THE REAL MAGAZINE ISSUE 4 | Page 14

SEX RULES YOUR WOLRD if our art represents what our society has become, we are in trouble young ones. I wonder, are you aware of your reality? are you aware of the not-so-subtle ways that your perception of life is being molded by the entertainment industry? lend me your attention for a few paragraphs and I will explain my statement further. music: Hip Hip is the music genre that young people find most interesting. the industry is welcoming younger and younger rappers to its ranks increasing its youth appeal. Hip Hop churns out some of our favorite tunes that we bob our heads to often. as fun as it is to bob our heads to these songs and shimmy to them...main stream hip hop often objectifies women as sex objects that are disposable and encourages young people to be all about the profit. I have nothing against profit or sex...but the popular music we listen to does contain elements of profiteering and sexual exploitation of women with regard only for yourself. Young mn and women are affected by this equally: young men treat young women as arm candy, valuable only to the extent that the man needs her to advance his own profiteering. By Mmagauta Kgang Young women base their sense of worth on the man she is with/dating: young girls forget their sense of self and "bend" (cough cough) to satisfy his ambitions. Fashion: Fashion has a profound effect on how we feel about ourselves. we all want to look killer when we leave the house and that puts a bounce in our step. I have however noticed that clothing that is being pushed to young girls specifically gets skimpier and skimpier each year: 13 year old girls are wearing bum shorts that reveal that bottom part of the bum and its considered fashionable. Beyonce wears a a sheer dress only hiding the "essential bits" at an award show and she is voted best dressed of the night. The Fashion industry sees beauty as being half naked. a survey done in 2016 reveals that on average ,only 60% of teen girls feel good about their bodies compared to 77% in 2009. Music videos: yohhhhh dont even get me started on this one. lol. seriously though, the hip hop industry is indeed skewed to represent women as play things for men entertaining them as they smoke their cigars and make business deals. 12