TikTok is the new home for people’s passions on social media. It is clear that so many creators are finding that the format is the perfect place to express love for their favourite things such as music, films and games.
It is undeniable that TikTok has completely transformed the landscape for content on social media. Most people would agree that the extremely addicting short videos in the app have changed the way they enjoy viewing content online.
And who can blame us? TikTok has become an overflowing melting pot for every type of video you could possibly imagine which is why it is so unbelievably entertaining to scroll through. The algorithm has the incredible ability to discern the content that you love to watch on TikTok- in fact, I find TikTok knows I like things before I’ve even engaged with any videos related to it.
However, I can’t help but slowly start to see a pattern emerge that has made me reconsider much of my interests throughout my whole life. This is the blatant fact that women can’t seem to enjoy anything without it being undermined, criticised or even venomously hated by men. It seems that on countless occasions, I open the comments on a video and am completely shocked by the hateful misogyny regarding the subject of the TikTok which seems to be purely because it was targeted at women.
In my opinion, the area in which this is most rife is within the music industry. It seems that whenever an artist has a fanbase made up of mostly women, the musician or band is instantly labelled to be ‘bad’. This can be seen in the likes of Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and Olivia Rodrigo. Despite the incredible talent that these artists possess, it is not seen as enough to be taken seriously by men. They are repeatedly called cringy, lame and ‘not real music’ in the comments of TikTok’s about them despite the fact that these are some of the most popular artists in the world right now. Women are told we couldn’t possibly have good music taste but prove ourselves as some of the most reliable and passionate music lovers.
Last year when Spotify Wrapped came out, I felt embarrassed because all 5 of my top artists were ‘Pop Girls’ such as Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa. I didn’t want to post it online because I didn’t want people to judge me for not listening to ‘real’ or ‘good’ music. In that moment, I reflected suddenly on my own thoughts – my own internalised misogyny undermined the music I love and know is great. So often, women are shamed into being embarrassed by the music we like to listen to, and it should not be acceptable. It is hard to find a single music artist with a predominately female fanbase that does not get constantly belittled by men on apps like TikTok.
In the fight for gender equality, there are so many issues that need to be addressed and this may not seem to be the most important. However, for teenage girls, it’s a struggle to feel that everything you love is not good enough for some people and therefore it is vital that girls are not left to feel embarrassed for what they like.
In the end, I proudly posted my Spotify Wrapped, highlighting very boldly on my Instagram story how pleased I was with the results!