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Do Lyrics Objectify Women? A textual Analysis.

Klinksiek, Alyssa and Channell, Timothy L. Do Lyrics Objectify Women? A textual Analysis. 2018. Radford University, Thesis. Radford University Scholars' Repository.

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Abstract

Popular music should empower women as individuals with lyrics that recognize them as equals to men. Furthermore, music should contain positive messages that promote respect for women from men. This study examines the prevalence of female objectification in popular music media through a textual analysis of 100 songs from the 2012-2016 end of year lists of the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs. Objectification, as this study’s framework, is defined as the depersonalization of an individual with an emphasis on their instrumentality (Loughnan et al., 2010). According to Gervais and Eagan (2017), women often face objectification from men and themselves in daily life through objectifying gazes and appearance commentary. Various studies have shown that female objectification leads to depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and decreased intellectual performance and internal motivation. This study used five objectifying categories to analyze the text: objectifying gaze, appearance commentary, sex as a main priority, women portrayed as a sexual possession, and women portrayed as subordinate. This thesis will discuss the analysis and research findings.

Item Type: Thesis
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
M Music and Books on Music > M Music
Divisions: Radford University > College of Visual and Performing Arts > Department of Music
Date Deposited: 05 Jul 2018 14:46
Last Modified: 20 Apr 2023 18:16
URI: http://wagner.radford.edu/id/eprint/458

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