I am a fan of country music. I must admit that the way in which modern country music is approaching the issue of sexuality is far much different from the way it used to approach it back in 1960s. Back then, most country music was a combination of traditional country harmony singing, bluegrasss and folk mixed with pop and rock. The issue of sexuality was presented in formal way. However, in the modern time, country music has ventured deeply into sexuality. In modern country music, women use their sexuality for commercial advantage. They wear revealing clothes on stage and in music videos to make them more attractive to their male audience.
Modern country music singers, especially the women, seem to apply the motto “sex sells”. Example of country music that exploits sexuality include the songs by Dolly Parton and Tanya Tucker. These musicians appear on stage in provocative clothing. Most musician are changing to the new trends. Dixie Chicks, for example, got rid of their big hair and cowgirl outfits and assimilated to mainstream country. Using sexual appeal in country music is considered one of the key commercial undertaking.
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The music entitled “Wide Open Spaces” by Dixie Chicks, for example, sold over 4 million units within one year mainly because of the element of sexual appeal. Conventionally country music contain much frank talk about sexuality. However, the modern country music has manipulated and exploited such frankness with the creation of singing sex symbols whose commercial appeal depends on their ability to manipulate the audience’s anxieties and confusion about sex (Ferris and Stein, 2014). The modern country music singers have made sex become the property of larger-than-life stars. In fact women stars in country music are almost always judged by their “sex appeal,” an image that sells with people from all backgrounds. This implies that the modern society perceives a sexual singer as a star.
Reference
Ferris, K., and Stein, J. (2014). The real world: Introduction to sociology (4th ed.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton Co.
