The new wave of feminism in the pop culture has developed newfound respect and meaning for the feminist pop icons and their music. One prominent feminist celebrity is Meghan Trainor. The musician is a self-proclaimed positive advocate of feminism who specializes in aesthetic and poppy doo-wop lyrics and videos that motivate young women to love themselves and reject the traditional pressures. While in most of her songs, the message seems to be positive, a closer analysis reveals several unsettling truths about the feminist messages. This essay strives to formulate a feminist assessment of the video and lyrics for “Dear Future Husband” by Meghan Trainor.
According to Helena Cixous, females have over the years developed an imaginary utopia of the way the world would appear without the gender, agency, and sexuality differences. For this reasons, feminists are attacked severely on various accounts such that most women today do not want to be associated with the movement. Feminists are accused of wanting power, social legitimation, and a place in the social and political system (Toril, 1988, 103). The society has created a patriarchal binary perspective where the feminist sector is viewed as powerless and negative (Toril, 1988, 104). The binary assumptions tear down the community into two opposing ends, that is, female or male which is the case for the song “Dear Future Husband” by Meghan Trainor.
Behind the terms with hidden meanings and buzzwords, most of the illustrations provided by Meghan Trainor actually reinforce the detrimental stereotypes of feminism. The ideology behind the song “Dear Future Husband” is a plea to her future man to treat her in the appropriate way, be a good companion, and provide her with what she requires (Trainor, 2015, “Dear Future Husband). The utopia that the singer dreams about outlines the ideal characteristics of her mate. However, the wish list given by Meghan Trainor is a bit problematic. It objectifies a wife or woman as a passive object that looks forward to special treatment and receiving gifts from the husband or man (Wershba, 2016, par. 2).
“Dear Future Husband” is now being called sexist for upholding the old gender misconceptions that are placed on the men and women. From the first verse, Trainor states the requirements that her spouse should possess or provide for him to be the only man in her life. The gender responsibility of the man is to do everything in his might to get the lady in a relationship. The expectations of the song are what will make Trainor happy. Throughout the entire video, she does not focus on what the man needs in the relationship. The second verse states the demands for the courtship and marriage (Trainor, 2015, “Dear Future Husband).
In the second verse, Meghan Trainor talks about going out on dates and anniversary gifts because she deserves the special treatment. The man is given the gender role of making the female happy in the relationship. Additionally, the singer highlights that she deserves it implying that the woman works harder in the marriage. Meghan does not consider that the husband would also enjoy the special treatment or to be taken out on a date once in a while. The singer adds that if treated right, she will be the perfect wife by carrying out wifely duties such as buying groceries, cleaning, etc. (Trainor, 2015, “Dear Future Husband).
The age-old assumption has been held for millenniums that women should strive to be the perfect wife by carrying out duties such as buying the items needed in house, cleaning, and cooking. The female goes out to buy groceries and whatever the males need for the home (Modleski, 2014, 10). Never is the man expected to stay at home and purchase house products. In the third verse, Meghan Trainor redeems herself by saying that she too has a job; hence, the husband should not expect her to be in the house cooking pies. Trainor adds that she did not learn how to cook but knows how to put out a hook (Trainor, 2015, “Dear Future Husband).
The typical traditional stereotype is that the man has to go out and work while the woman stays at home to tend to household roles. Another stereotype that emerges in the verse is that females act crazy, unlike the men. Her husband should still treat her like the lady even though she behaves a bit crazy. Moreover, Trainor has the capability of withholding sex if she does not get what she needs (Gill, 2007, 150). In the verse, the singer utilizes her sexuality as a weapon (Trainor, 2015, “Dear Future Husband).
Again, Meghan Trainor says that women are always right. Even if the woman is wrong, the man should still apologize to her. The video of “Dear Future Husband” in itself generates an era vibe of the 1950s and 60s when women had traditional roles. She dresses in a provocative way while cooking and cleaning. In the video, Meghan assesses various suitors who end up failing for doing what she does not like (Trainor, 2015, “Dear Future Husband).
A male stereotype emerges in one of the scenes during the carnivore date. Meghan’s date goes to test his strength by ringing the bell but fails to do so. Hence, he is rejected since it is a show of weakness to the singer. The scene illustrates the assumption that males are required to be the powerful ones in a relationship (Trainor, 2015, “Dear Future Husband”). The stereotyping of sex roles occurs when an individual is expected to act in a certain way or follow a set of behaviors and norms depending on their gender. “Dear Future Husband” appears to be promoting gender stereotypes; a problem that is affecting millions of people on the planet.
The reiteration of sex roles in the media has adverse implications on the audience. Girls will be torn between being the perfect wife and going to work (Gill, 2007, 151). It indicates that females should aspire to get married as their ultimate life goals. The gender roles of men are also reinforced by the song. The males are expected to be strong; if they portray any sign of weakness they are rejected. They also have to fight to acquire the love of the woman by showering her with gifts and taking her out on dates (Wershba, 2016, par. 5).
“Dear Future Husband” leaves mixed feelings in the average feminist and anti-feminists in terms of promoting or rejecting patriarchy in the society. According to Helena Cixous, patriarchy entails the culture that sustains the privileges of the men by supporting traditional sex roles. Regardless of what people say or do, we live in a patriarchal community. The society favors battles over sewing, sporting activities over housework, or any other traditional “feminine” practices (Toril, 1988, 105).
The ideology of the perfect wife presented in Meghan’s song is a good example of the products of the patriarchal community. Instead of using her music to fight against the patriarchal perspective in the society that allocates women inferior agency positions, Trainor identifies that as long as females are given gifts and special treatment then everything is fine. However, if the video and lyrics were viewed from a difference stance, they appear as a wake-up call for the society to let go of the traditional agency, gender, and sexuality roles (Wershba, 2016, par. 8).
People should let go of the 50s and 60s setup and the binary logic by accepting heterogeneous practices and views. According to Imelda Whelehan, the pop culture is set towards initiating a new wave of feminism to change the representation of women in the community. Negative images are now discussed in a broader socio-historical foundation to explore their interactions with the social realities (Whelehan, 2014, 235). Meghan Trainor is not conservative in her feminist approaches as she continues to champion for the freedom and respect of women in the community.
References
Gill R., 2007. Postfeminist Media Culture: Elements of Sensibility. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 10:2, 147-166.
Modleski, T., 2014. Feminism without women: Culture and criticism in a" postfeminist" age. Routledge.
Toril M., 1988. Textual Politics. London: Routledge.
Trainor, M., 2015. Dear Future Husband Lyrics. USA: Epic.
Trainor, M., 2015. Dear Future Husband Video. USA: Vevo. Retrieved September 4, 2016 from http://www.vevo.com/watch/meghan-trainor/dear-future-husband/USSM21500380.
Wershba E., 2016. COLLEGE FEMINISMS: Exploring Meghan Trainor’s “Feminist” Message. The Feminist Wire. Retrieved September 4, 2016 from http://www.thefeministwire.com/2015/06/college-feminisms-exploring-meghan-trainors- feminist-message/.
Whelehan 1., 2014. Representing Women in Popular Culture. The Sage Handbook of Feminist Theory. London: Sage.
