“I’m not going to let you or your client make me feel in any way that this is my fault. Here we are years later, and I’m being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are the product of his decisions—not mine.” -Taylor Swift

Back in 2017, Taylor Swift found herself in a legal battle against DJ David Mueller over sexual assault. Swift stated that in 2013 at a photoshoot, Mueller groped her under her skirt. Swifts camp reported Mueller to his employer, in which he was fired. Mueller denied the allegations, sued Swift for $3 million, and ultimately had his case thrown out. Swift countersued for $1 and won (Vogue). This case outcome was a win for all females who have accused men of sexual assault and never been taken seriously. This case showed the power of what happens when someone believes the victim and takes action, such as firing Mueller. But even in the midst of the triumphant win, this is still misogyny.

Kate Manne in her book “Down Girl” tackles topics such as feminism, sexism, and misogyny. Manne takes what she calls an ameliorative approach to misogyny. This means that she is redefining misogyny and creating a new concept in which we can better understand misogyny and its purpose. There are two definitions of misogyny, one which we all seem to understand and know as true: the naive conception of misogyny. This naive conception states that men hate women simply because they are women (Manne 32). But what Manne offers us is that, “misogyny ought to be understood as the system that operates within a patriarchal social order to police and enforce women’s subordination and to uphold male dominance” (Manne 33). With this new definition, Manne works to explain the purpose of misogyny and why it is still so prevalent even in today’s society.

Before we go any further, I would also like to clarify the difference between sexism and misogyny. Sexism are patriarchal ideas and beliefs (Manne 79), such as the belief that women should always cater to the needs of men. Misogyny is the enforcing and policing of these beliefs and ideas, such as a husband commanding that his wife have a hot meal prepared for when he gets home from work. This difference is important because without sexism, there would be no misogyny. While Manne disagrees with this, I find it important to know that someone can be sexist and hold these patriarchal ideas all day long, it really becomes problematic when they are acted upon. Mueller could have thought that Swift was there for his sexual satisfaction and left it at that, but since he put his belief into practice, it became problematic. Of course this is not to say that sexism is not harmful, because it is, But for the purpose of this blog post, I am looking at misogyny in the music industry, particularly the misogyny that Taylor Swift encounters.

“I’d be a fearless leader
I’d be an alpha type
When everyone believes ya
What’s that like?”

The Man, one of Swift’s tracks on her newest album, Lover, is a song about how men are never questioned about how much hard work they put in, how much they deserve from their hard work, how much they were drinking or what they were wearing, and whether or not they are allowed to be mad. This song blatantly calls out men for being alphas, questioning the trustworthiness of females, and using money and sex as ways to progress in the social order. All of these things are misogynistic- according to Mannes view. These lyrics help support Manne’s view that men put women at a subpar level and enforce their patriarchal and sexist ideas. Swift also has another song on the album that is less clear about misogynistic ideals, yet can be interpreted as targeting misogynists is You Need To Calm Down. Not only is this song an LGBTQ+ anthem, but certain lines can be interpreted as Swift saying what men tell women when they are attempting to silence them- you need to calm down, you’re being too loud.

Swift being prevented from performing a medley of her top hits from all of her albums is an even more recent show of misogyny. Swift is being honored at the 2019 American Music Award as Artist of the Decade. Swift had planned on performing a medley of her top songs, even with Big Machine record label and Scooter Braun owning the rights to her first six albums. Big Machine and Braun say that Swift performing her songs that they own the rights to is like her rerecording her music, which she cannot legally do until November 2020. This legal battle is even affecting the release of a Netflix documentary that Swift has been working on. Big Machine and Braun are halting the production and release of the documentary since some of her old music is being used (Bloomberg).

“The message being sent to me is very clear. Basically, be a good little girl and shut up. Or you’ll be punished. This is WRONG.”

Unfortunately, Swift is not the only female artist facing misogyny. Carrie Underwood and ultimately all country female artists are fighting to be seen in a male dominated industry. Before the show, on the red carpet, Jennifer Nettles wore an outfit that very aggressively told country radio to play more female artist records. The show was centered around the women of country music and even having a performance by Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, and Dolly Parton. With the focus being on the amazing women of country music, many thought that it was a sure sign that Carrie Underwood would win Entertainer of the Year. But sadly, this article is about misogyny in the music industry, so there is no happy ending. Garth Brooks took home the award, beating out three other male artists and Carrie. Many fans were angry at this outcome, even citing that in the past 53 years, only seven females have won this award: Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Dixie Chicks, and Barbara Mandrell and Taylor Swift, with Mandrell and Swift each winning twice (Buzzfeed).

If writing this blog has taught me anything, it is that women in the music industry are seen as inferior to men. Misogyny is affecting female artists and these cases are not being handled in any way, other than angry fans taking to social media. Manne’s definition of misogyny can help us to see the purpose of it and how we can move forward and create change in a male dominated industry.



Sources:
Aguirre, Abby. “Taylor Swift on Sexism, Scrutiny, and Standing Up for Herself.” Vogue, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2019, www.vogue.com/article/taylor-swift-cover-september-2019.
Schocket, Ryan. “Carrie Underwood Losing Entertainer Of The Year Is Sparking A Conversation About Women In Country Music.” BuzzFeed, BuzzFeed, 16 Nov. 2019, www.buzzfeed.com/ryanschocket2/people-are-mad-garth-brooks-won-entertainer-of-the.
Shaw, Lucas. “Why Can’t Taylor Swift Perform Her Own Songs? It’s Complicated.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 16 Nov. 2019, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-16/why-can-t-taylor-swift-perform-her-own-songs-it-s-complicated.
Manne, K. (2017). Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny. NY, New York: Oxford University Press.

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