“All About That Bass” and Body Image
Current American Pop Music
November 29, 2014
Music has been a part of the world’s culture for many years, and American music is one thing that differs from most of the world’s music. American pop music has varied throughout years, and the trend in music as of late, is singing about body acceptance.
This is best exemplified in Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass.” In the song, Trainor sings, “every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top.” In our society, girls are expected to be thin and this has led to a rise in eating disorders. The United States has the most cases of eating disorders than any other country. According to anad.com, up to 24 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder) in the U.S. This is in part due to the thought that the only way you can be “beautiful” is if you look like a supermodel. “All About That Bass,” is a catchy tune that most people have heard of, but besides the fact that it is a good song, it also has a great message that we should be sending to younger children, especially young girls.
Another popular track is “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift. This song is about accepting who you are, and having fun doing so. Taylor is notorious for dancing in an embarrassing fashion, and she attacked the tabloids head on with this song. Swift sings, “that’s what people say.” multiple times in the song, as well as, “haters gonna hate.” She is shaking off what the media and other people are saying about her, accepting herself for who she is, bad dancing and all.
One Direction’s new album, “Four,” is being released November 2014, and is expected to dominate the charts for many weeks, even months. The group is the world’s biggest boy band, and is set to head out for another tour this spring/summer. This will be their fourth tour in the United States, and third global tour.
Music will always be a large part of global culture, and will not leave the world for a very long time.