Megan Thee Stallion

[Ispini]

OK I’m showing my age but I have just seen some videos of this ‘musician/singer’, I’m completely stunned. How on earth are our kids supposed to have standards when this crap is being peddled as music.

In the olden days Madonna was a rebel, I feel so sorry for our girls as they see these ‘role models’ daily! Dreadful!

@foxgoosefinch

How on earth do you know the two are connected?

Even if they are, that's on the PARENTS for not monitoring what their kids are listening to. WAP is a song made for adults, not 9 year olds. My 8yo DS has certainly never listened to it since he doesn't have unsupervised internet access. Bad parenting there.

@Waxonwaxoff0 exactly. There will always be bad parents who don’t give a shit what their kids are watching or listening to unfortunately. Does that mean we should completely ban any films/tv music that’s not strictly PG?

[quote Waxonwaxoff0]@foxgoosefinch

How on earth do you know the two are connected?

Even if they are, that's on the PARENTS for not monitoring what their kids are listening to. WAP is a song made for adults, not 9 year olds. My 8yo DS has certainly never listened to it since he doesn't have unsupervised internet access. Bad parenting there.[/quote]
Yeah, neither does my kid but she’s growing up in a porn culture all the same, isn’t she?

People can do what they want and like what they want. Doesn’t mean it’s feminist or that it’s not collusion with the male gaze/porn culture just to make some cash. Plenty of artists that don’t, white and woc.

Lana del Ray called to say she approves of this thread.

I can’t stand Lana del Rey - what a derivative load of shite.

@foxgoosefinch so who makes it into your approval list

I cannot believe people are recommending Billie Eilish as an example of postive role models. The first time I learnt about her was on mn about one of her songs singing about brusing herself during sex. A song co- written by her brother.

"bruising"

There's a conversation to be had about porn culture, objectification, etc but singling out Megan - who's just become popular like 5 minutes ago - and making her the face of this conversation, when this has been going on long before she was born is at best.

She's following what others taught her, what she saw growing up, what she feels is best, what she chooses to do based on the options available.

Now who're these teachers, the handlers, the audience flocking to certain kinds of entertainment and not others, therefore creating the demand, directing what sells (the most) and what doesn't, dictating what the bosses focus on in order to yield the highest profit and what the entertainers are willing to do in order to be as successful as they want to be? This is the root-cause. Let's talk about them.

As someone who is also mixed, I completely agree with you.
I've been called a nigger in a racial attack and this bullshit is way more insidious, worrying and dangerous in my eyes.

Also mixed here, but disagree on the whole.

-There are those like my mum who dislike all rap and would phone the pastor if they hear it - whether by man or woman

-There are those that hate it because it's a woman. This is usually men who listen to rap who can't take it from a woman

Both of these groups include other black people.

Sure, those who love Madonna and Pearl clutch at Megan exist. Personally, I wasn't around in the Madonna era so I don't really know, I'll admit. But the biggest factor that a going to be her sex here (I think).

Maybe my post could've been phrased better. Yes, some are hypocrites, but a fair amount is just about her being a woman and it being less common... idk, it's a problem either way

I feel that the modern day female rappers are almost satiring the pornographised expectations of women and using it to reclaim and empower female sexuality. Is it appropriate for children? No but their target audience isn’t children. Children do not tend to have the deposable income which adults use to buy their music/merchandise/gig tickets that is their income.

I admire Meghan thee stallion. She’s doing her music thing whilst ensuring she gets her education.

[quote alicesfavouritepen]@foxgoosefinch so who makes it into your approval list [/quote]
My playlist is too cool to divulge

Seriously though, plenty of black female artists who are musically innovative but still not doing the porn thing - try Arlo Parks, Too Good; Musinah; I loved FKA Twigs’ Magdalene (try Home With You which is amazing), but regretfully she seems recently to be edging closer to the Cardi B stuff in order to break the US market. Case in point…

I do think there is a genuine discussion to be had about the effects of porn on the psyche of young men and women, or boys and girls, if you will as they're accessing pornographic material at alarmingly young ages. And the subsequent expectations of what sex should be or look like - I read something about young women for example having anal sex because it was just 'the done thing' despite them finding it painful and unprepared for it (even if they wanted to try it).

But having said that I fundamentally don't think Megan is responsible for creating that toxicity nor any other black woman who chooses to twerk in batty riders (extremely short shorts for those who don't know). Yet time and time again it seems to me that white women feel the erosion of innocence and more so that of their children is being wielded by any popular black musician whereas any white musician who does it is merely 'experimenting' or being a 'rebel' or 'non-conformist'. I am not a feminist primarily because to me feminism seems to be the preserve of a certain kind of white woman who relates to black women by either castigating her or wanting to save her. Both of which I don't need, nor want.

