can buy your hair if it won't grow. You can fix your nose if he says so. You can buy all the make up that M.A.C. can make. But if you can't look inside you. Find out who am I too. Be in the position to make me feel
So damn unpretty." These lyrics show what some women go through to look beautiful for their man. If a man cares more about your looks than your personality, this can have a negative effect on your body image.
4. "Piece of Me" by Britney Spears is a song that demonstrates how much pressure celebrities are under to always look perfect. Lyrics: "I'm Mrs. she's too big now she's too thin."
Over the years I have branched out and listened to more than "today's hits." I am also more aware of how demeaning rap music is towards women. I actually listen to the lyrics and hear how offensive many of the words really are. When I was younger and I listened to rap music, I was not as concerned with what the lyrics were really saying, I just sang along. If the tune was catchy, I would sing it, without really thinking about what I was saying.
I think the rap industry as a whole portrays women as objects and has little respect for them as anything else than sex objects. It is this lack of respect that has had such a negative influence on our culture. The readings talk about what girls will do to have 5 minutes of fame on the Girl's Gone Wild DVDs. I think girls are more casual about showing their boobs on Girl's Gone Wild because our society is more accepting of sex in the media. The saying "sex sells" holds true in our society when advertisements use sexy models to sell their products.
1. The first song I chose is called "My Skin" by Natalie Merchant. I chose this song because it talks about how the singer is now "untouchable" because her body has been treated wrong. Lyrics: "I've been treated so wrong, I've been treated so long, As if I'm becoming untouchable."
2. "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera is the perfect representation of a healthy body image. She sings "You are beautiful no matter what they say, words can't bring you down." This song has a strong message for those dealing with body image issues.
3. "Unpretty" by TLC is another good representation that deals with body image issues. Lyrics: "You can buy your hair if it won't grow. You can fix your nose if he says so. You can buy all the make up that M.A.C. can make. But if you can't look inside you. Find out who am I too. Be in the position to make me feel
So damn unpretty." These lyrics show what some women go through to look beautiful for their man. If a man cares more about your looks than your personality, this can have a negative effect on your body image.
4. "Piece of Me" by Britney Spears is a song that demonstrates how much pressure celebrities are under to always look perfect. Lyrics: "I'm Mrs. she's too big now she's too thin."
Over the years I have branched out and listened to more than "today's hits." I am also more aware of how demeaning rap music is towards women. I actually listen to the lyrics and hear how offensive many of the words really are. When I was younger and I listened to rap music, I was not as concerned with what the lyrics were really saying, I just sang along. If the tune was catchy, I would sing it, without really thinking about what I was saying.
I think the rap industry as a whole portrays women as objects and has little respect for them as anything else than sex objects. It is this lack of respect that has had such a negative influence on our culture. The readings talk about what girls will do to have 5 minutes of fame on the Girl's Gone Wild DVDs. I think girls are more casual about showing their boobs on Girl's Gone Wild because our society is more accepting of sex in the media. The saying "sex sells" holds true in our society when advertisements use sexy models to sell their products.
I really liked your body image song choices. I had forgotten totally about the TLC "Unpretty" song that came out when I was in Junior High. It is definitely a representation of how some people can demand so much of their significant others that they can actually damage the other person's body image. You made some great song choices.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your statement that many young people (myself included) seem to not pay attention to what the lyrics of the songs they listen to are really saying. I know I fell victim of this alongside you. Although that is just a part of being young, it is extremely damaging because the messages we are failing to notice we failed to notice as children are extremely damaging. If we ignore the message but still support the song, we are indirectly supporting what the song is saying in the lyrics. I know neither of us do this anymore, but it is something that children should be made aware of so they aren't walking around promoting negative messages towards other people.