Pop singer and songwriter Meghan Trainor has a tendency for writing stereotypical yet catchy songs. Her supposed body-positive anthem, “All About that Bass,” skyrocketed to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 2014.
She attempts makes “curvy” girls feel confident, yet body shames “skinny b*tches.” Trainor’s song is a failed attempt to teach girls to accept themselves the way they are, however the overall message correlates with the lyric, “‘cause I got that boom boom that all the boys chase/ all the right junk in all the right places.” Trainor is essentially saying that if the male population approves of your body than there is no reason to feel self conscious. This same androcentric tone is prevalent throughout her newest song, “Dear Future Husband.”
“Dear Future Husband” is just as catchy as her previous top hit. Trainor outlines her requirements for a husband by saying she needs a man to “treat her right” and she’ll reward him by being “the perfect wife” by “buying groceries/ buy-buying what you need.”
This song sets sexist standards for what a marriage between a man and a woman should consist of. She also states she will let her man “rock her body right.” Today in modern culture sex is a mutual act, not solely for the husband’s pleasure as Trainor portrays it.
Throughout this vintage style-music video, Trainor is seen scrubbing floors, baking and deciding between suitors. She infers that she expects a man to treat her like royalty, not as an equal partner. She sings, “take me on a date/ I deserve a break/ and don’t forget the flowers every anniversary/ ‘cause if you treat me right/ I’ll be the perfect wife.” Trainor goes on to say, “you gotta treat me like a lady/ even when I’m acting crazy.” By saying this she furthers the sexist stereotype that women in relationships "act crazy" and are emotionally vulnerable.
These outdated gender roles throughout this music video are absurd. It’s unbelievable that a song this politically incorrect was allowed to be produced in 2015.
Completely agree. Well written. Megan Trainer bugs me too, she's viewed as helping accept bodies well shaming others and i like how you proved that point
ReplyDeleteAlso agree, never would have thought to use this piece of culture.
DeleteSuper cool post. I really like the loads of quotes you used. I definitely felt that ¨All About That Bass¨ wasn't necessarily as progressive as it necessarily tried to be, but you laid it out much clearer than I could have. I also liked how you took each quote and clearly explained why it was actually super sexist.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Emma. The catchy quality of her songs makes it easy for this misogynistic message to get stuck in one's head and bounce around the world as though it's all just forl fun. Thanks for thinking it through.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I completely agree that Megan Trainer is trying to help one body type while shaming another. I loved all the quotes that you used to help get your point across.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I never really stopped to think about her songs this way. Your argument was really clear, and I definitely agree with your point.
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your post and have often thought these things when listening to Meghan Trainor's songs. I like how you used two of her songs to prove your point instead of just one. Nice job!
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