Bro-Country: Is It Really New?

This is a content analysis comparison of the objectification of women in country music between 1993-1994 and 2013-2014. Today has been named an era of "bro country" where the music is dominated by sexually driven men. This study found that this era of "bro country" is new. Women are objectified in music much more today than they were 20 years ago; the number of songs about lust nearly doubled and the percentage of mention of physical appearance nearly quadrupled. Songs from the Billboard Top Ten charts were coded and analyzed; I focused on the gender of the artist, the theme of the song, and mention of physical appearance. This study is based in the Gender Dominance Theory which claims that men will objectify women and lessen their worth as a result of the empowerment of society’s heteronormativity. Country music today is much more objectifying than it was 1990s, therefore this "bro country" era is new