wap: feminist anthem or hypocritical setback?
on this day…..
you’ve probably heard the song w.a.p by the queens cardi b and megan thee stallion AT LEAST once since its release in 2002 (over a hundred times in my case, i love a good shower-belter). the song itself has sparked debate amongst various groups, of whether the song is a feminist anthem or a compete setback for the feminist movement in general.
the views help by deeanna lorraine, as well as other well-known individuals (such as russel brand and ben shapiro) state that the song has set feminism back, and that it is not empowering to women at all. megan thee stallion, when interviewed by GQ stated that a lot of controversy surrounding the song was a result of people not knowing what to do when a woman is in control and taking ownership of her own body, saying that “i feel like for a long time men felt like they owned sex and now women are saying, ‘hey, this is for me. i want pleasure. this is how I want it or don’t want it.’ it freaks men the hell out.” (heaf 2020). hell yeah megan!!!!!!
one quote from the song that i feel really helps understand w.a.p and women taking control of sex and their bodies is:
i don’t cook, i don’t clean
but let me tell you, i got this ring (ayy, ayy)
i feel like with this passage, cardi b and megan thee stallion highlight the fact that women can still have successful relationships by being sexual and owning their bodies, as well as stepping away from the conservative ‘traditional’ role of women being housewives - there is more to women and female identifying persons than just cooking and cleaning, or pleasing the opposite (or the same) sex. women are their OWN PEOPLE with their OWN DESIRES.
put him on his knees, give him some’ to believe in
is another passage that i believe highlights the pro-women theme of the song. the fact that it would be a woman putting a man of his knees, a widely recognised stance of submission, expresses the strength and possibility of women being able to be dominant, both sexually and generally, whereas for centuries in the past women have been subject to being ‘submissive’ to succeed in life. NO MORE I SAY (as do cardi and megan), women can be dominant if they want to be!! women can be submissive if they want to be!! women can express themselves sexually in any way they feel inclined!!! i feel like this passage really highlights this, women no longer have to fit a certain model to please society, they can be dominant and shouldn’t be frowned upon for it!
finally, the last quote i will look at this evening is
in the food chain, i’m the one that eat ya
if he ate my ass, he’s a bottom feeder
i feel as though when discussing sex, men are often rewarded and praised for sexual activity and women tend to be shamed for it. in this pasage of the song, i feel as though it represents women being on top and being proud of their sexual activities, instead of being belittled and insulted that is all so common in todays day and age. for a woman to take all the praise that men typically receive in this sense is a huge set for feminism. the artists then go further and call the men a ‘bottom feeder’ for performing sexual acts which is a complete roll-reversal of what is only so common.
overall, i feel as though w.a.p is a catchy, feminist anthem that doesn’t fetishise or demonise female sexuality. as megan stated, sex has been ‘owned’ by men for decades: they face praise for many sexual partners, not backlash, and men being dominant and powerful in the bedroom is something that has been seen as normal for a while. this song challeneges these social norms, staing that women can and want pleasure in a way that they like - not what is expected. women can be dominant, can make their own decisions and should be proud of their sexual side!
at the end of the day, feminsim is about expressing femininity however you choose - some may agree with me and my views on this song, others might not, and thats completely okay!
gemma :)
references:
genius (2021) ‘cardi b - wap lyrics’, genius.com, accessed 3 october 2021
heaf j (21 december 2020) ‘megan thee stallion: ‘for a long time, men owned sex. now women are saying, ‘i want pleasure’’, GQ, accessed 3 october 2021
