Disparity in Grammys
On Sunday night, the 60th Annual Grammy Awards were broadcasted all over the world. Rapper Kendrick Lamar opened the awards ceremony with his song “XXX,” putting on a stunning and evocative performance that highlighted the problem of police brutality in America. A large group of celebrities also chose to wear white roses to the event, which was a tribute to the Time’s Up movement of justice for sexual assault victims and accountability for perpetrators that is currently sweeping the entertainment industry.
"In order for it to be of any significance to them, it has to relate to their lives personally. Women have to be imagined as their mothers, sisters and wives in order for men to care."
In the wake of such powerful gestures, something didn’t feel quite right. Despite these seemingly progressive statements, the Grammy organizers and voters still haven’t caught on with the changing times. Lorde, the only female singer nominated in the Album of the Year category, was also the only nominee to not be offered a solo performance in the awards ceremony. However, the Grammys had plenty of male acts, including those not nominated for any award, such as U2 and Sting. Overall, the annual awards show remains male dominated, with 90.7% of the nominees between 2013 and 2018 being male. That means only a meager 9.3% of all those nominees were women.
In a night where retaliation against institutionalized sexual harassment was promoted as a major theme, it seems almost ironic that in the category of “Best Pop Solo Performance,” “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran won over “Praying” by Kesha. A mediocre-at-best song based on how much Ed Sheeran loves a woman’s body won over a commanding yet vulnerable anthem of strength. “Praying” was Kesha’s first release after revealing that she had suffered years of sexual, emotional and physical abuse under producer Dr. Luke. In addition, the awards announcement happened right after Kesha performed “Praying” at the awards ceremony, surrounded by many other female celebrities, all dressed in white. If this isn’t a perfect metaphor for the role of women in today’s society, I don’t know what is. Sure, men are showing their will to relinquish patriarchal spaces for women to speak up, but the ultimate credit and achievement still isn’t ours to claim. No matter what, women are always taking a backseat to men. In a speech introducing Kesha’s performance, singer Janelle Monae talked about the Times Up movement, noting, “We are also daughters, wives, mothers, sisters and human beings.” That is precisely the problem with the way men in all industries view issues pertaining to sexual harassment and assault — in order for it to be of any significance to them, it has to relate to their lives personally. Women have to be imagined as their mothers, sisters and wives in order for men to care.
Grammy organizers are putting up these façades of support because of its enormous cultural relevance right now and the possibility of huge backlash if they don’t. Instead of choosing to genuinely depict a critical issue in our society, people behind the Grammys have neglected the simple fact that it is the morally right thing to do. If the Grammys wanted to feature a true commitment to supporting women who have been oppressed and silenced for decades, women wouldn’t still be blatantly denied their rightful places at the Grammys. Or who knows, maybe I’m just biased because I think Ed Sheeran is mediocre.