Heroine Pop and the Real Heroines
Every day on the radio ideas of what it is to be a woman are mixed into lyrics of catchy songs for people of all ages to hear.
The most empowering women in music, are also far less successful than teen idols like Lana del Rey and Taylor Swift. These are the women that young girls look up to; women dressing provocatively and singing about how they want men and money. Artists like Lana del Rey who girls think are “edgy” are talking about sugar daddies and drugs and most of Taylor Swift’s lyrics are about men who have scorned her and heartbreak. Del Rey sticks herself to bad men and makes herself dependent on them in her works. She talks of money, drugs, and sex like she has an addiction; it’s different and a far cry from the bubblegum pop we hear from artists such as Meghan Trainor and Charli XCX. The dark edginess in her music draws girls to her–it gives them visions of a not-quite-right grandiose life. She endears herself to men so they spend all their money on her and then she gets addicted to the high life. She sells girls a dream underlied by abuse.
Taylor Swift has girls hanging onto her every word. Time and time again her albums go platinum because of the strength of her fanbase even if she’s recycling the meaning of her songs with new beats and words. Swift is known for writing songs about the men she has dated. It isn’t hard to connect her relationships to certain men to certain songs. The lyrics and music videos she puts out tell of heartbreak and how the men she dated drove her crazy. Lyrics from her hit song “Blank Space” include:
“Got a long list of ex-lovers
They’ll tell you I’m insane
’Cause you know I love the players
And you love the game”
Swift admits that she chooses the wrong men and likes the
bad boys. Like Del Rey, she thrives during these short but exciting relationships, but is eventually left and has issues letting go Both Del Rey and swift are telling girls that they should like the bad boys because they’re fun, that money can buy happiness and it’s okay to do whatever it takes to
Both Del Rey and swift are telling girls that they should like the bad boys because they’re fun, that
live the high life. These women have millions of young fans worldwide who buy into their image and place them on a pedestal. These women are idols, heroes, and young gods whose word is law to young girls around the world; they’re living the dream that they created. But is this truly what young girls need? There’s a growing alternative for role models young girls can look up to. With the rise of the age of superheroes, we are being given a chance to see strong females who are actually heroes.