YOUTH, MUSIC & THE SEX-POSITIVE MOVEMENT

Pop superstar Ariana Grande

LA artist ppcocaine

Rap superstar Cardi B

Music that talks about sex is nothing new.   The term rock and roll has been used for decades as a double entendre.   Singers can say:  “I want to rock all night” in a way that avoids censorship while winking at the listener, who knows its double meaning. What is new is a generation of female artists who openly talk about the pleasures of sex from the female perspective.  This sex-positive movement includes pop-stars like Ariana Grande (34+35), Cardi B (WAP), and less main-stream artists like ppcocaine.   Children and youth learn about sex from popular music.    Critiquing the song-creator does not lead to constructive conversation between educators and youth.  We must start with the ideas presented in each song and explore the complexity of human sexuality together.  We have succeeded when youth are empowered to discern healthy sexuality.

Popular music teaches youth about sex on a daily basis.  When I asked a class of Grade 10 Christian high school students what new artists they were listening to, one male student mentioned ppcocaine.   Ppcocaine is a 20-year old female rapper who’s music preaches sex-positivity that centers on female pleasure.  As the student played a song for the class to hear, many guys laughed at the crude language and sexual imagery.  Most of the female students remained silent and some visibly cringed.  Parents, church leaders and educators have choices about how to respond to the cultural messages our students hear every day.

Attacking and shaming the song-creator does not lead to constructive conversation.  For example, in response to the sex-positive song called WAP by Cardia B, a prominent male conservative commentator posted a response video outlining his intent to deconstruct the cultural messages within the song.   He starts by saying the song is “really vulgar.” Soon his critique shifts to Cardi B herself. He sarcastically asks his viewers: “is this what feminists fought for?”  He then encourages Cardi B to see a doctor because she may be mistaking sexual arousal for a medical condition.  Most of his time is spent shaming Cardi B rather than unpacking the ideas that Cardi B presents.  The result is a polarizing video that did not lead to meaningful conversations about sexuality.

Rather than judging the artist, we must focus on the ideas within the song.  With this approach, the Grade 10 class can discover how the sex-positive movement influences the ideas within ppcocaine’s songs.   What’s more, they can learn how culture shapes their own ideas about sex.  The boys can discuss how ppcocaine’s song sounds attractive because it tries to remove vulnerability from sex.  The girls can talk about ppcocaine’s reaction to a society that tells women that they should feel shame for feeling pleasure during sex.   And then together, the boys and girls can explore what healthy sexuality might look like in their own context.

We can help youth understand how popular music shapes ideas about sex.  Ephesians 6:12 instructs us to avoid seeing people (song-creat0rs) as the enemy.  Both Ephesians 6:12 and Colossians 2:8 guide us to engage with the ideas and philosophies found within culture.  As we engage, we must also humbly repent of ideas that we hold about sexuality that are unhealthy.   If we mentor our youth well, they will see how the sex-positive movement aligns and diverges from Christian sexuality.   They will discover the joy of sex that is full of vulnerability and free of shame, just the way God created it to be.

Micah received a Masters of Popular Music Studies from the University of Glasgow and has worked several years in the music industries as a musician, critic, and band manager. He has a passion for helping audiences find better through discernment, critical-thinking, and empathy-development.   He integrates the work of several Christian scholars such as Dr. Al Wolters and Andy Crouch alongside the latest research in behavioural psychology, sociology, and popular music studies.