Thursday 2 August 2012

Babe, is this Sexist?

This installment was about song lyrics, and we had songs from a variety of genres.  The voting was close, but we have a winner!
Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me"


And yes this is sexist! This time of the internalized variety.

  • Female competition over men, where you can't build yourself up without putting the other woman down.
  • Hatred of Other Girl.
  • Slut-shaming up the wazoo (maximized in the music video).
  • Conflating relationships with ownership.
Now yes, unlike some of the other songs that people could vote for, there is no use of sexist slurs in this one, or objectification of women. But this subtle form of sexism is just as problematic.  The tropes it employs are so prevalent in society, and it's target audience is young girls who will internalize this sexist message because Taylor Swift is their hero and a "good girl". 

If you have suggestions for the next installment of Babe, is this Sexist? you can leave information in these posts, message us on Tumblr, or post on the F.A.R. facebook page.

Go to the "Babe, is this Sexist?" Masterpost

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