The 15th song I will be looking at is “Why Don’t We Go There” off of the album Midnight Memories. To be blunt, this song is about a guy pressuring a girl to have sex.
Evaluating Masculinity
In the lyrics, it is clear that this guy knows what he wants from the girl and is persistent about it. It’s honestly gross to read because I know if any guy said these things to me, I would run the opposite direction. Even just the first set of lyrics tells you everything you need to know
“I know you want, know you wanna take it slow
Think about all the places we could go
If you give in tonight
Just let me set you free
We’ll touch the other side, just give me the key”
He is basically saying “Oh I know you don’t want to be rushed but here let me rush you.” This is a very forceful way to try and get what he wants. This song is very stereotypically masculine according to the Sex Role theory because of its dominant, forceful, and aggressive nature.
“Say the word, say the word but don’t say no”
This is problematic on so many levels. Everyone should be given the opportunity to say no in any situation, especially in sexual ones.
Evaluating Femininity
The girl here does not want to do whatever this guy wants. We get that straight in the first line of the song. From then on, the feelings of this girl are dismissed by the guy pressuring her.
Shared by: Gabby Kohn
Image Credit: Pinterest