"My Chick Bad"

Yesterday, I was in the car when Ludacris's "My Chick Bad" came on the radio. I was listening to the lyrics and had to laugh to myself when I thought about the article we read by Pharr this week in class.

Pharr's article discusses the threat of Lesbian's in today's society as they display the following characteristics: independence, fighting for rights, going their own way, living whole lives, demanding equal pay, saying no to violence, being self-assertive, assuming the rights to their bodies, supporting their own authority, etc. (Pharr, 167). These traits are seen to be threatening to males in society, since they're mostly traits males are supposed to possess. Pharr talks about how women who have these characteristics are often called "lesbians" and put down by others, due to underlying power issues. In Johnson's article, "Patriarchy", he says that a more powerful women means a more un-sexed individual. It seems from these statements that women with these characteristics are, in a way, supposed to be undesired by society. However, when you listen to the lyrics of Ludacris's song, you get the opposite feelings.

The lyrics talk about "his chick" being bad, "badder than yours", wishing others could have a chick like his. The entire song is about how his girl is better and more tough than his peers girlfriends and this point is emphasized. I know it's just a rap song by Ludacris but I thought it brought up some interesting points of irony. Perhaps men having a more masculine woman makes them more masculine? Does it look better for them? In which case, wouldn't the points highlighted by Johnson and Pharr be slightly wrong? Or perhaps, their points are valid only if the woman is single. Perhaps, men prefer these masculine traits only when they are possessed by their girlfriends. Just food for thought based on the media and our readings for this week.

Lyndsey Milcarek