Women in Music: Empowering women, TLC

The main media I have been exposed to this week has been music. I have been listening to artists such as Missy Elliot and TLC; to me they demonstrate how music really can be empowering for women. These women do not conform to the usual stereotypes or sell out; instead they earn their places within the music industry through their talent. TLC’s song No Scrubs is a great example of this, in this song they reverse the sexist discourse that tends to used by male rappers in regards to women. They begin by creating a male stereotype, a scrub;

A scrub is a guy that thinks he's fly
And is also known as a buster (busta, busta...)
Always talkin' about what he wants
And just sits on his broke ass
So (no)

Once the stereotypes have been created they then go on to reject this male, showing their independence and control over their own bodies;


I don't want your number (no)
I don't want to give you mine and (no)
I don't want to meet you nowhere (no)
I don't want none of your time and (no)

This song was the second biggest hit of 1999, and through this TLC demonstrate how songs that are empowering for women can also be commercially popular; you don’t just have to be a singing Barbie doll to sell records. While TLC’s image has become tamer over the years, as their initial records and style
was in some ways seen as too threatening to the mainstream, they have nonetheless
remained loyal to their cause of female empowerment, something that so many other artists
have failed to do.

There 1995 single Waterfalls, is another high profile example of how they have used their music to send positive messages. Waterfalls tackles issues such as Aids, and the dangers of the ghetto. Here they send messages that aim to warn and empower not just women but many people. But for me their song Unpretty sends their most powerful message for women. It deals with body image;


I wish I could tie you up in my shoes
Make you feel unpretty too
I was told I was beautiful
But what does that mean to you
Look into the mirror who’s inside there
The one with the long hair
Same old me again today (yeah)

Chorus:
T-boz & chilli:
You can buy your hair if it won’t grow
You can fix your nose if he says so
You can buy all the make-up that mac can make
But if you can’t look inside you
Find out who am i, too
Be in a position to make me feel so damn unpretty


Here they show the struggle that many young women have; body image. They encourage women not to be so concerned with the outsides, but rather there is something inside of them that is making them feel down. They warn against plastic surgery and extensive make up, as this is not the key to happiness, but encouraging women to search for their inner beauty, this is the true source of happiness they long for.

Through their music artists such as TLC show how that by using their talent instead of other assets, female musicians can send empowering messages for other women.