COUNTRY: Footloose and Fancy Free? Or Fighting for the Dignity of Women?

In a recent conversation with a close friend, the idea was brought to my attention that “country” may be a subculture. I will refer to it as capital-“C” Country from here on out. After much thought and discussion, I have to agree with this assessment. I am from the central coast of California, and in recent years, I have found people around me eager to classify themselves as Country. The subculture is often discussed, and fans or non-fans can be found writing about their love for or hatred of country music all the time. I would encourage discussion of Country as a way of being itself though. 

I was raised in a small farm town and choose to do things like organizing picnics and going line dancing on a weekly basis...just good, down-home fun stuff, and I believe I can explain what it means to be Country as well as anyone, because I feel that I am just that, Country (even though I don't particularly enjoy going around saying that about myself- because it's who I am, not like some weird title for me...anyways...back on track). The definition can vary from person to person, region to region, but most, like the author of the "Country Music Subculture" blog post would agree on a few positive things. Kailey McNeill writes,

In my opinion, country music is all about having a good time, love for America, and where we come from.

Clearly McNeill is speaking of the music subculture that her article is centered around, but the values continue from there to make what is Country. To be Country is to have strong family values (which Google defines as “values held to be traditionally learned or reinforced within a family, such as those of high moral standards and discipline”) like loving your parents and going to church to have some good time with your community and God on Sundays, being highly patriotic and respecting/serving your country (America, that is), and enjoying the simple things in life like listening to loud music while driving your truck through an open field or going fishing. These are all ideas or ways of life that are not necessarily bad in and of themselves. In fact, I would argue that they are positive ways of looking at the world and contributing to society…of course within reason… some people can be excessive… but I digress.

The troubling development of the Country subculture does not have to do with these values that the subculture has traditionally held but rather with ones that seem to be becoming increasingly popular in recent times. Old Country music and fashion used to involve all of the things described above, and the current Country subculture still does, but there used to be an emphasis and a value on respecting women and being an honorable person and having a good work ethic. This can all be seen in songs like "Grandpa Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days" by The Judds, who, by the way, were women who did not have to use sex appeal or “crop tops” in their fashion choices to sell their music, "Little Moments" by Brad Paisley, who is actually a more current country artist yet has held onto Old Country values by writing of women as imperfect people who deserve respect rather than writing of females as plastic, emotionless dolls whose worth comes from their perfect rear-ends and not their personalities or intellect, and "Perfect" by Sarah Evans. Many, if not most, country artists no longer include these traits or values in their songs and seem to be less popular if they do. In the same way, perhaps due to being influenced by this music, a turn has been taken towards self-centeredness and the objectification of women  in the Country community, that for some reason is generally deemed acceptable in the subculture (at least by the youths). Sexist songs about how women are only around to please men and about how a woman’s worth is dependent on her sex appeal dominate the country music charts these days, and those values are creeping into the mindsets of Country youths. Young men are gaining the understanding that women must be here for their personal pleasure, and women are beginning to think that they deserve that kind of treatment from men. After all, songs like "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line and "Get Me Some of That" by Thomas Rhett are only a couple of the many put out there that reinforce the notion that if you want to be treated well as a woman, you had better own tight jeans and be “hot”. What is so disturbing is the extreme popularity of these songs. It is safe to say that much better songs have been written, yet according to the GAC blog, “Cruise” is reportedly the “best-selling digital country single in history”. Really?!

It seems that others have noticed this ridiculous turn/trend in Country ways though. On a strongly-worded blog, called SavingCountryMusic.com, the writer mentions that  

“Cruise” is about cheap girls and expensive trucks. Tyler and Brian think they’re picking up all these chicks because of their pimped-out ride, but the truth is most of these sweet little fraulines haven’t said no to a man since puberty.

