The entertainment business plays a large role in shaping people’s expectations of gender and sexual performance. In recent years, the pop music industry has become particularly adept at manipulating traditional gender roles in order to cultivate parasocial relationships with a younger female fanbase. Teenage girls are the most profitable demographic because they have their parents’ money at their disposal and utilize music and movies to construct their group identity. As a result, female singers release girl-power anthems so little girls will want to emulate them, during male singers croon romantic serenades so those girls will want to date them. This dynamic can be evidenced by the differences in the lyrical and physical presentation of Ariana Grande and Ed Sheeran.
Firstly, Sheeran’s lyrics tend to be very tender-hearted representations of idealized romantic love, while Grande’s are sexualized feminist anthems. The former’s most popular songs are “Perfect” and “Shape of You,” both of which address the listener and thus rhapsodize over how lucky he is to meet you, his perfect soulmate. They include lyrics such as “Be my girl, I’ll be your man/I see my future in your eyes” and “Girl, you know I want your love/Your love was handmade for somebody like me” (2:30-2:40, 0:30-0:35). On the other hand, Grande’s most famous songs feature her bragging about her financial status and sexual exploits. In “7 rings,” she sings, “You like my hair? Gee, thanks, just bought it/I see it, I like, I want it, I got it” (0:47-0:55). The “Positions” song mentions, “Yeah, I’m down too, switching the positions for you/This some shit that usually don’t do” (1:51-1:57). While Grande’s lyrics empower the typical female listener, Sheeran’s are meant to inspire a yearning for unrealistic romantic love.
Secondly, Sheeran’s physical presentation during live performances is unimaginative and mediocre, while Grande’s is polished and overtly feminine. At the 2021 Video Music Awards, he performed on stage in a black t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers (Sheeran 00:00-04:43). For nearly five minutes, he simply played his guitar and sang into the microphone while smiling at the audience. Sheeran is not obligated to do anything more because he is nothing but a vessel for listeners to project their romantic fantasies onto. However, Grande’s physical presentation is meant to incite envy, admiration, and sexual desire. During her six-minute set at the 2020 Grammys, she transitioned from wearing a black floor-length ballgown to fur lingerie, accompanied by set changes, extensive choreography, and several backup dancers (Grande 1:54-2:06). While female singers are expected to perform a very high standard of femininity, male singers can achieve the same level of success by doing the bare minimum.
In conclusion, the dissonance between Ariana Grande and Ed Sheeran’s lyrical and physical self-presentation is indicative of the gender divide within the music industry. Both are pop artists whose target audience is teenage girls, but they appeal to them in vastly different ways. Since Grande is meant to be an aspirational figure, her lyrics are usually sexually and economically empowering. She exerts much effort into appearing attractive and powerful during her live performances to inspire envy and admiration. In contrast, most of Sheeran’s songs involve him gushing about finally finding his perfect soulmate. He does the bare minimum at concerts because he is merely a stand-in for girls’ sexual and romantic fantasies. The psychological effects of this gender divide remain to be seen, but its existence is undeniable.
Works Cited
Grande, Ariana. “Ariana Grande – Imagine, My Favorite Things, 7 Rings, Thank U, Next (Live From The Grammys/2020).”Youtube, uploaded by Arianators, 2020.
Grande, Ariana. “Positions.” Positions. Republic, 2020. Transcript of lyrics.
Grande, Ariana. “7 rings.” Positions. Republic, 2020. Transcript of lyrics.
Sheeran, Ed. “Ed Sheeran Performs “Perfect” | 2021 Video Music Awards.”Youtube, uploaded by MTV, 2021.
Sheeran, Ed. “Perfect.” ÷. Asylum Records & Atlantic Records, 2017. Transcript of lyrics.
Sheeran, Ed. “Shape of You.” ÷. Asylum Records & Atlantic Records, 2017. Transcript of lyrics.