I think then we agree totally in relation to your first paragraph, @VladmirsPoutine. But in your second, I certainly don’t excuse white female singers from this at all - in fact they are more culpable because there are clearly more established other ways to get your music heard as a white female singer without colluding with the misogynist expectations of a male industry or audience. Can’t stand those either.

There are plenty of musical artists who don’t make use of porn culture tropes or aesthetics to make money - some of the great black feminist and especially black lesbian singers have never done this and still managed a great career. They might have to take someone like the great Joan Armatrading as a model though, rather than Cardi B. Sure, Joan doesn’t make Cardi B’s money; but she’s a thousand times a better artist and musician.

(And I have to say, in all my life I’ve never heard a better set from any musician ever than Joan playing live. She’s phenomenal and there are many other black female musicians who eclipse Megan TS in talent by a long way and have never engaged in the porn stuff.)

@Crimeismymiddlename

I don’t know, she is clever and educated. Cardi B is also clever as well as being very savvy. They both have an insane work ethic. Cardi in particular is tough. I can think of worse people for little girls to look up to. Music videos have always objectified women, so really the main issue is that this is the marketing that works. That’s not MTS or Cardi’s fault. People never complain about the gloryfying of violence/murder/drugs or bad behaviour towards women on male artists videos and how they are ‘role models’ for little boys.

Yes they have!!! Come on now...people have been complaining about the misogyny and glorification of violence in rap for decades. I remember uproar in the 80s. Our poor boys! It's been divisive for so long. Even when the performers are crazily talented there is no doubt the subject matter can be offensive to many. It is what it is.

[quote LuckyAmy1986]@Waxonwaxoff0 exactly. There will always be bad parents who don’t give a shit what their kids are watching or listening to unfortunately. Does that mean we should completely ban any films/tv music that’s not strictly PG?[/quote]
Half the shows on Netflix are full of soft porn scenes.

@debbrianna

I cannot believe people are recommending Billie Eilish as an example of postive role models. The first time I learnt about her was on mn about one of her songs singing about brusing herself during sex. A song co- written by her brother.

There's more to life than sex. Sadly women in the music industry get reduced to sex songs.

I never expected this thread to have so many responses. I genuinely didn’t mean to be provocative and am shocked at some of the more ‘assertive’ responses, some of which are OTT.
I most certainly did not mean to infer any racist issue as intimated by some posters. I am mixed race and the issue of colour or culture was never an issue in the original post.
I was merely making a point about music, lyrics, music videos in general. I just think it’s a shame that young kids are seeing stuff they can’t handle online. I’m starting to work with a group assessing the effects of online sexual/ porn exposure on young kids and the effects on mental health. It all just seems to be the norm that youngsters can access to porn and it’s creating serious mental health and behaviour issues.
I’m not posting to piss anyone off, I just think being aware and more monitoring is important for all our kids.

I think sex and general behaviour on Love island affects young people more than music videos becuase of its realisticness.

I had never heard of her but had a look and musically she seems pretty good. Reminds me of Wu Tang type rapping which (despite incredible sexism) I like a lot. I just watched her Thot Shit video and it seems quite Cool to me TBH - taking down a hypocritical old white male politician. The grinding thing is very sexualised but I Reckon it’s a take back type thing. Male rappers have been crotch groping for forty odd years without much more a than a eyelid batted so hmmmm. I’d certainly not be worried about my 14 year old daughter looking at the vid. She’s got some sense that it’s a persona she watching not a real person.

Isn't WAP really just the 2020's version of 'my neck, my back, lick my pussy and my crack'

I will believe we have equality when we see Jay Z and Kanye in tight shorts jiggling their asses for their fans.

Until then, I despair that these talented women feel they have to wear practically nothing and be sexualised eye candy for teenage wankers to be taken seriously in the music industry.

@Interrobanger

The thing that’s most upsetting about MTS is that she is insanely talented. She’s been a battle rapper for years and she’s an amazing lyricist.

It’s a testament to our shorty society that she couldn’t get to where she is on pure talent alone and she had to collude in her own objectification in order to be heard.

THIS.

She's a puppet frankly, and it is horrid.

Does the same thing, spreads the same message in every damn song. I'm sure she's tired of it herself.

@SummaLuvin

while I do think we should question why female empowerment looks a lot like the male fantasy, that is a much broader, deeper, and complex societal issue that we can't lay at MTS door.

Agree.