Gender Inequalities In Music

For hundreds of years, music has been used to communicate the way words fully cannot. Behind the music released to the public is the music industry. Analyzing the music industry from the macro sociological perspective of Conflict Theory reveals inequalities along race and gender lines. Music videos often reinforces inequalities by portraying women and men in gender stereotypical ways. Gender is “the behaviors and attitudes that a society considers proper for its males and females; masculinity or femininity” (Henslin 77). In the music video “Mrs. Potato Head” by Melanie Martinez, the woman receives plastic surgery to please the man she is with; in the video, gender stereotypes are reinforced by degrading and objectifying the women in order to

Just as prevalent as gender inequalities are race inequalities in the music industry. In the music industry, more African Americans assigned to rap labels than any other race. Those this is not the only genre that discriminates on bases of race, it proves to show the most prejudice, negative prejudging, than others part of the industry. White artists such as Eminem face racial discrimination even after reaching the top charts. Famous artists in other genres have also faced racial discrimination in the music industry. For example, Beyoncé and Rihanna who are both racial mixed have had their skin lightened by the media on several occasions which have almost made them both look white in comparison to their actual pigment. Both women who are very proud of their heritage have spoken out about the racial discrimination in society. In her music video to “Scars to Your Beautiful,” Alessia Cara addresses the pressure of society puts on people to look like the famous people they see on TV or in magazines, but seeks to assure people that they are beautiful the way they are and that not even the images they see are always honest like in the case of Beyoncé and