Women and hip hop

Women in the hip hop culture have really exploited themselves with the way they have let men portray them in their music. Rap artist like Lil Kim and Nicki Minaj are shown here on the right side adding to the image that the hip hop culture has given them. Both with their legs open inviting men to think of them as sexual objects. Nicki (right) has a lollipop with her tongue sticking out adding on to the sexual exploitation of her body. These two photo's frustrate me because the message is so obvious.

When I typed in on my computer women of hip hop or rappers and women I was not surprised what the outcome would be. Page after page I found images of multiple women surrounding one rap artist and women in the hip hop culture in barely there outfits in a sexual pose. Why does it have to be like this? Why do women need to be exploited in the hip hop culture? It is time for a change in the the community and all it takes is a couple famous artist to change the image. I feel once they change and make a statement other artist will follow.

The picture top left is a very disturbing image I stumbled upon that proves my point even further. This is a picture of rapper Snoop Dogg holding onto to two dog chains that are connected to the necks of two women. One of these women is Snoop Dogg's wife. Both women are wearing shirts that expose their breasts. He is parading them around like two dogs. I couldn't believe that he would ever even think this was a good idea to walk the red carpet with. This made me dislike Snoop Dogg even more than I already did. THERE NEEDS TO BE A CHANGE IN THE HIP HOP CULTURE.

Can I "holla" at you girl?

Late last night I went to a store with my friend Sadie and we experienced an annoying situation. We were stuck behind a van who waited for the light for five minutes to turn and it never did. So becoming impatient, the van went through the red light. Sadie and I watched in disbelief and moved up to continue to wait for the light. After five minutes we realized it wasn't turning and we went through the light too when the cost was clear. The car behind us must have been thinking the same thing we did when the van went because as we went through the light it finally turned green for the next car. We were embarrassed as the car pulled up next to us on the other side of our car and they rolled down their windows to scold us, so we thought. I rolled down my window slightly to explain ourselves and I got an earful of yuck instead. They were two young men in the car trying to "holla" at us. When I say "holla" I mean they were trying to get together with Sadie and I.

They said, "Hey ladies...what are you doing tonight?" Not only was I horrified that they stopped to roll down their windows but also that they thought they could come on to two strangers at a stop light. I turned to Sadie and said, "what are we hookers?" We laughed it off as they continued to try and convince us to hang out with them and when the light turned green we sped off like to bandits in high speed chase.

Later I began to think about how rude the boys were. They weren't concerned with our safety but with what our plans were that night and if they could be included in those plans. They had never even seen us before until they pulled up next to us and assumed that that's what we wanted, for the them to hit on us. Not only were they unattractive, but they were complete idiots as well if they thought we would ever include them in ANYTHING having to do with us. They must roll down their windows on a regular basis to "spit game" at females because their confidence in the situation was too strong. If he was going to treat me like a common prostitute he might as well have paid me for the effort of rolling down my window.

YUCK. That is all I can say about this despicable display of "flirting."

Emily Dickinson

Below I have the poem 401 by Emily Dickinson that I have analyzed and adored. I have been reading about Emily and her work in my English class and she has really sparked an interest in me. Her poetry is so complex that you need to read and decode each line one by one. Emily grew up in a time where society thought of women as just mothers and wives. They had no real purpose in society but to serve their husband and raise their children. Higher education and societal recognition were completely forbidden. Emily had a different idea for women and their role in society. Emily went outside her gender role by the way she lived and her ideas expressed through her words in her poetry.

This poem by Emily can be looked at as a criticism towards the women of her society at that time. She beings the poem by mocking women and describing them as these soft and delicate creatures of Earth. the poem goes on to make fun of these women who are trying to live the gender role of their society by looking the prettiest and acting in certain ways that are restricted to them by men. Emily describes them as freckles in society. These fake women are fake and they taint the meaning of women. Emily wants these "brittle" women to be ashamed of themselves for being someone they are not.

I LOVE THIS POEM!

401

"What Soft -- Cherubic Creatures --

These Gentlewomen are --

One would as soon assault a Plush --

Or violate a Star --

Such Dimity Convictions --

A Horror so refined

Of freckled Human Nature --

Of Deity -- ashamed --

It’s such a common -- Glory --

A Fisherman’s -- Degree --

Redemption -- Brittle Lady --

Be so -- ashamed of Thee --"

-Emily Dickinson