“He looks like a girl! You should listen to some real music.”

This was my response to friends who raved about the teen sensation, Justin Bieber when he shot to fame with his viral song “Baby.” This ‘real music’ eventually turned out to be some popular rap song that was recommended by a male classmate. At a young age, wearing a Nirvana T-shirt or listening to a rock band I didn’t even like seemed like the key to appearing edgy and cooler than my girlfriends. Even as an adult, this sentiment has translated into being reserved when it comes to sharing my love for K-Pop (Korean Pop Music), an industry that is widely disparaged for allegedly catering music for insecure teenage girls.

Misogyny in our society across cultures affects the lifestyle and personality of a malleable young generation. From Beatlemania to the BTS Army, bands with a cult following have always been trolled for manipulating the female demographic that is supposedly focused on fantasizing about their favorite artists instead of their music. Putting up posters, customizing lock screens, and buying merchandise are perceived more negatively through a gendered lens because society subtly belittles “girly” interests. It’s impressive if a girl likes and follows football or any male-dominated sport. On the other hand, if a guy listens to boy bands or watches romcoms, he is mainstream and effeminate. Girls who like comics or sports are assumed to fake their interest to get attention from boys. Harmless pastimes of teenage girls are dismissed as a teen fad faster than a video game addiction in men, which also furthers the view that femininity is inherently inferior.

How does prejudice form against a certain population because of their interests? What biases do we have when we see the same action for girls as compared with boys?

Women are hysterical, overexcited, or too emotional, and subjected to other sweeping, sexist judgments that impede exploration in music and culture. It is time to accept that an individual’s taste can comprise a diverse range that young people should be able to follow without the fear of being judged. Vilifying them for the same is detrimental to self-esteem and leads to conflict with one’s own identity and peer group. Glorifying testosterone-fueled content is also the subliminal messaging that limits the scope of what boys may practice without the need to conform to toxic masculine standards. Home sciences, classical dance, cooking, and Zumba are just a few examples of activities with a skewed gender ratio because of this.

Moreover, the patriarchal demand to associate concepts in a gender binary instigates queerphobia in youth without them realizing it. For instance, members of Korean boy bands generally wear everyday makeup which is accepted in the Korean culture. However, it is common to see a bigoted audience in other cultures fetishize and question their sexuality which is offensive to both straight and queer communities. But it’s encouraging to see men take up makeup, skincare, and grooming, to defy norms against the expression of self-identity all around the world.

Sexist stereotypes not only impede personality development, individuality, and the way we interact with each other but also contribute to the creation of gendered spaces in art. While pushing girls to follow a certain set of interests to fit in seems harmless at a young age, it only exacerbates issues of gender equality in society. Since their adolescent interests are looked down upon, the representation of youth and female experiences in media, culture, and society is unequal. Films centered around a female lead do not get the same traction as mainstream cinema (and many misogynistic ones.) Female artists, comedians, and creators get a smaller platform and are trolled for not being as talented as their male counterparts simply because their experiences are not discussed as widely.

The key to an inclusive platform and healthy self-expression lies in encouraging juvenile curiosity to explore passions that are agnostic of gender and foster a balanced perspective of the world.

Written By: Tanishi
About the Author
Tanishi is an English and Media studies student with a keen interest in intersectional feminism, world cinema, behavioural science and pop culture. Normally, she can be found making unique Spotify playlists or binging videos on film criticism.