Apparently A$AP Rocky, 2 Chainz, Drake and a number of other rappers out there have a problem in common: they love bad bitches. I take it that the women in question enjoy being as bad as the songs make them out to be. But I wonder how much truth there is in these rappers’ words when they claim that these women are a problem. I say we take a look at what the so-called “bad bitches” have to say for themselves and why they just might be part of the problem contributing to the continued oppression of women.
What does a “bad bitch” look like? According to most rap songs, these ladies of legend embrace their sub-ordinance to men, they are physically appealing to men and they like a specific type of relationship with men.
Women in the music industry like Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears and Beyoncé are labeled (and self-labeled) as “bad bitches” and refer to other women as bitches for various reasons. In one of her songs, Nicki claims over and over (and over) again that she’s a bad bitch, and in another she softly reminds her man that he’s the boss and she “will do whatever he says”. Britney in one of her songs kindly reminds her listeners that “you gotta work, bitch”; Beyonce boldly commands the masses to “bow down, bitches”.
Through the use of this word, they are putting themselves and other women down. They reinforce women’s subordination (to men and other, ‘superior’ women), perpetuate the elusive standard of beauty that many women strive to attain and at least implicitly praise the status quo even though they don’t benefit from it. This has led me to believe that they, and the men that also refer to certain women as bitches (bad or not), are a part of the f***in’ problem.
I think that calling a woman a bitch of any kind, bad or otherwise, is a problem. Why? Because being a bitch isn’t a positive thing and being labeled as a bitch, bad or otherwise, isn’t a compliment.
In a lot of contemporary music we almost expect this kind of objectification of women by men. But it seems to be becoming more and more common for us to see the same objectification by women. Now that’s a f***ing problem.
"A$AP Rocky" by Linda Flores, used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
