There is a lot of content online: with Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and YouTube (just to name a few) it has never been easier to watch your favourite show whenever you want. This is great but how many nights have you spent more time scrolling through the options deciding what to watch rather than actually watching something? That’s where I come in! I’m going to pick an episode of a TV show that I think you should watch. The first is nostalgic for me, it’s season 1 episode 12 of Sister, Sister (available on Netflix).
In this episode Tia and Tamera are desperate for concert tickets to see their new favourite rapper, Cold Dog. Their parents refuse to buy them as they disapprove of the misogynistic lyrics in his songs (I can relate to this as my parents refused to let me buy any album with the explicit content sticker on it). The girls don’t really listen to the words, they just like the beat that they can dance to.
They end up winning two VIP tickets to the show, which includes backstage passes. While they have a great time at the concert, the problems start when they get backstage. They quickly realise that Cold Dog isn’t just a character that he plays on stage, he is rude and disrespectful to the women in his dressing room. When he implies that he wants the twins to go back to his hotel room with him they call him out on his behaviour and leave.
This episode aired in 1994 but it is so relevant today. While people today are much quicker to call out problematic lyrics in songs, there are many artists who make their career out of misogyny. The issue of the musician themselves being problematic also hasn’t gone away. In recent years many high profile male artists have been accused of sexual assault. They prey on young girls and women who are desperate to meet their hero and they then take advantage of them. I would highly recommend you take 20 minutes out of your day to watch this episode.
-Michelle O’Brien
Contributing Writer
Girl Museum Inc.