I do not completely agree with the ways in which this particular writer attacks the video and lyrics in the entirety of his piece, but he does make a good point here. This “trashy” side should not be and did not used to be what Country was all about. An over-abundance of songs and attitudes like this would not have been so commonly accepted, celebrated, and enjoyed as they are now. I believe that songs like these can actually be entertaining and fun to dance to and sing with your friends to, but their meanings must be taken seriously, and I believe it is important for anyone listening to the songs to realize that the words being said are not good indicators of how we should live. Taking in ideals of women as objects and of serving ourselves first and foremost, ignoring the feelings and needs of others, can be detrimental to our society and to the subculture of Country if we allow them to infiltrate our thinking and bring them into our everyday lives and values on more than a “fun song, good beat” basis.

The film, Footloose, released in 2011 does an impeccable job of pinpointing the harsh realities and problems that are connected to the way the current Country trend is going. Young men seem to be respecting women less and less and take more pride in their new Ford pickup truck than in who the woman is that is sitting next to them in the passenger seat. One scene in the film shows the lead actress being abused and disrespected by a Country man. The scene is brutal, but it does well to direct audiences to the idea that women are worth more than this kind of treatment. The lead, Julianne Hough, is portrayed throughout the film as this beautiful, vivacious girl who seems to be nothing more than that. The genius of the film is that it turns this character and “type” on its head. Rather than remaining the dumb, blonde bombshell for the entirety of the film, Hough begins to reveal complexity in her character that proves her to be an intelligent, interesting human being with real thoughts and feelings. Even while she has her guard up and presents herself as an unemotional, “strong” lady though, many characters treat her the same throughout the movie. For instance, the lead male does not treat her differently. He treats her with respect during the entirety of the movie and refuses to take advantage of her or disrespect her, even when he has the “opportunity”. This shows honor as valuable, because he is the one who ends up getting to know her for who she is in the end and having the chance to be close to her because he first took the time to understand who she was as a person and appreciate her for that. This male lead enjoys line dancing and could be put into the Country category, but he is contrasted with the other kind of Country character, Chuck, the man who is insulting and self-centered and lazy and who treats women as if they are all the same and dispensable. Chuck’s ugliness is shown in the scene linked above, and it becomes apparent to audiences that what they may have found attractive and enticing in the beginning, in a character who seems like he relates to the ideals of contemporary country songs that many audience members love- and who seems to be having a good time, is really cold-hearted and frightening and dark. Audiences see the reality of the new Country mindset that is surfacing and being accepted.  

Footloose does well to make audiences think about the ideas that they are accepting through the music that they listen to and the clothes that they wear. The film shows characters emerge from rather dark situations and become free. Julianne Hough no longer dresses in slinky clothing because she feels that she has to in order to be valued. Her male counterpart respects her regardless of her attire because he has spent time talking with her and understanding her life and who she is as a person. The main character also stands up for his values, such as being trusted even though he is different from others in the town and having the ability to dance when he pleases. He is a person who has goals and who goes after those goals, and he ends up being successful... unlike Chuck, the racecar driver, who seems as if he will stay in the small town, drive cars, and smoke marijuana for the rest of his life. In these ways, Footloose, takes Country and presents it on the big screen for everyone to see close-up. The audience is left with much to think about and decisions to make.

We can continue to allow our minds to be overrun by the negative values of country media that are presented to us and adhere to that way of thinking, or we can guard ourselves and understand that there are very serious, potentially corrosive mindsets available to us and that we should prepare to combat those mindsets with healthy, constructive thoughts and lifestyles. Country should still mean protecting women and their value as human beings. It should still mean spending time with your family and working hard. Country should still mean appreciating the little things in life because you spent your time earning what you have and the world around us is a wonderful gift to be enjoyed. Country should still mean having honor and protecting freedom. Country WON’T mean these things if the younger generation of today continues to progress in the way that they have. Musical artists should take a stand and begin to assess the values that their songs are conveying. Listeners should listen critically and make a conscious effort to decide what they will and will not believe and take to heart from the song lyrics they hear. It goes beyond music. When purchasing clothing, people should ask themselves why. Am I buying this for myself and to fit my own style or because I want the boys/girls on my block to notice me? Little, everyday things like this will affect the future of Country, and the decisions that we make will afford that future the opportunity to be better or worse.