The Controversy Over All About That Bass

It was the #1 selling song on iTunes, has stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 5 weeks now, received Platinum, and is pretty much on the radio every time you turn it on. I'm sure you've heard of the oh so catchy and sassy song "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor. Despite it's numerous awards and sellouts, there has been a lot of controversy over whether the song provides good body image for women today.

In the song the lyrics basically summarize how curvier women should be proud of their body and who they are and how men like curvier bodies over skinnier women. Some of the lyrics include,

"I see that magazine working' that Photoshop. We know that s*** ain't real"

"You know I be no stick figure silicone Barbie doll"

"Go ahead and tell them skinny b***** that"

While I support the promotion of body image, I don't think these lyrics are promoting body image. It's shaming on skinny women, which isn't helping women be confident in their own body. It’s only directing body hate towards a different body type. But on the other hand, Meghan has lyrics that can be very impactful in today’s society towards the movement of eliminating body hate. For example,

“If you got beauty, beauty, just raise 'em up

'Cause every inch of you is perfect

From the bottom to the top”

“My mama she told me don't worry about your size”

“Yeah, it's pretty clear, I ain't no size two

But I can shake it, shake it

Like I'm supposed to do”

These lyrics help women understand that whatever their body type is, they are beautiful inside and out. It states that whatever your look like on the outside, you are perfect no matter what. Because of these contradicting lyrics, this song can be very controversial and many people are debating whether this song is skinny shaming or promoting body image. In my opinion, I do believe that a part of this song is shaming on women, but then again not all songs are directed to everyone. While I disapprove of some of the lyrics in the song, I do believe that the artist’s purpose of this song was not to shame on skinny women, but to promote body self confidence. “All About That Bass” is a great song that instantly boosts my self-confidence, so while there are a few lines that are skinny shaming, it’s a great song overall. So while there is a lot of controversy over this song, I think we shouldn’t over think it too much, but just enjoy the fact that this song is not another love song, but another step towards promoting body confidence among women.