Why are we dancing to misogyny?

Overview

The presenter argues that misogyny has been woven into popular music for centuries, often in familiar songs whose lyrics listeners may not notice. She opens with Bruno Mars’s “Natalie.” After a friend named Natalie objected to the song, the presenter read its lyrics and interpreted them as depicting a woman being hunted and killed. The incident prompted her to question how such material becomes entertainment—even music chosen for women’s aerobics classes.

The video traces a recurring pattern from medieval troubadour songs, where women are idealized but have little voice or inner life, through English and Scottish murder ballads and American folk standards, to classic rock and contemporary pop. The presenter says that songs about threats, control, and violence against women appear across folk, country, rock, and rap.

She also cites a study of more than 377,000 English-language songs from 1960 to 2010 that found sexist lyrics increased over time. By the end of the dataset, more than 60% of Billboard songs by male solo artists contained sexist content, compared with about 20% of songs by female solo artists.

Recurring lyrical patterns

The presenter identifies five common patterns:

• Objectification: Reducing women to their bodies, as in Trace Adkins’s “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk.”
• Ownership and control: Treating women as possessions, as the presenter hears in “Every Breath You Take,” “Jessie’s Girl,” and “Under My Thumb.”
• Disregard for consent: Treating resistance as a challenge, as illustrated by “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” and “Blurred Lines.”
• Contempt: Portraying women as inherently deceitful, dangerous, or responsible for men’s distress.
• Punishment and violence: Threatening or depicting abuse and murder, including in “Animals” and Eminem’s “Kim.”

Responses to common defenses

The presenter addresses defenses such as claiming that degrading lyrics are jokes, that an artist insults everyone, that listeners can simply choose not to hear the music, that a slur was meant differently, or that the artist has no regrets.

She argues that good intentions do not erase harmful effects, and that insults do not land equally when women are disproportionately targeted. Music is also often heard in public, whether or not someone chooses to listen to it.

The presenter cautions against singling out rap or Black music. She describes misogyny as a long-running pattern that crosses genres and cultures.

Feminist perspectives and suggestions

The video acknowledges disagreement among feminist scholars about women’s sexual expression in music: it may reproduce objectification or assert agency. The presenter recommends listening to Black feminist thinkers, including Moya Bailey and Joan Morgan.

Her practical suggestions are to:

• Listen critically.
• Discuss lyrics with children.
• Consider whether to support artists financially.
• Speak up when music or its promotion conflicts with one’s values.

The presenter says she complained to the aerobics company, which eventually removed “Natalie.” She concludes that audiences can influence the music industry through their attention, spending, and voices.

Presenters and contributors

• Presenter: The narrator is not identified in the subtitles.
• Scholars and commentators cited: Roxane Gay, Joan Morgan, bell hooks, Moya Bailey, Roxanne Shanté, and Peggy Orenstein.
• Musicians whose comments are discussed or excerpted: Drake, Childish Gambino, Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, T.I., Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg.