As I sit here writing this, three boys in the year below me (Year 11, age 15/16) are next door listening to Kanye West. For some reason, it sent me into a spiral of thoughts about how my generation are given our first taste of politics and what is considered acceptable in life through the formats of music, films, and social media. Often things that are portrayed in a particular way by a particular artist completely defines how a young person goes on to see things in life. I must admit that as I was growing up I had a very unrealistic view of what men and women's anatomy would be. Songs and films talking about penises often described them as well over 7 inches and as I've grown up slightly, I have come to realise that that is not necessarily the case. Similarly, I thought that the second I hit puberty, and I mean exactly to the second, I would grow very large boobs. Again, not true. Why did I begin to think about this because I heard Kanye West being played? Well if you've seen the latest music video he put out you may have a slight clue.

Without a doubt, Kanye West is one of the greatest minds and creatives of this generation and the contributions he's made to not only the music industry but also other creative industries are astounding and will stand the test of time. That being said, the status his ability has given him is an important one that I think he is not fully aware of. While the majority of his demographic is slightly older than the boys in the room next to me, there are still a lot of impressionable minds that are hearing what he is saying and taking it at face value. Too often in today's society, even with the resurgence of intersectional feminism and women's rights being at the forefront of many people minds, women still treated in a way that is not acceptable. Even if the things in question are for the sake of 'art', as the video 'Famous' supposedly is, this does not allow free reign and a complete disregard of autonomy and respect. Kanye could have very easily created a different, and arguably more interesting, video while still conveying the same message about fame.

However, if he created the video simply to create controversy like the song itself or because he could, it begs the question: Is a man's desire to create 'art' intrinsically worth more than women's autonomy, respect and rights?

Whether you say yes or no to this question ultimately decides whether you think people simply overreact to sexism in media, or whether you are aware of the ramifications actions like these can have.

Ramifications such as death, even. When Fifty Shades of Grey came out I refused to see it and was appalled that it had even been published, for many reasons. One being that if you're going to publish fan fiction - which it was, there is no denying it - at least publish good ones, but secondly and more importantly, it portrayed a very abusive relationship. Yes, the people in the relationship both consented to BDSM practices, but the portrayal is reportedly so far removed from the core values of BDSM, consent and communication, that even the BDSM community has shunned the book. The book, and indeed the book it was based on, are both based on toxic relationships were the woman is subservient and dependent on their partner to the point where they are no longer a single person.

This kind of depiction of women, targeted at many different age groups, is so damaging.

Similarly to Kanye West's controversial video and song, multiple other artists have also benefitted of a sexist portrayal of women - I mean the popularity of "Blurred Lines" speaks for itself. Even bands as seemingly harmless as One Direction are sending questionable messages to their audience. "Everybody wanna steal my girl .../... she belongs to me", "If I looked inside your brain / I would find lots of things / Clothes, shoes, diamond rings" and basically the entirety of "Little Black Dress" (it reduces an entire person to an article of clothing...)

On the flip side pop culture can also provide a place like no other for empowerment and activism: Beyonce's record-breaking 'Lemonade' was about much more than her supposed romantic turbulence, Nicki Minaj's 'Anaconda' not only making a massive hit, but also a huge cultural table turn, Troye Sivan's success as a gay teen, while simultaneously making it all about his music and not 'gay baiting' as some other celebrities do. 

How do you think politics has influenced pop culture?