444
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

“I Can Tell You Wanna F***”: A Content Analysis of Sexual Communication in Popular Song Lyrics

ORCID Icon, & ORCID Icon

References

  • Alexopoulos, C., & Cingel, D. P. (2023). Sexual consent on television: Differing portrayal effects on adolescent viewers. Archives of Sexual Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02563-0
  • Alexopoulos, C., & Taylor, L. D. (2020). Easy listening? An analysis of infidelity in top pop, hip-hop, and country song lyrics over 25 years. Psychology of Music, 48(6), 795–807. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735618824982
  • Anderson, P. B., Struckman-Johnson, C., & Smeaton, G. L. (2021). Generation by gender differences in use of sexual aggression: A replication of the millennial shift. The Journal of Sex Research, 58(3), 383–395. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2020.1733457
  • Aubrey, J. S., & Frisby, C. M. (2011). Sexual objectification in music videos: A content analysis comparing gender and genre. Mass communication & society, 14(4), 475–501. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2010.513468
  • Aubrey, J. S., Hopper, M. K., & Mbure, W. G. (2011). Check that body! The effects of sexually objectifying music videos on college men’s sexual beliefs. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 55(3), 360–379.
  • Basile, K. C., Smith, S. G., Breiding, M. J., Black, M. C., & Mahendra, R. (2014). Sexual violence surveillance: Uniform definitions and recommended data elements, Version 2.0. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/sv_surveillance_definitionsl-2009-a.pdf
  • Bedera, N. (2021). Moaning and eye contact: Men’s use of ambiguous signals in attributions of consent to their partners. Violence Against Women, 27(15–16), 3093–3113. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801221992870
  • Byers, E. S. (1996). Sexual coercion in dating relationships. Haworth.
  • Collier, K. M., Coyne, S. M., Rasmussen, E. E., Hawkins, A. J., Padilla-Walker, L. M., Erickson, S. E., & Memmott-Elison, M. K. (2016). Does parental mediation of media influence child outcomes? A meta-analysis on media time, aggression, substance use, and sexual behavior. Developmental Psychology, 52(5), 798–812.
  • Colman, M. (2015). The Oxford dictionary of psychology. Oxford University Press.
  • Cougar Hall, P., West, J. H., & Hill, S. (2012). Sexualization in lyrics of popular music from 1959 to 2009: Implications for sexuality educators. Sexuality & Culture, 16(2), 103–117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-011-9103-4
  • Coyne, S. M., & Padilla-Walker, L. M. (2015). Sex, violence, & rock n’ roll: Longitudinal effects of music on aggression, sex, and prosocial behavior during adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 41(1), 96–104.
  • Donovan, R. A. (2007). To blame or not to blame: Influences of target race and observer sex on rape blame attribution. Journal of interpersonal violence, 22(6), 722–736. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260507300754
  • Eggermont, S. (2006). Television viewing and adolescents’ judgment of sexual request scripts: A latent growth curve analysis in early and middle adolescence. Sex Roles, 55(7–8), 457–468. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-006-9099-7
  • Fahlberg, A., & Pepper, M. (2016). Masculinity and sexual violence: Assessing the state of the field. Sociology Compass, 10(8), 673–683. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12397
  • Falbo, T., & Peplau, L. A. (1980). Power strategies in intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 38(4), 618–628.
  • Flynn, M. A., Craig, C. M., Anderson, C. N., & Holody, K. J. (2016). Objectification in popular music lyrics: An examination of gender and genre differences. Sex Roles, 75(3–4), 164–176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0592-3
  • Frisby, C. M., & Behm-Morawitz, E. (2019). Undressing the words: Prevalence of profanity, misogyny, violence, and gender role references in popular music from 2006–2016. Media Watch, 10(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.15655/mw/2019/v10i1/49562
  • Gerbner, G. (1998). Cultivation analysis: An overview. Mass Communication and Society, 1(3–4), 175–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.1998.9677855
  • Gieseler, C. (2019). The voices of #MeToo: From grassroots activism to a viral roar. Rowan & Littlefield.
  • Gossman, I., Julien, D., Mathieu, M., & Chartrand, E. (2003). Determinants of sex initiation frequencies and sexual satisfaction in long-term couples’ relationships. The Canadian journal of human sexuality, 12, 169–181.
  • Gotell, L. (2012). Governing heterosexuality through specific consent: Interrogating the governmental effects of R. v J.A. Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, 24(2), 359–388.
  • Graf, N. (2018). Sexual harassment at work in the era of #MeToo. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/04/04/sexual-harassment-at-work-in-the-era-of-metoo/
  • Greer, A. E., & Buss, D. M. (1994). Tactics for promoting sexual encounters. The Journal of Sex Research, 31(3), 185–201. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499409551752
  • Harris, S., Monahan, J. L., & Hovick, S. R. (2014). Communicating new sexual desires and the factors that influence message directness. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 29(4), 405–423. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681994.2014.954992
