When I first heard "All About That Bass," I thought that the time had finally come when people in the spotlight would create songs about body positivity and acceptance, daring to contradict societal norms. I bought Meghan Trainor's entire album, "Title," and religiously listened to her retro beat. At least, until I took a closer look at her lyrics. In reality, I was not the only one completely fooled by the message hidden in between the encouraging words.
Many people recognize the reminiscent retro melody that Meghan Trainor produces. Her first single "All About That Bass" was released in 2014, and immediately gained popularity among the younger generation, including myself. The seemingly body positive anthem had many teens in a positive uproar over the revolutionary lyrics and overall body acceptance vibe of the song.
Trainor's insta fame from "All About That Bass" made her the subject of extreme criticism, as most controversial artists are. After analyzing her lyrics, some people realized that in between the lines of the new summer anthem was an anti-feminist message: "Boys like a little more booty to hold at night." In short, a man's opinion about a woman's body measures her self-worth, and she needs a man's approval to feel confident about it -- an atrocious message to be sending out to women and girls, especially those who see Trainor as a role model.
The song also puts down thin women, also known as skinny shaming. Phrases like, "You know I won't be no stick figure Barbie doll" portrays thin women to be a negative ideal, and lyrics such as, "ain't no size two" and "go ahead and tell them skinny bitches that" do not serve as any sort of promotion of positive body image.
The catchy tune starts out as an encouraging body positive message, but quickly veers off course. Trainor's lyrics fall back onto the reinforced idea of society's unattainable beauty standards, and what a woman is worth based on a man's view their body.
This is not the only anti-feminist song that Meghan Trainor has released. "Dear Future Husband" seemed to be a women empowerment anthem, but the music video has quite the opposite message. Trainor is seen portraying a '50s housewife, performing typical housewife chores.
These songs have feminists fuming. Some people choose to ignore it, and enjoy her music, anyway. Others write about how they think Meghan Trainor needs to go back to the '50s housewife era.
The entire idea behind the feminist movement is equality for men, women, and all genders. Meghan Trainor's music is a setback for anyone who considers themselves a feminist. Her songs spout a sexist message, one that she doesn't seem to understand. What's up with that? In 2015, when women are supporting each other and exuding positive vibes, what is Trainor doing by putting out songs that completely go against the newfound confidence of women?
