Eryka Badu is widely known for her political and controversial music. Badu is often credited for her hand in the uprising of the neo-soul genre as she is called "The First Lady of Neo-Soul". Those whom are not as familiar with her work may know of her relationship with rapper Andre 3000. However, what most did not know is that Badu perpetuates rape culture and victim shaming. On April 11 Badu started off with a string of tweets that most could not have anticipated.
One may initially view this as a precautionary warning. Badu is not incorrect when she states that it is necessary to protect children from sexual assault. However, as one reads on the tweet turns in an uninspiring direction. She calls this sexual attraction to youth "natural". Her following tweets become more controversial as she aims to defend sexual attraction to "women of child bearing age".
Badu's string of tweets were discussing the importance of dress code in school. She claimed that young girls would distract their male teachers when wearing revealing clothing. When she speaks of "women of child bearing age" she is referring to school girls. However, child bearing age can be as young as 8 years old. When a young girl, or in Badu's case a "women" has her first menstrual cycle she is able to reproduce. So one must question why Badu is perpetuating the notion that is okay to be attracted to girls as young as 8. Some argued that she was speaking more to high school girls. That she would never imply that anyone should be attracted to an 8 year old. Yet again, one can be as young as 14 years old in high school. Whether she is speaking to girls that are 14 or 18 she is still perpetuating troubling ideas. Young girls that are 18 years old are often preyed on by older men. The fetish of "barely legal" is troubling as it a way for sexually deviant men to have their way with young women by the grace of a few months into "adulthood".
In her tweets Erykah lets men off for any inappropriate sexual behaviors as she notes it as "natural". She expresses predatory behavior as natural and states that men are "automatically" attracted. She leaves no room for authority of self or personal control as she paints men as void of control. This is not a new form of thinking as many have claimed that men are biologically more sexual. Claims around testosterone aim to let me off for their behavior, yet women too biologically contain testosterone. Badu argues that short skirts will arouse men and lead to sexual assault. This rings of the victim shaming frequently seen around cases of rape. The victim is often asked what she was doing or wearing. Again, this relinquishes men of any wrong doing and seeks to blame women or girls for their oppression.
What Badu does not address is sexual assault on young men. She claims that is natural to be attracted to someone of child bearing age, (or also capable of reproducing in boys' case) yet she only mentions girls. She states that short skirts prompt the arousal, but doesn't address why young men are raped and harassed as well. Badu doesn't acknowledge that women are capable of predatory behavior as well. This spreads further ignorance among those taking in her tweets.
Yet, what seems to be most disturbing is that she is the mother of young girls. The mother of young girls yielding words so sharp and deadly on a social media platform. Would she feel similarly if it were her girls being assaulted? Would this behavior be painted as so natural if her girl's were to be bruised by a predator's willing hand? While she believes she is just "being real" and "protecting our girls" what she is truly doing is far worse. Erykah Badu is silencing women by tagging their assault or rape as "natural". She is influencing men to believe that any sexual violence toward women is normal. When she claims that short skirts are the cause she is freeing any man that groped a woman in a club or at a concert.She is supporting men following young women down alley ways because their short skirt caught their eye. She is also discrediting those that were assaulted in jeans, shorts, or business suits.She is forgetting that men rape women, not outfits. Badu is also standing for grown men that steal innocence and childhood.
But what really must be asked is how can one be surprised by the violence she is spreading when she called a known rapist like R. Kelly her "brother". While reading through her tweets it is clear that her reality around sexual assault has been warped. Badu is clearly misinformed and should not speak so loudly around topics she does not understand. The outpouring of tweets in response to her ignorance was immense. However, they were met with mocking tones and jokes of sexual favors. Erykah Badu clearly isn't listening to the cries of her fans, or those whom were/are victims of sexual assault. She seems to be the woman she speaks of in her hit Bag Lady. She's toting around baggage of misinformed ideologies. She clearly needs to unpack and sort through her notions around sexual assault, rape, and pedophilia. Unlike many of her songs Erykah is simply off key with this one.
