Better with the Lights Off, Final

There are certain things that boys can say to win a girl’s heart. When he looks into their eyes and says “I love you” or “you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen” we can almost guarantee our hearts will melt. But, the musical group, New Boyz and Chris Brown think otherwise. They demonstrate that when a handsome boy walks up to a girl, looks her deep in the eyes, and passionately says “Girl, you look better with the lights off” then a girl will absolutely go nuts for him. Right, girls? Am I right? No, of course not! But, then why is this anti feminist song making so much money while having girls degrade themselves by singing along?

There’s no doubt about it, media has a huge influence on people in today’s society. No matter how much people deny it, they are highly affected by the media and end up learning from and reenacting what they see and hear. When looking at feminism in media, the effect media has on society can become a bad thing. Often times, women are portrayed as sexual objects or not as intelligent as men. Women should not succumb to these standards simply because they are portrayed this way be media.

In the song “Better With the Lights Off” by New Boyz (shown below), women are completely objectified. This song is about how even if a woman is pretty, when a man turns off the lights to have sex with her, then she becomes much prettier. Despite the rude lyrics, many girls love this song. They all hang out together and sing it, ignoring the implications of it. Women should not be doing this. By women singing along to this song and dancing to it, all with a smile on their face, they are showing men that it is ok to sing the song, and in turn really think that women look better with the lights off.

Supposedly, and according to women, this song can be taken lightly however. Chris Brown does sing, “I'm so happy you're mine (so beautiful), Top of the line (so unusual)” He obviously does like the girl he is singing about, despite his thoughts that she is prettier when he cannot see her. Perhaps, due to these lines in the song, women think that it is ok to sing them and be happy with it. But wait, isn’t Chris Brown the man who hits women? Yes, Chris Brown did beat his ex-girlfriend, Rihanna. So, now the song has an even deeper meaning that a man who would do such a thing is singing that this girl may be beautiful, but even prettier when he turns off the lights. I’m sure she did look prettier when he turned the lights off because he wouldn’t be able to see the bruises he gave her. It’s songs like these, that lead men to thinking it’s ok to hit women. When they get the idea that singing crude lyrics like these are ok, then the list is limitless as to what other things they can think are fine.

Another very rude part of the song is when Legacy raps, “Every guy wants to know how it is/ To clap off the lights and turn Khloé to Kim." Khloe Kardashian and Kim Kardashian, shown in the picture below are both very pretty women. So when Legacy states this line in the song he is not only degrading Khloe, but he is implying that every man wants to have sex with a woman and imagine her as a hotter version. In an interview, Legacy tries to defend himself by explaining, “All I'm saying is, with that line, was you can get any type of girl, and when you clap off the lights, let your imagination run free and you can turn her into anybody you want." This explanation makes Legacy’s statement even worse. He’s telling men that they can have sex with any women but just imagine her as a sexy lady.

This song also implies the stereotypical difference in what sex means to men and women. For men, it doesn’t matter who sex is with or what it means to their partner. Men just want to have it all the time, and they can imagine any women. For girls, sex is usually meaningful and with someone they love. It’s important and shouldn’t just be with any random person. The song states, “I mean you already fine though, I just wanna see you with the lights off” This line states that a girl might be pretty, but even prettier when she is having sex with a guy and he can no longer see her.

Works cited:

"Better With The Lights Off by New Boyz Songfacts." Song Meanings at Songfacts. 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. .

"Khloe’s Breakup." Kim Kardashian Videos, Photos and Blog: Official Website. Buzzmedia. Web. 14 Oct. 2011. .

"New Boyz - Better With The Lights Off Ft. Chris Brown (Official Video) - YouTube."YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. NewBoyzTV, 25 June 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. v=blVzLM3qGqY>.