In August of 2020, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion released a song that revolutionized the music industry for women entirely: WAP. The song, meant to be empowering and to allow girls to take control of their sexuality, faced enormous backlash from men and women alike. Many conservative men debased the song with their patriarchal and sexist beliefs while some women viewed it as overly explicit or demeaning, both arguments which have undermined the message meant to be conveyed.
For many women and girls, the song is more than a mere radio earworm or a TikTok trend—it symbolizes the empowerment of females and sexual liberation. The rappers talk about their sexual encounters and wants, which for the past decade has been regarded as taboo or ‘not ladylike’. The toxicity surrounding women and sex has been deeply rooted in the patriarchal society for years on end now; it’s often seen as something men own, so this song serves much as an emancipation of women’s sexual needs and wants from men. It’s a channel for women to be proud of their bodies.
The song also allows women who are sex workers to be proud of their careers; regardless of their job, they deserve respect, and their work does not invalidate their opinion. Although the song’s first impression may just be explicit and something trendy, it completely defies the rules of the patriarchy—it gives women the power to be comfortable with their sexuality instead of it being controlled by men, especially for women of color. It removes the toxic attitude and double standard that women should not have multiple partners while men are ‘entitled’ to whomever they please, moreover, praised for it. Since rap has taken the world by storm, male artists have created thousands of sex-positive songs, so why can’t two powerful women top the charts?
As expected, there was an enormous controversy with the song, and the people who have issues with it are usually men and some shameful women. The basis of the entire contempt towards the song is purely rooted in misogyny and the patriarchy. This type of society does not like the threat of powerful women who don’t play by their rules and often tell those women to be subtle about their sexuality because men want to claim ownership of it. As Teen Vogue best put it: “Men, however, have always been the arbiters of sex. They are allowed to talk about it in whichever ways they please, but decide when and how women can express their own sexuality.”
This song challenges gender roles of both men and women in sex where men are no longer dominant but, rather, equal. Critics of WAP often consider a woman’s gratification as ‘graphic’, but when other men make songs about the same things (notably whilst degrading women in the process), there are little to no critiques. In other words, they are fine with women’s sexuality as long as it’s controlled by men.
Another aspect of the backlash faced by the female rappers is the clear cut double standard between the two genders. For example, the song ‘Freaky Tale’ by Too Short is an extremely explicit song talking about sexual acts with multiple women. In this song, the American rapper degrades women in every way possible, referring to them as something only for male gratification too graphic to be mentioned here.
WAP doesn’t discriminate or objectify women (or men) unlike male rappers and their songs, it is but a song made by two women who are sexually empowered and want to empower other girls as well. For those saying that the lyrics are too explicit, which cannot be denied that they are, where is the same energy for male rappers like Too Short? Are they not also ‘sending the wrong message’ to young boys? Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion get slut-shamed and accused of setting women back for being proud of their bodies, but where do we see men getting this backlash? The double standard, amongst other things, could not be clearer.
Men and mothers alike view the rap song as a ‘bad influence and role model’ to the younger audiences. Admittedly, without context or the correct interpretation of the song, some may see it as just another explicit, ‘disgusting’ song. But other than that, it really cannot be viewed as degrading in any way.
Furthermore, it’s not exactly their job to be a role model—their target audience is not exactly young children, and it’s a parent’s job to raise their child, not a celebrity. Parents cannot control the actions of others, they can only guide their children into a certain mentality.
Another very notable (and humiliating) response to the song is Ben Shapiro’s ‘critique’ of it. In August, Ben Shapiro made an appearance on The Daily Wire where he shamefully repeated the song lyrics—censored of course—then claiming that he is aware that this is about female empowerment and that the song does not objectify women. However, in the next few seconds, he continues to say ‘This is what the feminist movement was all about. It’s not really about women being treated as independent, full rounded human beings, it’s about WAP.’ This particular sentence is what really portrayed his true opinion; it suggests that women cannot be viewed as human beings without being proud of their sexuality, which is something that men have done for years without repercussions. Shapiro essentially contradicts himself by objectifying women in this statement. Then, he goes on to further describe ‘WAP’ as a ‘serious gynecological condition’ and ‘not biologically normal’, which in itself is a complete joke too crude to explain. Ben Shapiro is a classic example of an uptight, insecure, white male being scared of powerful women.
Although the song conveys power to women and girls, there are some overlooked issues with it. For instance, some of the lyrics suggest an ineffective contraceptive and to use men to get what they want. Trading their bodies for commodities sends the wrong message to young girls, and for Cardi B—who openly admitted to drugging and robbing men—of all people to preach about this is wrong. For young girls, if they ever come across the song, it could send some mixed messages as they don’t have the proper context to understand it.
WAP is not just a song—it represents empowerment, feminism, and angering straight, insecure men. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s activism on this topic, especially with the two being women of color, sends a strong message to women around the world. Women deserve respect regardless of their body count or career and this song is a perfect embodiment of that concept.