NUMBERS SHOW WOMEN ARE UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE MUSIC
INDUSTRY AND MOST RECORDING ARTISTS AND WRITERS ARE MEN.
THERE ARE FEMALE ARTISTS CREDITED WITH CHALLENGING THE
GENDER NORMS IN THE BUSINESS.
BUT SOME WONDER IF THE IMAGES THEY PRESENT COULD WORK AGAINST
GENDER EQUALITY IN AN INDUSTRY DOMINATED BY MEN.
HERE'S MORTON DISCUSSION.
>> THIS TOPIC IS SOMETHING THAT I CAME TO IN DIFFERENT
DIRECTIONS, THROUGH MY ONLY PERSONAL LISTENING AND TRYING TO
USE THAT IN THE CLASSROOM AS WELL AS A WAY TO TALK ABOUT
GENDER IN POPULAR CULTURE.
AND IT IS DIFFICULT BECAUSE WHEN I'M FOCUSED SPECIFICALLY ON
WOMEN OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN DESCENT, WOMEN OF COLOR, WHO ARE
IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY I TEND TO FOCUS ON HIP-HOP AND
CONTEMPORARY POP MUSIC, AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT THERE ARE NOT A
LOT OF VARIETY OF THE WAYS IN WHICH WOMEN -- THE WAYS IN WHICH
WOMEN ARE PORTRAYED IN MUSIC.
USUALLY EITHER IN THE BACKGROUND AS KIND OF FILLER IN VIDEOS, OR
THERE ARE SPECIFIC TROPES ABOUT BEING A STRONG WOMAN OR HYPER
S -- HYPERSEXUAL.
WHAT CAN BE SEEN AS EMPOWERING IS PERFECT STUFF TO BRING TO THE
CLASSROOM, TO ENGAGE WITH THE STUDENTS OF THIS GENERATION AND
TRY AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS IN LARGER SOCIETY.
>> WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT HYPERSEXUALITY, ARE ARTISTS
DOING THAT BECAUSE THEY KNOW IT WILL SELL?
THEY ARE PROBABLY LIKE, YES, PEOPLE WILL WATCH, IF YOU'RE
DOING SOMETHING PROVOCATIVE BUT DOESN'T THE ARTIST COMPROMISE
HERSELF IF YOU KIND OF GIVE INTO THAT?
>> I MEAN, YES.
OF COURSE, THESE ARE REALLY HEATED DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAVE
IN MY CLASSES, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS, IS THERE ANY WAY TO
BE HYPER SEXUAL WHERE IT'S A HUNDRED PERCENT WHAT YOU WANT TO
DO?
WE DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT IS IN THE MINDS OF WOMEN WHO DO
THIS, BUT EXAMPLES, YOU KNOW, WHICH WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THIS
PAST SEMESTER, CARTY B. AND HER STORY AS KIND OF A COME-UP STORY
IN TERMS OF HER LEAVING SCHOOL TO BECOME A STRIPPER, AND THEN
SHE USED SOCIAL MEDIA AS A PLATFORM, AND THEN THAT LED TO
HER MUSIC.
IT WASN'T THE MUSIC THAT STARTED HER CAREER.
IT WAS INSTAGRAM, AND IS SHE TAKING IT AND TURNING IT ON ITS
HEAD?
SOME WOULD SAY YES.
>> HOW IS SHE TURNING IT ON ITS HEAD?
>> BY UNDERSTANDING THAT HER BODY IS A COMMODITY, AND CALLING
THAT OUT AND SAYING THAT I REALIZE THAT I SHOULD TAKE THIS
ELEVATED ROLE THAT'S BEEN GIVEN TO ME BY USING MY SEXUALITY IN A
WAY THAT'S OFTEN BEEN SEEN AS NEGATIVE, AND THEN TALKING ABOUT
ISSUES LIKE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WENT VIRAL WAS HER TALKING
ABOUT THE SHUTDOWN OF THE GOVERNMENT, THE 35 DAYS IT WAS
SHUT DOWN AND SHE ACTUALLY HAD THIS INSTAGRAM MOMENT THAT WAS
RETWEETED AND SENATORS WERE RESPONDING TO IT.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST ONE SMALL THING BUT THAT WAS LITERALLY A
60-SECOND VIDEO IN WHICH HER FAN BASE, SOME MIGHT HAVE NOT
ENGAGED IN THAT NEWS STORY ACTUALLY ENGAGED IN THAT NEWS
STORY.
THAT WAS JUST ONE LITTLE EXAMPLE.
>> YOU MENTIONED HER BODY AS A COMMODITY.
AS A WOMAN AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU HEAR FROM THE WOMAN'S
MOVEMENT YOU DON'T WANT YOUR BODY TO BE A COMMODITY, RIGHT?
