By Pamela Eapen:
How many times have you listened to ‘Dear Future Husband’ and cringed? If you haven’t heard it yet, check it out.
1. It shows that women are strong, put-together individuals
Totally. But we’re also prone to hysterical fits and need men to comfort and protect us from ourselves.
2. It teaches us that we don’t need men to validate us
But he should still totally tell us that we’re beautiful every night, or nobody’s getting any.
3. It tells us that looks or superficial values don’t matter
… actually wait, no. They do. See #2. Also, physical weakness is a deal-breaker. Otherwise how’s he going to carry all our shopping bags?
4. It shows us that women don’t have to conform to stereotypes
Pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen? Girl, please. We can wear leather dresses and be fabulous in that kitchen. (Of course, we don’t actually have to clean the floor efficiently. It’s all really just for show.)
5. It tells us never to accept less than we as women deserve
And that is dates, flowers and pizza at the requisite times, and more time with our families than with his. Any less than that and we’re breaking up.
6. It shows us how to exert our feminine power
If he doesn’t do everything stipulated in #5, we reserve the right to withhold cuddles. And all our “special lovin“.
7. It promotes equality in a relationship
If he cooks the food and opens doors for us and submits to our every whim, we’ll buy the groceries.
8. And finally, it shows men how to treat women with respect.
Basically, he needs to accept the fact that we’re female and he’s male, which means we’re right and he’s wrong – and there’s nothing he can do about it. Suck it up, husbands.
See? You just misunderstood what she was trying to get at – that the patriarchy is still very much in effect and that women really shouldn’t be straining themselves to do all the things men do, because it’ll hurt our delicate brains and upset our tender emotions.
… wait, what do you mean “that’s not feminism“?!
ItsJustMe
Its not anti feminist. It is meant for women who are different. All women are not feminists or at least some of them feel these urges and needs. It does not make them any inferior to ones who are independent and does not feel these urges or validation from a male counter parts. It just makes them different. Any movement which cannot accept the diversity of women and their different interests and outlook to the world, any movement which wants every artist to portray women the way it wants women to be portrayed, is not a movement that should be tolerated. The feminists does notrule the world and there are no one to dictate terms to artists, scientists or politicians. If it is truly gender equality it aims at, then first learn to treat women who are desire male attention and validation of their, women needs men to carry their bags and pay their bills, women who wants to be home makers and live on their partners income etc with the same respect as you treat the ones who conforms to feministic ideas of a strong woman. You have no idea how strong they are.
Pamela Eapen
There is certainly nothing wrong with women who want to be home makers, or who prefer to let the man take the lead in running the household. That is not the issue. The problem with this song is that it propagates the idea that women are helpless without men, and that men are lesser beings if they don’t conform to every stereotypical trait of “manliness”. Like you said, women are strong people – some of the strongest people I know are women who prefer to stay at home and look after their families. The idea that these women, as well as those building careers outside home, cannot be sane and independent women without a man bending over backwards to cater to their every whim does not just belittle the women, but the men as well. Neither men nor women should be made to feel inadequate or superior over petty issues the way this song tells us.
ItsJustMe
It doesn’t necessarily mean that. I am not a Meghan trainor fan. But this song as far I see shows how women and men depend on each other. Now that’s my perspective. As long as nothing explicitly negative is portrayed about both sexes, it is unnecessary to start attacking artists and their work. As I said you or feminists around the world doesn’t rule it. They don’t dictate terms to artists, politicians or scientists on their work. Further I don’t think Meghan Trainor would intend such a message even implicitly. Why would she want to be in receiving end of feminazist wrath. There is something called literary and artistic freedom. And as long I can see she has not crossed any lines over here when it comes to sexism or gender bias. Just to add to that there are certainly ladies who completely depend on men for most of their needs and there are men who completely depend on woman in his life for most of his needs. What is wrong with an artist portraying a protagonist like that in a song? It is feminazism for a reason. You guys everything to conform to your set of rules and your idea of political correctness. That is not how art works