As a child growing up during the late 90s and early 21st century, I believed I was worldly-wise, liberal and open-minded about most things I was presented with. I grew up watching television like Nickelodeonâs Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Cartoon Networkâs Ed, Edd n Eddy and CBBCâs Smart, but itâs the music videos I watched on MTV that stick most prominently in my mind. My child-self would be horrified if she had the chance to watch the videos of 2012. The worst I ever encountered as a pre-teen were Shaggyâs âIt Wasnât Meâ, SisqĂłâs âThong Songâ, and t.A.T.uâs âAll the Things She Saidâ. At the time I didnât understand why most of them were rude: I had to ask my older sisters for cultural guidance.
Perhaps I led a very sheltered childhood, but I think the music videos of the 21st century are getting worse. Itâs not necessarily that theyâre becoming more explicit, itâs simply that what is deemed as socially acceptable seems to have shifted and widened dramatically. I remember being mildly shocked by the lyrics of Bloodhound Gangâs âThe Bad Touchâ (âLetâs do it like they do on the discovery channelâ) but this somewhat subtle reference to sex teemed with the comical monkey costumes somehow managed to cancel each other out in my seven-year-old mind. I think it was with the emergence of more rap (less Beastie Boys and more Akon) that songs and their relating videos became much more explicit. Perhaps if Akonâs video for his 2006 song âSmack Thatâ had involved more monkey costumes and less grinding women it wouldnât have seemed so bad, but the explicit lyrics (âsmack that, âtil you get soreâ) teemed with the video itself just seem inappropriate for day time viewing.Â
However, itâs not only men who are to blame for creating inappropriate songs and music videos â women have created their fair share too. As if Rihannaâs lyrics to her 2011 song âS&Mâ werenât bad enough, the video definitely has the shock factor. The video shows various people sporting ball gags and leads, followed by Rihanna tied up by the wrists and ankles, doing what can only be described as âdeep-throatingâ a banana. Now, am I just being completely naĂŻve, or is this kind of thing wildly unsuitable for young audiences? Although the video was banned in various countries and does have restricted viewing on YouTube, banning things often makes them more desirable to the general public â especially to the young and impressionable. Explicit music videos are shown on various music channels throughout the day, meaning they can be (and are) viewed by people of all ages. When my young cousins come to visit, I consciously donât have music channels on, as I know that there are videos around which I wouldnât want them to be exposed to at such a young age.
Although Nicki Minaj may seem tame in comparison to Rihanna, she still has her fair share of explicit lyrics and inappropriate videos. Iâve heard many people express their admiration for Minaj, as she celebrates the female form by prancing around beaches in bikinis, challenging the male dominated world of rap. Itâs no secret, however, that sheâs had at least one surgical enhancement: do people want to teach the young and innocent that unnatural augmentations are needed to make one comfortable with oneâs body? If her lack of clothing wasnât bad enough, her lyrics make it worse. A few examples of her lyrics include âf*ck who you want and f*ck who you likeâ and âIâm a bad b*tch, no muzzleâ. Although admittedly, these are censored when played on music channels and the radio, anyone could still hear them if they bought her album, searched for her on YouTube or looked up her lyrics.
So maybe you could argue that nakedness is the most natural state possible, and women have every right to show off their bodies in music videos if they so desire. But itâs the normalisation and sexualisation of this nudity on television and how it has become socially acceptable that bothers me. 13 years ago I remember being shocked by Christina Aguilera showing her stomach in her 1999 video for âWhat a Girl Wantsâ, not to mention her leather pants! Now you canât turn on 4music without being faced with a girlâs bum cheek, or being bombarded by a suggestive lyric or two. Films, games and even books sometimes carry age ratings, but some music and videos seem to get past this. Although I am glad that songs are being censored, it goes back to my earlier point: if people want to hear the uncensored versions of songs, they will.
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