YOU WANT PEOPLE TO LIKE YOU FOR WHO YOU ARE ON THE INSIDE, YOUR
INTELLIGENCE, WHY, PARTICULARLY IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, DO YOU
HAVE TO PORTRAY THAT KIND OF APPEARANCE?
WHY CAN'T YOU JUST SING?
SO WHY IS THAT SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU POWERFUL?
YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE MIGHT SAY, GEES, WOMEN ARE BETTER THAN
THAT?
>> I MEAN, I GET THAT ARGUMENT, AND -- BUT FOR ME, WHAT I TEACH
ABOUT HIP-HOP, I TALK ABOUT ALSO THE HYPERMASCULINITY OF IT AND
THE VIOLENCE OF IT.
WHY ARE MEN PORTRAYED IN THIS HYPERMASCULINE WAY OF BEING
THREATENING, AND WHY ARE WOMEN BEING SEEN AS HYPERSEXUAL?
HOW IS THAT NOT KIND OF PULLING BACK PROGRESS, AND THE IDEAS OF
US AS INDIVIDUALS, AS FOLKS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN DESCENT.
THE TRUTH IS, IT BECOMES, NOT THAT IT'S EMPOWERING.
IT'S THE IDEA THAT YOU'RE CALLING OUT, THAT THAT MUSIC
INDUSTRY IS A REFLECTION OF LARGER SOCIETY.
UNFORTUNATELY WOMEN ARE STILL PUT INTO THESE BOXES THAT ARE
PROBLEMATIC.
UNTIL WE BEGIN TO ADDRESS THEM HEAD-ON AND NOT ACT LIKE WOMEN
MAKE AS MUCH AS MEN.
WOMEN, I'M A PROFESSOR AND I KNOW THAT IN THE ACADEMY, MY
WORK IS QUESTIONED SLIGHTLY MORE THAN MY MALE COLLEAGUES FOR THE
QUALITY OR THE QUANTITY.
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME BEING HYPERSEXUAL.
IT HAS TO DO WITH MY GENDER SPECIFICALLY AND IF I ADD RACE
IT'S A WHOLE OTHER CONVERSATION.
I THINK IT'S SUCH A FINE LINE BETWEEN WHAT IS EMPOWERING AND
WHAT IS CALLING OR BRINGING TO LIGHT WHAT IS IN SOCIETY.
>> RIGHT.
BUT I DON'T THINK CARTY B. IS HELPING ANYBODY'S CASE AS FAR AS
GENDER EQUALITY IN TERMS OF BEING PAID THE SAME.
PEOPLE WOULD ARGUE, IS THAT REALLY GOING TO HELP THE CAUSE
FOR WOMEN OR ELEVATE WOMEN IN ANY WAY?
>> I THINK THAT HER PATH SHOULD NOT -- I WOULD HAVE TO BE
HONEST.
I DON'T THINK HER PATH SHOULD BE VILLAINIZED.
THERE ARE WOMEN WHO HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE WITHIN GIRLS THAT
LOOK UP TO HER FOR WHATEVER REASON BECAUSE OF THE WAYS IN
WHICH THEY ARE KIND OF SOCIALIZED INTO SOCIETY, AND TO
SEE HER CONTINUE TO CALL OUT, AND I SAY, I KNOW IT'S
PROVOCATIVE FOR ME TO SAY HER BODY IS A COMMODITY BUT SHE
CALLS THAT OUT AS A LEVEL OF, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS TO GET
MONEY, BUT IF MATERIAL WEALTH IS WHAT YOU WANT, THEN UNDERSTAND
THAT YOUR BODY ITSELF CAN BE COMMODITIZED, AND THAT'S SO
PROBLEMATIC BUT IT'S A REFLECTION OF THE LARGER
SOCIETY.
>> I THINK IT DOES UPSET PEOPLE TO HEAR THAT.
IT'S OKAY.
I THINK THAT PART OF THE REASON WHY CELEBS ARE SO PREVALENT, NOT
ALL OF US, NOT ME, BUT CELEBS ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO THE
LIVES OF EVERYDAY PEOPLE.
WE'RE SO ATTACHED TO MATERIALISM AND GETTING MORE AND BEING
FAMOUS AND USING SOCIAL MEDIA AS A PLATFORM TO DO THAT, THAT WE
TEND TO LOSE SIGHT OF WHAT THAT IMPACTS IN OUR LIVES AND IN OUR
ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND HOW DOES SOCIAL JUSTICE GET PUSHED AND
PROMOTED BY, YOU KNOW, YOUNG TEENAGERS AND YOUNG ADULTS WHOSE
SOLE GOAL IS TO HAVE A MILLION FOLLOWERS ON INSTAGRAM OR
TWITTER.
