We Gon Be Alright Rhetorical Analysis

“THE PUSSY GRABS BACK,” written in large, bold letters is held up in the air during the 2017 Women’s March on Washington. The poster was in response to a surfaced video of Donald Trump's remarks on women from the set of Days of Our Lives. In an outrage, millions of protesters across the nation marched in support of women’s equality. People are extremely angered about the inequalities and stereotypes present for women at this time, rightly so, but there seems to be some inconsistencies even within this fight. When this video from the past surfaced with Donald Trump saying these vulgar things about women, people were quickly and openly outraged. But can the same be said for now? Talk Dirty To Me or Blurred Lines, songs with a male lead also

Music, specifically, can represent an entire movement described in one melody or chanted phrase. We saw a great influx of this during the Civil Rights Movement. And more modern case, the Black Lives Matter movement used the phrase “We gon’ be alright” from Kendrick Lamar’s song “We Gon’ Be Alright” to convey their solidarity through the battle against racism. Music served as a way to advocate and spread the points of reform, but what about the fight for gender equality now? Although we do see artists such as Beyoncé and Alicia Keys presenting feminist attitudes, there is no abundance or flood of songs pushing for equality like the musical campaigns during the Civil Right

This has been written about several times before, yet nothing seems to have changed. Bringing up hypocrisy again, have we not learned anything? By listening to these songs, viewers increase their popularity and demand thus reinforcing gender stereotypes and supporting the exploitation of women. In Jason Derullo’s “Swalla,” just a few lines go as follows, “I'm in that cherry red foreign with the brown guts/ My shit slappin' like dude did LeBron's nuts/ All you girls in here, if you're feeling thirsty/ Come on take a sip 'cause you know what I'm servin'.” Released just last month, it already has nearly 112,000,000 streams on Spotify alone. I do not think much needs to be explained on the crudeness and negative effects this song provides for the view of women, but where is the outrage, advocates? Artist should use their position for the better. We have seen it in political campaigns, why not for gender equality? But this call to action needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Megan Trainers’ “All About That Bass,” grouped into Buzzfeed’s “The 17 Most Feminist Songs of 2014,” still sexualizes women’s bodies. Although it presents self-love for women, it still addresses “how boys they like a little more booty to hold at night.” By attempting to advocate for the image of thicker women, Trainer foolishly refers to thinner women as “skinny bitches.” This has no feminist agenda,