No doubt, you and your friends have listened to Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallions new song “WAP”. The moment that this song was released, the two received a lot of backlash from predominately middle aged white conservative men. It comes to many as no surprise that these men are offended by the lyrics that allow women to feel good about enjoying sex.
A republican congressional candidate from California, James P. Bradley, spoke out against this song writing, “Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion are what happens when children are raised without God and without a strong father figure. Their new ‘song’ The #WAP (which I heard accidentally) made me want to pour holy water in my ears and I feel sorry for future girls if this is their role model!”. In this one statement, Bradly puts down Cardi and Megan’s creative art, their sexuality, and the empowerment that females received from listening to this song.
Other opponents of the song are claiming that this it is ‘setting the female gender back’. In reality, Cardi and Megan are attempting to normalize sex positivity. It is a regressive idea to think that only men should talk about, or even derive pleasure from sex. “WAP” allows women to feel confident in the idea that they should be able to seek pleasure from sex the same way a male might. By providing a song about the female sexual experience, the two women reach many who have not otherwise had a positive female role model to explain this.
While putting down this song is not only offensive to the pair and to women everywhere, it also dismisses the entirety of male sexuality in their own songs. Many male rappers, and other male artists, have sang sexual, demeaning lyrics with little to no resistance. Many have no problem listening to and enjoying their versions of owning their sexuality, but when it is two women of color, minds change.