This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at USFSP chapter.
“Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby
Let me know
Girl I’m gonna show you how to do it
And we start real slow
You just put your lips together
And you come real close
Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby
Here we go….”
These polluting words come from the radio and enter a young boys mind. It corrupts his mind. This world tells him women are object’s so his mind repeats it. These lyrics tell him these objects (women) can be used for his pleasure. Instead of viewing a woman as a person, he sees something he can manipulate to get what he desires. All his life he sees women being degraded, and he stands ready to throw the first punch.
This is how boys can transform into degrading jerks. I know most of us have met a guy like this before. The guy who won’t stop at anything to get what he wants. He tells women “I love you,” but is really saying “take off all your clothes.” He uses soft words that hit your heart where it needs to be filled. He leaves you flowers on your doorstep, and then hits the door running when you fall under his trap. Or the guy who won’t stop taking off your clothes with his mind. This guy eyes you up in down in the halls at your school.
Most of us know a guy who degrades women, a guy that uses women like they’re tools in his tool box. He uses the ones that will get the job done, and then leaves the ones who won’t. We don’t realize where it starts, but I believe a man’s degrading nature begins with music.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average child listens to more than 2 1/2 hours of music a day. When boys are listening to words such as, “And possibly bend you over, look back and watch me Smack that, all on the floor. Smack that, give me some more. Smack that, ’til you get sore,” they are influenced to believe woman don’t deserve respect.
According to “Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,” a study in 2003 was published about how violent lyrics increase both aggressive thoughts and aggressive feelings. The study also warns, “Repeated exposure to violent lyrics may contribute to the development of an aggressive personality.” The same would be true for music that degrades women. Degrading music increases sexual and degrading thoughts.
Now what does this mean for us as women? This means stop bopping our head and singing to songs like “Smack that” by Akon and “Whistle” by FLO-RIDA. “Whistle” was #8 on billboard’s top 100 songs of 2012. This means it was all over radio stations around the United States influencing men to use women as objects. Some women just enjoy a good beat, and I have to admit “Whistle,” does have a great beat. However, the words make all of it very displeasing. Next time, when a song catches your ears attention make sure to listen to the words.
As women, we all deserve to be loved and respected. Any man should learn how to treat a woman. We should be willing to stand up to the media that display women as objects.