I THINK THAT WE'RE IN A DAY AND AGE WHERE THERE IS A COMPLEXITY
OF THE WAYS IN WHICH FOLKS CAN FIND WAYS TO EMPOWER THEMSELVES
AND I DON'T THINK CARTY B. SHOULD BE HELD UP AS THE ONLY
WAY BUT THAT'S ONE WAY.
SHE HAS THIS LOVELY PROBABLY 30-SECOND VIDEO ON INSTAGRAM
ABOUT WHAT'S THE MEANING OF A FEMINIST?
SHE SAYS SHE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A FEMINIST AND PART OF IT IS
NOT BECAUSE SHE WAS A STRIPPER BUT PART OF IT IS BECAUSE OF
WHERE SHE'S FROM.
FEMINISM IS FOR OTHER PEOPLE AND HER RESPONSE TO IT IS I'M A
FEMINIST AND I BELIEVE IN THE EQUALITY OF WOMEN.
HOW CAN WE LIVE AS COMPLICATED PEOPLE WHEN WE KNOW SHE WAS A
STRIPPER BUT IF YOU LISTEN TO A LOT OF HER SONGS SHE TALKS ABOUT
THE PAIN OF CHOOSING BETWEEN SCHOOL AND FEEDING HER FAMILY.
AND SO, IN THE SAME WAYS THAT THERE IS SYMPATHY OR ADMIRATION
FOR JZ, HE DIDN'T START OUT IN A LEGAL WAY, HE STARTED OUT AS, I
CALL FROM WHERE I'M FROM, STREET PHARMACEUTICALS, HE SOLD DRUGS
AND THAT'S HOW HE EVENTUALLY FILTERED INTO BECOMING A RAP
ARTIST AND NOW HE AND HIS WIFE ARE VERY WEALTHY AND THE KINDS
OF MONEY AND PHILANTHROPY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES THAT THEY
FUND AND PUT MONEY TOWARD ARE PHENOMENAL BUT HE DIDN'T START
IN A WAY THAT WAS TRADITIONAL, IN A WAY THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE
WOULD HAVE PROBLEMS WITH.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE MIGHT ARGUE WITH THE FACT THAT IT'S A SHAME
BECAUSE I BET SO MANY OF THESE MUSICIANS, WHO ARE OUT THERE
PERFORMING IN DIFFERENT WAYS, MAYBE PROVOCATIVE WAYS, HAVE SO
MUCH TALENT BUT IT LIKE YOU HAVE TO GET THROUGHOUT AND DO THAT.
BUT LAST QUESTION FOR YOU.
POLITICS IN MUSIC.
A LOT OF PEOPLE MIGHT SAY, LISTEN, I JUST WANT TO ESCAPE.
WHEN I TURN THE RADIO ON, I DON'T WANT TO CARE ABOUT, YOU
KNOW, WHO IS TWEETING WHAT, WHAT JUST HAPPENED IN THE NEWS, I
JUST WANT TO DRIVE HOME FROM WORK AND JUST, YOU KNOW, FORGET
ABOUT MY DAY.
WHY CAN'T ENTERTAINERS JUST KIND OF LEAVE IT TO THE SIDE?
>> I THINK THERE ARE SOME THAT DO, AND FOR ME, I KNOW THAT IT'S
SO POSITIVE TO HAVE A VARIETY OF MUSIC AND ARTISTS IN YOUR LIFE.
I KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME DAYS WHERE I REALLY WANT TO HEAR THE
POLITICAL RAP.
I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT EMPOWERMENT, THE IMPORTANCE OF
IT, AND THEN THERE ARE TIMES THAT I JUST WANT TO RELAX OR
DANCE OR ENJOY.
SO I THINK THERE IS A VARIETY, BUT I THINK THERE IS ALWAYS
GOING TO BE POLITICS IN MUSIC, ESPECIALLY IN BLACK MUSIC,
BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK BACK TO BLUES AND R&B THAT ACTUALLY
BIRTHED HIP-HOP, IT WAS TELLING STORIES.
IT WAS TELLING THE STORY THAT WASN'T BEING TOLD IN HISTORY
BOOKS OR IN THE COLLECTIVE MEMORY OF OUR COUNTRY.
IT WAS A WAY OF EXPRESSION AND A LOT OF THAT EXPRESSION IS
PAINFUL AND A LOT OF THAT EXPRESSION IS ANGER, AND A LOT
OF THAT EXPRESSION IS MEANINGFUL AT CERTAIN TIMES IN YOUR LIFE
WHEN YOU KIND OF NEED THAT INSPIRATION OR INFORMATION.