It’s the end of September and “WAP” by Cardi B (featuring Meghan Thee Stallion) has cemented its rightful place in the Billboard Top 100 for the last 4 weeks; peaking at #1 and never dropping below #2.
Whimsically written, “WAP” has been funneled through social media and popular culture at an explosive rate. On the monstrous social media outlet TikTok, the most viewed post featuring the song has exceeded 58.5 million views. Then there is the music video, which if you haven’t watched it, it’s quite the journey. I personally appreciate “WAP”’s candor; it never pulls a punch and it’s brilliant in doing so. However, the song hasn’t entirely inspired everyone to break the stigmatization of women’s sexuality.
Rather, “WAP” has encountered resistance and confusion. DeAnna Lorraine for instance, a Republican politician who lost against Nancy Pelosi for representation of California’s 12th Congressional District, went as far as to tweet that the duo behind WAP “set the entire female gender back 100 years” with their hit single. Ben Shapiro, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Wire, demonstrated a lack of knowledge concerning hyperbole when questioning the health of women requiring “a bucket and a mop” on Twitter after initially ranting about the song on said show.
Herein lies the age–old phenomenon of this particular double standard: why is it that explicit (at times even implicit) music that male artists make about sex normalized while explicit music that female artists make about sex considered uncivilized?
Exhibit A: “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke (featuring T.I and Pharrell). Granted, Blurred Lines is a song that promotes non-consensual sex, but it still works perfectly for this comparison. Blurred Lines is charismatic and catchy, and at first glance masquerades as four minutes of flirting. A second look at the song makes it apparent that the lyrics allude to misogyny, intoxication, and sexual assault. Unlike the satisfying tune of “Blurred Lines,” “WAP” is an aggressive roller coaster ride, but the lyrics are simply about sex, regardless of how raunchy they may appear. In all fairness, “WAP” describes healthy sexual practices and kinks, as well as common sex toy usage ala Kegel balls. Sure, both songs describe drinking and drug use, but one song specifically uses it in the context of controlling women, while the other focuses primarily on sex as a pleasurable, normal practice for women.
Regardless of one’s thoughts on “WAP,” it would be folly to ignore the consequence of its arrival in popular culture. Perhaps we will look back upon “WAP” as a once–in–a–generation song that inspired social change and dialogue focused on destigmatizing female sexuality in American culture. After all, hindsight is 2020.
-Sebastian Imitola, Safer Sex Wellness Ambassador
