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There’s Some Whores in this House: An Examination of Female Sexuality in R&B/Hip Hop and Pop Music, 1991–2021

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Abstract

Sexually explicit lyrics are more often expressed by male artists; however, sexually explicit lyrics created by female artists attract greater media interest. During the past thirty years, female-created lyrics about their sexuality have become increasingly more common and may serve as a ‘pink’-print used by adolescent and young women to construct their sexual identity. This study examines female sexuality as expressed in the lyrics of R&B/Hip Hop and Pop music by female artists between 1991 and 2021. The R&B/Hip Hop genre was chosen as these artists (1) Discuss sex and sexuality more frequently, (2) Is dominated by Black artists, and (3) Is one of the most popular music genres. To provide context for these messages, the Pop genre was selected to determine how sex and sexuality is discussed in the other predominant music genre that is mostly comprised of white artists. Furthermore, female artists were used for this study as sexual messages from female artists usually garner more media attention due to traditional gender norms that dictate that women do not speak about, let alone enjoy, sex. This study employs a content analysis methodology that examined songs in the sample for common themes. These messages are marked by duality of female sexuality: respectability of the ‘good’ girl and expressing themselves as sexual beings with sexual desire. Results from this study can be used to further our understanding of the sexual messages that are consumed by adolescent and young women as part of the sexual identity construction of adolescent and young women.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Marybec Griffin, upon reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy, Rutgers School of Public Health, Rutgers, University, 683 Hoes Lane West Piscataway, New Brunswick, NJ, 08854, USA

    Marybec Griffin

  2. Center for Health, Identity, Behavior and Prevention Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, USA

    Marybec Griffin

  3. College of Performing Arts, The New School, New York City, USA

    Adele Fournet

  4. College of Global Public Health, New York University, New York City, USA

    Angela Zhai & Dianney Mascary

  5. College of Arts and Sciences, New York University, New York City, USA

    Angela Zhai

  6. School of Global Liberal Studies, New York University, New York City, USA

    Dianney Mascary

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  1. Marybec Griffin
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  2. Adele Fournet
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  4. Dianney Mascary
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Correspondence to Marybec Griffin.

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Griffin, M., Fournet, A., Zhai, A. et al. There’s Some Whores in this House: An Examination of Female Sexuality in R&B/Hip Hop and Pop Music, 1991–2021. Sexuality & Culture 28, 610–631 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-023-10136-5

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