Music

Conceptual Tools and Empirical Data

PDF Link: Hovater and Ferris, "Back That Sexism Up: An Analysis of the Representation of Women’s Bodies in Music Videos"

From fallen women to Madonnas: Changing gender stereotypes in popular music critical discourse

New Study Shows Staggering Imbalance of Gender Representation at Country RadioAs the country music community continues its work to improve the gender imbalance at country radio, a new study proves things are only getting worse.

New study finds pop lyrics contain just as many references to violence as hip-hop musicResearchers at the University of Missouri have found that pop music lyrics contain the same amount of violent content as rap and hip-hop.

Quantifying 50 Years of Misogyny in Music - Risk Management and Decision Processes CenterCultural items, such as songs, books, movies, etc. influence their consumers’ behavior. At the same time, they also represent the setting and environment they are produced in. Dr. Reihane Boghrati discusses her research on misogyny in music in this blog post.

Aggressors or victims: gender and race in music video violence - PubMedAttractive role models were aggressors in more than 80% of music video violence. Males and females were victims with equivalent frequency, but males were more than three times as likely to be aggressors. Compared with United States demographics, blacks were overrepresented as aggressors and victims, …

Discussions and Examples

How the Music Industry Can Do Better for Female Songwriters and Producers (Guest Column)March is International Women’s Month, in which we recognize women everywhere and the advancements that have been made for female rights and representation. However, equity and balance in gender rep…

Beyond Representation: In Music And Media, Gender Equality Will Take A Revolution The revolution necessary to honor artists of all genders has to combat not only a history of bias, but sometimes even the institutions that seem to be supporting the fight.

Do the Grammys have a diversity problem? How gender, race played out over 60 years of award historyA Lehigh professor analyzed 60 years of awards show and U.S. history. Here he explains the music milestones and misses.

What Will It Take For The Music Industry To Become Truly Anti-Racist?As a business, the overwhelmingly white, male-run record industry has made billions from black music. Yet we rarely, if ever, see black presidents, label heads, or CEOs. For years, black people have asked for better representation and diversity across the board — now is the time for labels to take action.

Taylor Swift’s September Issue: The Singer On Sexism, Scrutiny, and Standing Up for Herself | VogueCelebrated, canceled, obsessed over—is Taylor Swift our most endlessly debated pop star? With a new album, and a newly assertive political voice, she opens up to Abby Aguirre about sexism, scrutiny, and standing up for herself. Photographed by Inez & Vinoodh.

Janelle Monae blasts misogyny in music: "I really only ever wanna hear women rapping"”Y’all can’t wait to call women every bitch , hoe , discuss violent acts against women, etc for clout in rap, rock, and through out music history,” Janelle Monae writes.

When Sexism Makes for a Catchy Song | The WalrusMy songwriting students pen misogynistic lyrics. But the music industry tells them that's okay

The Music Industry Is Wrestling With Race. Here’s What It Has Promised.The business owes much of its wealth to the work of Black artists but has just a handful of Black executives in its most senior jobs. Companies large and small say they’re devoted to change.

The Complete History of Kesha’s Fight Against Dr. LukeJust after the release of her second album since her sexual-assault lawsuit, a judge has ruled that Kesha defamed Dr Luke. How did we get here?

A Black Professor Pulls Back the Curtain on Racism in Music Theory - SUMPhilip Ewell, a Black music theorist, is challenging racism in his field, including the ardent white supremacism of music theorist Heinrich Schenker.

Songs That Say 'Me Too'Women have posted the phrase on social media to raise awareness of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment. Here is a list of songs in which artists said "me too."

How Male Artists Perpetuate Rape Culture Through Their Lyrics“Celebrity” by Lloyd Banks featuring Akon & Eminen

Cutting Through The Noise: How Hip-Hop And Activism Sharpen Each OtherTalib Kweli, Johnetta Elzie and Tef Poe speak on hip-hop’s interactions with social justice movements both in the past and today.

I'm Overwhelmed By The Reaction To Country Star T.J. Osborne Coming Out — Not What I Was ExpectingThis is a really big deal!

YouTube Playlist

A collection of various videos, interviews, and analyses that you may draw inspiration from. You can add to the playlist as well, or use it as a starting point to curate your own, more specific set.

Page updated

Report abuse