WOMEN OR OBJECT ?
women objectifying their body is not something new, but it's quite interesting to discuss this phenomena in the hip hop world.
We'll start with another theory ( don't worry you won't get the feeling you're sitting in class because I'm keepin' it real short )
The theory of sexual objectification says that the more focus on a person's body, the less we think of her brains. if mostly affects women, and make men be on top.
Let me show you an easy example not related to hip hop .
On the one hand you've got these kinds of advertising for a bag :
And on the other hand , you've got these kinds of advertising for a bag :
Think you got the point now ( And I really hope that if I ask which one would you buy, it wouldn't be the latter )
Anyways, you also probably noticed the depiction of women in video clips. There is a very thin line between wanting to feel beautiful and objectifying your body.
In hip hop, you can divide the female singers into 3 different categories.
The first one is the kind that have a male dominated persona, and that kinda want to go in a fight against this objectification. They want the audience to listen to what they have to say, not what they have to offer with their bodies.
The first person that comes into my mind at this moment is missy elliot, who is famous for wearing her baggy clothes and keeping her hair short. In this song she's making fun of guys who see girls as objects.
Song : Work it by Missy elliot
" Is it worth it , let me work it "
The second category are the female rappers that just want to promote female power. They were more known in the time when female rappers just started to debut .
Song: Unity by Queen Latifah
'' every time I hear a Brother call a girl a bitch or a hoe
trying to make a sister feel low
you know all of that gots to go "
And theeeen we have them famous girls, who for me, look like objects rather than singers ( don't get me wrong, I still like their music though ). They maximize their femininity, their make up, and minimize their clothes. Moreover, they rap like their male counters, using a lot of sex and explicit lyrics.
Song : Bed Rock by Young Money featuring Nicki Minaj
'' okay I get it, let me think I guess it's my turn,
maybe it's time to put this pussy on your side burns
He say I'm bad, He probably right ''
This is the perfect example. Our beloved Nicky singing along with the guys, starting her lines with
'' Well I guess it's my turn '' . And she ain't stopping there trust me .
However, It's interesting because beauty had been portrayed as what people looked like in the celebrity world of movies etc. But women in hip hop have redefined this look, and made them own .
Just think about Beyonce with her hips, J LO and her behind ...
So of course some took it to the extreme and exaggerated in my opinion( Nicky Nicky Nicky ) but on the other hand it was an important move to make the world understand that super ultra skinny, isn't what makes you beautiful.
Point well made.
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