  • Hickman, S. E., & Muehlenhard, C. L. (1999). “By the semi-mystical appearance of a condom”: How young women and men communicate sexual consent in heterosexual situations. The Journal of Sex Research, 36(3), 258–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499909551996
  • Hoffman, L. J. (2021). Grab ‘em by the pussy: An exploration of consent in the #MeToo era. In S. J. Dodd (Ed.), The Routledge international handbook of social work and sexualities (pp. 347–359). Routledge.
  • Hust, S. J. T., Marett, E. G., Ren, C., Adams, P. M., Willoughby, J. F., Lei, M., Ran, W., & Norman, C. (2014). Establishing and adhering to sexual consent: The association between reading magazines and college students' sexual consent negotiation. The Journal of Sex Research, 51(3), 280–290.
  • International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. (2019). Music listening 2019: A look at how recorded music is enjoyed around the world. https://www.ifpi.org/ifpi-releases-music-listening–2019/
  • Ivaldi, A., & O’Neill, S. A. (2008). Adolescents’ musical role models: Whom do they admire and why? Psychology of Music, 36(4), 395–415.
  • Johnson, K., Markham, C., & Tortolero, S. R. (2017). Thematic analysis of mainstream rap music-Considerations for culturally responsive sexual consent education in high school. Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.58464/2155-5834.1328
  • Jozkowski, K. N. (2015). “Yes means yes”? Sexual consent policy and college students. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 47(2), 16–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2015.1004990
  • Jozkowski, K. N., Marcantonio, T. L., & Hunt, M. E. (2017). College students’ sexual consent communication and perceptions of sexual double standards: A qualitative investigation. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 49(4), 237–244. https://doi.org/10.1363/psrh.12041
  • Jozkowski, K. N., Marcantonio, T. L., Rhoads, K. E., Canan, S., Hunt, M. E., & Willis, M. (2019). A content analysis of sexual consent and refusal communication in mainstream films. The Journal of Sex Research, 56(6), 754–765. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1595503
  • Jozkowski, K. N., Peterson, Z. D., Sanders, S. A., Dennis, B., & Reece, M. (2014). Gender differences in heterosexual college students’ conceptualizations and indicators of sexual consent: Implications for contemporary sexual assault prevention education. The Journal of Sex Research, 51(8), 904–916.
  • Klein, V., Imhoff, R., Reininger, K. M., & Briken, P. (2019). Perceptions of sexual script deviation in women and men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48(2), 631–644. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-018-1280-x
  • Kunkel, D., Farrar, K. M., Eyal, K., Biely, E., Donnerstein, E., & Rideout, V. (2007). Sexual socialization messages on entertainment television: Comparing content trends 1997–2002. Media Psychology, 9(3), 595–622. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213260701283210
  • MacKinnon, C. A. (2016). Rape redefined. Harvard Law & Policy Review, 10(2), 431–478.
  • Madanikia, Y., & Bartholomew, K. (2014). Themes of lust and love in popular music lyrics from 1971 to 2011. SAGE Open, 4, 3. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014547179
  • Milkman, S. (2021). Slicing contemporary music tastes by demographics and consumption. Colman Insights Media Research. https://colemaninsights.com/coleman-insights-blog/slicing-contemporary-music-tastes-by-demographics-and-consumption
  • Montesi, J. L., Fauber, R. L., Gordon, E. A., & Heimberg, R. G. (2011). The specific importance of communicating about sex to couples’ sexual and overall relationship satisfaction. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 28(5), 591–609. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407510386833
  • Muehlenhard, C. L. (2011). Examining stereotypes about token resistance to sex. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 35(4), 676–683. https://doi.org/10.1177/036168431142668
  • Muehlenhard, C. L., Humphreys, T. P., Jozkowski, K. N., & Peterson, Z. D. (2016). The complexities of sexual consent among college students: A conceptual and empirical review. The Journal of Sex Research, 53(4–5), 457–487. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2016.1146651
  • O'Byrne, R., Hansen, S., & Rapley, M. (2008). If a girl doesn't say ‘no’…”: young men, rape and claims of ‘insufficient knowledge. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 18(3), 168–193. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.922
  • Peter, J., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2007). Adolescents’ exposure to a sexualized media environment and their notions of women as sex objects. Sex Roles, 56(5), 381–395.
  • Primack, B. A., Gold, M. A., Schwarz, E. B., & Dalton, M. A. (2008). Degrading and non-degrading sex in popular music: A content analysis. Public Health Reports, 123(5), 593–600. https://doi.org/10.1177/003335490812300509
  • Rideout, V., & Robb, M. B. (2018). Social media, social life: Teens reveal their experiences. Common Sense Media. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/uploads/research/
  • Righi, M. K., Bogen, K. W., Kuo, C., & Orchowski, L. M. (2021). A qualitative analysis of beliefs about sexual consent among high school students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(15–16), NP8290–NP8316. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519842855
  • Scull, T., Malik, C., Morrison, A., & Keefe, E. (2021). Promoting sexual health in high school: A feasibility study of a web-based media literacy education program. Journal of Health Communication, 26(3), 147–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2021.1893868
