Toxic lyrics

they deserve to have it released and show off.”

Similarly, Granatt does not think artists need to be completely censored for their work but encourages them to be more considerate of what they are releasing, especially if they have a large following. She hears degrading lyrics in most popular songs, and knows that some women may be impacted by these words.

“I wish some songs were not as misogynistic and degrading towards women,” Granatt said.

STORY CAROLINE REHDER & LEVI HOROWITZ

Drake, Kanye West, The Weeknd. Many male artists have songs with toxic lyrics towards women's bodies and physical appearance.

The most listened to genre by Joely Granatt ‘23 is rap. She acknowledges that rap music commonly has misogynistic lyrics because it serves as a way for men to assert their masculinity and dominance. For Granatt, almost every girl she knows struggles with some type of body image issues. She knows that these song lyrics only negatively affect these struggles if the listeners internalize the lyrics.

“Sometimes when a male rapper is objectifying a woman's body or degrading women it can bring up feelings of insecurity,” Granatt said. “A common theme among toxic lyrics are talking about skinny girls with tiny waists and a huge butt or boobs. They also discuss using women for sex, whether voluntarily or not. I've also heard songs about violence towards women which is extremely upsetting”

Contrasting Granatt, Khai Ly Hayslip ‘24 notices that lyrics in songs do not affect her as much as the social media presence that the song creates. She notices that certain lyrics in songs become trendy on TikTok and other social media platforms that create a toxic trend encouraging the misogynistic language.

“I have not struggled with body image issues personally but I know a lot of peers that have,.” Hayslip said. “I think music is a very small factor in determining their body image and how they view themself. If anything it would be the music Tiktok kind of blows up and then people just get sucked into this algorithm of lyrics. I think that is where people get really affected by body image. I feel like even though the lyrics are such big things in songs [that affected someone’s image of themself] is not the sole purpose of the song.”

Parker van Zyl ‘24 listens to many popular artists. Although she appreciates the music of Drake and 21 Savage, she admits that the words they use can be especially derogatory towards women. She notices that many lyrics in popular songs are demeaning towards women because rappers casually use words that are really hurtful.

“There is no excuse for disrespecting people in music,” van Zyl said. “But honestly, if an artist is passionate about what they’re saying and creating music about they should be able to share it. It’s their work and something they accomplished and

“Sometimes it is important to separate music, or the story they're trying to get across, from the artist. I believe music is another form of storytelling and sometimes, sadly, harsh or uncomfortable lyrics are needed to get a point across. It's a weird way of artistic freedom for many artists.” Hayslip believes that the lyrics in a song come from the experiences an artist has gone through. If an artist was surrounded by a toxic environment they are more likely to write about it in their music. She believes that it becomes harmful when the lyrics start to gain traction and are broadcasted on social media.

“I think it's not as much about the misogynistic lyrics in the song but more about the culture the artist was brought up in,” Hayslip said. “Their culture is where someone comes from and it’s where their morals are taught. Those morals are being brought out in the song and the lyrics. I think when songs become popular it goes out to main stream media through the rhythm, tempo and the beat of it rather than the actual lyrics and the meaning behind them.”

Cameron Coffman, high school photography teacher, avoids misogynistic music at all costs, in her classroom and in her day to day life. She believes that we should not be supporting the language of these lyrics but uplifting positive voices to protect ourselves.

“I think it's pretty easy for me to avoid [misogynistic music] because the second I hear it I realize it is not making me feel good,” Cameron said. “Being a teacher I try to implement positive behaviors in young people and I want to practice that in myself. I feel like listening to music that is misogynistic even in the background of the class-

Humans Of Ch

Auggie Haas, Junior

STORY CAROLINE REHDER & LEVI HOROWITZ

PHOTO ZEKE BIERMAN

N one of the decisions I made led me to fame or wealth, but they have led to really rich relationships. I just kept leaning into the people I cared about. I chose a job that allowed me to work remotely for thirty years. It allowed me to be home a lot with my wife and three daughters. Never missed a game. Never missed a school play. I picked them up from school every day at 3:30, unless I was traveling. I wasn’t a road warrior or anything. I only travelled a handful of days every month. And whenever I had to catch an early morning train to meet a client out of town, I’d be doing this calculus: I have to do this now, so that we can be together later. They were always my first priority. And they still are. We don’t get to see each other as much. But I get this warmth every day when they ping me and tell me they’re doing something. And it goes both ways. I gave a speech for work the other day. It went really well. And they were all excited to hear about it; high fives and cheers all around. This morning I had a little time between meetings. I was sitting at a little bistro, and I had a little virtual lunch with my daughter who lives in Paris. She was making dinner there. And we had a little chat. No other description necessary, right? It was wonderful. I just feel incredibly lucky that I get to do those things, and that they still want to do it. They still want to spend time with me. Maybe because they trust me. I try to be supportive and non-judgmental. But I think it’s mainly because I was so involved with their daily lives: all those plays, all those practices, all those trips home from school. That’s a lot of conversations. It really accumulates over the years. I really got to know them. They’re my friends. the other day. It went really well. And they were all excited to hear about it; high fives and cheers all around. This morning I had a little time between meetings. I was sitting at a little bistro, and I had a little virtual lunch with my daughter who lives in Paris. She was making dinner there. And we had a little chat. No other description necessary, right? It was wonderful. I just feel incredibly lucky that I get to do those things, and that they still want to do it. They still want to spend time with me. Maybe because they trust me. I try to be supportive and non-judgmental. They’re my friends.

"I'm always self-policing about what I'm doing today, for my own personal mission and the mission of the school. Even though I am doing the work every day, I can’t help but ask myself, ‘am I really up to the task? Am I doing the job? It's a double-edged sword because it also keeps me hungry. It keeps me curious and excited though there are moments where you can feel paralyzed."