The younger generation of Latinos grew up with Reggaeton exploding as a genre between the 90s and 2000s. We can certainly say that this genre raised us! But the debate of Reggaeton being “machista” (“misogynist”) or “muy sucio” (“too dirty”)—a debate mostly fueled by our generation’s parents and grandparents—has been lingering ever since its conception.
But is that assumption that it holds misogynistic ideas really true? Is it safe to say that about the whole genre? I would say that it depends.
Many of our favorite female reguetóneras are open in their music about their sexuality and riches—a topic that is typically considered taboo in many cultures, even in Hispanic culture. Because of the traditional values of the Latino culture, sexuality in women is mostly forbidden in discussion as women are expected to be pure, submissive (in bed and marriage) and have good morals to raise children. Female sexuality in music is actually a very progressive idea that advocates and normalizes female pleasure, sexual desire and liberation which many women are taught to be ashamed of, or simply aren’t taught at all. This could ultimately counter the deeply-rooted idea of men’s open sexuality being the only one celebrated and acknowledged whereas women’s is restricted to preserve modesty and reputation.
Let’s look at some song lyrics, for example Karol G’s, one of the most beloved and recognized Reggaeton artists of the 2020s. In 2017 she released a song titled “Ahora me llama” (“Now he calls me”). One of my personal favorite lyrics since I first heard this song is “Que vivir de amores, eso ya no me hace falta; yo soy dueña de mi vida, a mí nadie me manda” (“Living for love, I don’t need that anymore. I am the owner of my own life, no one tells me what to do.”) Those two lines of the song itself, as small as they may seem, destroy the “machismo” movement; it gives women autonomy over their own lives and portrays love, life, and relationships as just another aspect of life that one doesn’t need to live by, very different from the expectation of women to be loyal, submissive and 100% committed to their partners.
“Que vivir de amores, eso ya no me hace falta; yo soy dueña de mi vida, a mí nadie me manda.”
“Living for love, I don’t need that anymore. I am the owner of my own life, no one tells me what to do.”
—Karol G
Additionally, though unexpected by many, we can also take a deep-dive into lyrics by Bad Bunny. It wasn’t until a few years ago that Bad Bunny was hated by everyone’s parents and neighbors for his inappropriate lyrics, but in 2022 he released a song on his popular album “Un Verano Sin Ti” with a very powerful, yet sad and uncomfortable, story behind it titled “Andrea.” This track tells the story of a young Puerto Rican woman who suffers domestic violence and survives an abusive relationship. The song does not romanticize her story; rather, it is rather raw and realistic about what happens to her, and the pain she lived by, even as far as saying lines like “Como si ser mujer fuera un pecado” (As if being a woman was a sin), or addressing her as “Guerrera” (warrior). In this song, Bad Bunny acknowledges the dangers of being a woman in Latin-American dating culture and condemns Puerto Rican society for normalizing gender-based violence.
However, there is another side to Reggaeton that proves that misogyny does indeed exist everywhere. A lot of songs, mostly the ones by male artists, make firm usage of typical derogatory words and imply beliefs of women being sexual objects meant for men’s pleasure, or allow for the normalization of being a “mujeriego” (womanizer). Although this being one of my personal favorite songs, we have to look into the themes of Maluma’s “Cuatro Babys” which by the name itself describes an ongoing hook-up relationship with 4 different women: “Estoy enamorado de cuatro babies, siempre me dan lo que quiero” (I am in love with 4 babies, they always give me what I want”). And this is only one example of many songs that dehumanize women into sexual objects, and revolve around other historically sexist topics.
It’s difficult to give a solid answer to the aforementioned topic question. On one hand, Reggaeton uplifts women indulging in self-pleasure, whereas on the other it just degrades them for male pleasure. I believe one can enjoy the music and our culture. Nevertheless, it’s important for us to acknowledge the roots of these ideas that we hear so normalized in our playlists, and work towards destroying them to achieve a goal where neither men or women are ashamed of a common aspect of life.