Gatekeeping is out and gatebreaking is in

Have you ever heard the term “gatekeeping” when it comes to music, movies or anything pop culture related? Have you ever been gatekept? Maybe you’ve even taken part in the gatekeeping yourself.

Gatekeeping is the act of purposely not sharing your interest or taste in music, clothing, makeup, movies, etc., in the hopes of keeping them less popular or “niche.”

Someone might gatekeep if they are trying to develop their own style and are looking for more unique pieces to add to their wardrobe. Sometimes, gatekeeping can be done to keep a product less popular because higher demand leads to higher prices. While these reasons for gatekeeping seem reasonable — it sucks to see your favorite mascara or facewash constantly out of stock or hiked up in prices — other motivators for gatekeeping have always seemed unnecessary to me. 

I love music and finding new songs to listen to, and I hate when I see a comment on a video along the lines of, “Don’t let them know about this one,” referring to the song in the video. I especially don’t like it when people say this about small artists who are still growing their fanbase. Generally, people make music to share with others and grow a fanbase. More exposure leads to more fans. Why would we want to minimize exposure and stunt small artists’ growth? Not only does it hurt the artist directly, but you’re also just keeping art from others who can benefit from it, too.

Some gatekeepers argue that people may not understand or “get” the art like they do, that the art is meant for complex minds or hyperspecific personalities. The reality is, we all are complex beings with unique thought processes and feelings. We may gravitate toward trends or have more basic styles, but a lot of that stems from the environment and people we surround ourselves with. Those interests (generally) say nothing about how we think and feel. 

I’ve always been a believer in the idea that art is meant to be interpreted; it doesn’t always have one specific message, and the beauty of it comes from how each individual understands it differently. This means anyone has the option to enjoy something in their own way.

Furthermore, liking more niche or less popular things doesn’t make you superior or cooler than anyone else. You may have more distinctive opinions or interests, but that doesn’t entitle you to art or media. Moreover, someone else’s interest in something shouldn’t take away from your experience with it. If you truly feel you have a connection to something — and it plays a big part in who you are — someone else enjoying the same thing should change nothing for you. 

It’s the same as if someone doesn’t like the same things as you; their disliking doesn’t affect your liking.

Art and media bring people together; entire communities are made from even the nichest of interests. People need to feel a sense of belonging to fulfill their needs. They can build unlikely relationships on the foundation that they both enjoy something specific, and those relationships can become valuable to each party.

If we gatekeep all our niche interests, we are preventing new relationships from building — this impedes our ability to be sociable. Additionally, it reinforces the prevalent “us vs. them” thinking. When we constantly see others as unworthy of exposure to art we enjoy, we create division. To me, gatekeeping radiates juvenile mean girl energy. It hurts to be told as a kid that you aren’t allowed to play or sit with a certain group of girls just because you’re different. 

Our differences separate us and make us unique, but we should always find ways to come together. 

Sometimes I understand why people don’t want their interests to become popular, especially when it means songs become overplayed or clothing becomes a micro-trend. Overplayed songs get repetitive to the point where they aren’t enjoyable, and micro-trends minimize the quality of clothing. Those are both reasonable defenses to gatekeeping, but we shouldn’t gatekeep because of entitlement or superiority. 

Instead of gatekeeping, we should be gatebreaking. 

We should share all the new music we have discovered with anyone willing to listen. We should share our beauty tips to help our fellow women feel as confident as we do. We should share what we enjoy so others can enjoy it too. We can create relationships or strengthen old ones, the more we share with each other. Especially during times like these, we should be trying to find community as much as possible.

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