  • Seabrook, R. C., Ward, L. M., & Giaccardi, S. (2019). Less than human? Media use, objectification of women, and men’s acceptance of sexual aggression. Psychology of Violence, 9(5), 536–545.
  • Shafer, A., Ortiz, R. R., Thompson, B., & Huemmer, J. (2018). The role of hypermasculinity, token resistance, rape myth, and assertive sexual consent communication among college men. Journal of Adolescent Health, 62(3), S44–S50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.10.015
  • Simon, W., & Gagnon, J. H. (1986). Sexual scripts: Permanence and change. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 15(2), 97–120. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01542219
  • Smeaton, G. L., Struckman-Johnson, C., Fagen, J. L., Bohn, R., & Anderson, P. B. (2018). Generation cohort differences in male and female use of tactics to gain sex from an unwilling partner. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 24(2), 181–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552600.2018.1440088
  • Smiler, A. P., Shewmaker, J. W., & Hearon, B. (2017). From “I want to hold your hand” to “promiscuous”: Sexual stereotypes in popular music lyrics, 1960–2008. Sexuality and Culture, 21(4), 1083–1105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-017-9437-7
  • Smith, S. G., Zhang, X., Basile, K. C., Merrick, M. T., Wang, J., Kresnow, M.-J., & Chen, J. (2018). The national intimate partner and sexual violence survey: 2015 data brief – Updated release. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/2015data-brief508.pdf
  • Strasburger, V. C., Wilson, B., & Jordan, A. B. (2009). Children, adolescents, and the media (3rd ed.). Sage.
  • Suleiman, A. B., Galván, A., Harden, K. P., & Dahl, R. E. (2017). Becoming a sexual being: The ‘elephant in the room’ of adolescent brain development. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 25, 209–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2016.09.004
  • Tolman, D. L., & McClelland, S. I. (2011). Normative sexuality development in adolescence: A decade in review, 2000-2009. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(1), 242–255. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00726.x
  • Valkenburg, P. M., Peter, J., & Walther, J. B. (2016). Media effects: Theory and research. Annual Review of Psychology, 67(1), 315–338. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033608
  • Vannier, S. A., & O’Sullivan, L. F. (2011). Communicating interest in sex: Verbal and nonverbal initiation of sexual activity in young adults’ romantic dating relationships. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40(5), 961–969. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-010-9663-7
  • Ward, L. M. (2003). Understanding the role of entertainment media in the sexual socialization of American youth: A review of empirical research. Developmental Review, 23(3), 347–388. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0273-2297(03)00013-3
  • Ward, L. M. (2016). Media and sexualization: State of empirical research, 1995-2015. The Journal of Sex Research, 53(4–5), 560–577.
  • Ward, L. M., Reed, L., Trinh, S. L., & Foust, M. (2014). Sexuality and entertainment media. In D. L. Tolman, L. M. Diamond, J. A. Bauermeister, W. H. George, J. G. Pfaus, & L. M. Ward (Eds.), APA handbook of sexuality and psychology, Vol. 2. Contextual approaches (pp. 373–423). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14194-012
  • Widman, L., Noar, S. M., Choukas-Bradley, S., & Francis, D. B. (2014). Adolescent sexual health communication and condom use: A meta-analysis. Health Psychology, 33(10), 1113–1124.
  • Willis, M., Canan, S. N., Jozkowski, K. N., & Bridges, A. J. (2020). Sexual consent communication in best-selling pornography films: A content analysis. The Journal of Sex Research, 57(1), 52–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1655522
  • Willis, M., Jozkowski, K. N., Canan, S. N., Rhoads, K. E., & Hunt, M. E. (2020). Models of sexual consent communication by film rating: A content analysis. Sexuality and Culture, 24(6), 1971–1986. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-020-09731-7
  • Wright, P. J. (2011). Mass media effects on youth sexual behavior assessing the claim for causality. Annals of the International Communication Association, Communication Yearbook, 35(1), 343–385. https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.2011.11679121
  • Wright, C. L., & Rubin, M. (2017). “Get lucky!” Sexual content in music lyrics, videos and social media and sexual cognitions and risk among emerging adults in the USA and Australia. Sex Education, 17(1), 41–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2016.1242402
  • Wright, C. L., & Rubin, M. (2020). Sexualized popular music and risky sexual behaviors among emerging adults from the United States and Australia. Howard Journal of Communications, 31(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/10646175.2019.1567407
  • Ybarra, M. L., Strasburger, V. C., & Mitchell, K. J. (2014). Sexual media exposure, sexual behavior, and sexual violence victimization in adolescence. Clinical Pediatrics, 53(13), 1239–1247. https://doi.org/10.1177/0009922814538700
  • Zukoski, A. P., Harvey, S. M., & Branch, M. (2009). Condom use: Exploring verbal and non-verbal communication strategies among Latino and African American men and women. AIDS Care, 21(8), 1042–1049. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540120802612808

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.