Women in Country Music

The country song, “A Girl in a Country Song” by Maddie and Tae, criticizes how women are portrayed in country songs. This song is breaking the stereotypes of women by talking about how they feel about the ways they are portrayed and the thoughts going through their minds about these different stereotypes. Women have fought to be seen as more than just an object in the eyes of men. Many country songs have set back all that women have fought for.

Women in country songs are too often objectified, sexualized, and seen wearing little to no clothing in many of the lyrics and music videos. A Girl in a Country Song states how women feel about the things they are made to wear in the music videos: “Well, I wish I had some shoes on my two bare feet. And it’s gettin kinda cold in these painted on, cut-off jeans. I hate the way this bikini top chafes, Do I really have to wear it all day? (Yeah, baby)” Women are being made to feel uncomfortable in order to make themselves more appealing in the eyes of men.

Another verse in the song goes “I hear you over there on your tailgate whistlin’. Saying ‘Hey Girl.’ (hey, girl). But you know I ain’t listenin. Cause I got a name, And to you it ain’t ‘pretty little thing’, ‘honey’, or ‘baby’.” This verse is a really good representation of how men “catcall” women and how men think they can say anything to a women, without respect. This is seen in many various country songs, where many male singers only write lyrics about a woman’s appearance. Songs that are like this fall under the category of “guy country” which would give it the excuse to be degrading and disrespectful to women. Another verse in the is,

Like all we’re good for,
Is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend.
Nothing more.
(Woo) We used to get a little respect.
Now we’re lucky if we even get.
To climb up in your truck, keep our mouth shut, and ride along.
Down some old dirt road we don’t even wanna be on,
And be the girl in the country song.

This verse is very powerful because it shows how women will sacrifice everything they stand for to make men happy, because women were always told it was part of their “duty” to keep their loved ones happy. Women and girls have also been told, for generations, to be seen and not heard. Based on this verse, women are still treated with the very traditional and “old-time” ways of how women should be treated. Country music originates in the Southern United States which has always been known to be very traditional, which makes sense as to why men are very dominate over women in many songs that are considered country, but it doesn’t say or do much for what women have accomplished.

Most country songs set women back generations when they have fought for so long to be where they are now. Women are still underestimated in their capabilities, along with their ability to do the same, or even better, than a man. Many country songs have set women back from many accomplishments they have achieved. Women have fought to be seen as more than just an object in the eyes of men, while many country songs subtly show discrimination against women in the words they chose for their verses, and many have stereotypes that haven’t been used for decades.