There has been a lot of debate in the music industry throughout the years regarding female artists. These arguments consist a lot around their appearance, voices, and overall demeanor. Mainstream artists like Chappell Roan, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish are all extremely popular women in the music industry and have received multiple complaints like these. They have become so popular that people sometimes forget their boundaries.
There are many ways that female artists have their boundaries violated. One of them being that celebrities are treated as “idols” instead of real people. Recently famous singer Chappell Roan is an example of this abuse.
Roan posted a video to TikTok, visibly upset after an experience with a fan. That fan had asked to take a photo with Roan, and when she declined, they became hostile and harassed her. This video sparked a lot of controversy and debate on whether Roan was being dramatic or not. Some agreed with her and explained that celebrities are people, too, while others claimed that was what Roan signed up for when she became a celebrity.
While it can be disappointing that a singer may not want to take a photo, it certainly does not permit the kind of behavior that some celebrities are forced to withstand. Some fans forget that this person is just another ordinary human being and that they do not know them personally. They are a complete stranger and may be putting on an act. And it is not just mean words either, some women in the music industry have to deal with eyes on their bodies instead of their face.
Billie Eilish is another female alternative artist who is known to wear baggy clothing during her concerts. Fans were not too happy to learn that their favorite artist did not dress up in ‘feminine’ clothing, as most artists typically do, and received backlash for it. Meanwhile, famous male rapper Drake, who is also known to wear baggy clothing in his concerts, has not received nearly as much criticism as Eilish. The expectation for women is much higher than it is for male singers. In this day and age, society expects women to wear flashy and more revealing clothing or else they will be criticized. There is a huge difference in the way women are treated as compared to men.
While some female artists are ridiculed for “not trying” when it comes to their outfits, some are ridiculed for “trying too hard.”
Sabrina Carpenter is a pop artist who recently released her new album “Short N Sweet.” During her tour for the album, she is seen in flashy and revealing outfits, openly expressing her sexuality. Most of the criticism stems from Carpenter’s previous starring in “Girl Meets World” a Disney Channel show, and how she should not be doing such scandalous acts when some of her audience are children.
Carpenter’s targeted demographic is not children and has not been since she started writing music. She should not be getting hate for this when it is the parent’s job to monitor what their child watches or listens to. Meanwhile, former Disney actor turned popstar singer Ross Lynch is most commonly seen wearing revealing outfits on stage. But instead of being seen as disgusting, fans find his revealing nature attractive and he hears not a peep of negativity.
The double standards that women are held to in the music industry are a serious problem that is often brushed off or ignored. Women constantly have to fight to compete with men, both on the charts and on stage, or just to simply exist and produce music without having a loaded gun aimed at them constantly. These hard-working female artists should not be taking verbal abuse over what pieces of clothing they put on their bodies, nor their boundaries and what they are uncomfortable with.
