You may have listened to Sabrina Carpenter’s newest album ‘Short n’ Sweet’ and become obsessed along with the rest of the world. Since the album’s release, it has claimed the number one spot on the Billboard 100 and has over 160 million streams worldwide. There are many things to love about this album, but one thing that has caught everyone’s eye is her sexy lyrics and humorous rhymes.
Carpenter has opened up the conversation of women’s sex positivity through her newest 12-song album. The album consists of her summer hit single “Espresso,” which now has over a billion plays on Spotify. Whether Sabrina is discussing her coffee order or her terrible ex-boyfriends, she continues the conversation of women’s pleasure. Carpenter is putting to bed the stigma around women’s sexuality by “using her pink fuzzy handcuffs” and singing Shakespeare to normalize the topic.
In today’s music, major female artists like Charli XCX have also joined in on the fun with her newest release “Guess,” featuring Billie Eilish. The song includes Charli XCX and Eilish describing undergarments, “You wanna guess the color of my underwear?” Fun and flirty pop songs such as these ignite the conversation for female artists in the music industry by building normal conversation around femininity and sexuality.
Yet, women being vocal about sexuality in music isn’t a new subject. We have seen this years prior with artists such as Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Brittney Spears, and more. Gaga was once asked in a 2009 interview if she was scared that having sexual undertones in her music would undermine her work.
In current mass media, the most sexually accepted musical lyrics are typically by male artists, while female artists have been asked these sexist questions for years. Now, with a rise in women’s pop music, sexuality is becoming more accepted by a wider audience.
Artists like Eilish are also among a community of artists who are not afraid to be a voice for women’s positivity. Not only is Eilish opening discussions of sexuality within her music, but she is also discussing homosexuality in her music as well. Openness to conversations such as the one in Eilish’s song “Lunch” is necessary for all forms of women’s positivity. Openness and normality to all discussions of femininity are on the rise in more industries thanks to some of these major music artists.
So, to artists like Sabrina Carpenter, “Please Please Please” never stop advocating for women’s voices, and to Charli XCX keep making me “Guess.” To Pop Icons who have been advocating for our voices for decades now, thank you for beginning such an important conversation in women’s positivity.