Comparing Morgan's From Fly-Girls To Bitches And Hos
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I am a feminist. A couple years ago, I would never have thought of calling myself that. Just a couple years ago, when I heard “feminist”, I would have thought of “man-hating,” “extremist,” “annoying.” Now, I proudly call myself a feminist because I now know what feminism is truly about. It is not about hating men and advocating for matriarchy. It is not a movement solely for women. Feminism is for both women and men, about finding equality for both. A prevalent way inequality exists between genders is through gender norms. It is common knowledge that gender is not determined biologically, but rather performed through gender roles constructed by society. However, many consider gender to be two opposing ideals rather than one fluid spectrum. Rereading America brings forth this cultural myth of gender roles by pointing out the many ways in which we modify…show more content… Joan Morgan expands on this in her essay, “From Fly-Girls to Bitches and Hos.” As an African-American woman, Morgan speaks with an inside perspective on the negative effects of the violence against women that is portrayed in hip hop music. Men in hip hop resort to disrespecting women in their music to make them feel like men. Their music becomes a mask both to hide and express the pain caused by suppressing their emotions. They hide their pain by portraying an excessive sense of “masculine” dominance over women, but at the same time, it also helps to express their pain because their music becomes their only medium to let out their emotions, sometimes even leading to overcompensation. This exaggerated depiction of “masculinity” oftentimes results in extreme degradation of women, which has terrible effects on women and the way women are perceived. By being reduced to “tits and ass,” women lose self-esteem and eventually end up accepting that they are nothing but eye candy for men (qtd. in Colombo, Cullen, and Lisle