Submitted by Hibatullah Wilson on the 2016 winter session program in India sponsored by the Department of English…
During my time in India, I got very close with my host sister, Lopa, who is one of a kind. After spending some time with her, I found her to be incredibly intelligent and interested in American pop culture, especially American music. She is a typical sixteen year old who is a junior in high school and is a huge fan of Adele and Taylor Swift and other powerful women entertainers such as Nicki Minaj and Beyonce. One conversation that came up was about Taylor Swift and how people do not take her seriously because of her reputation of dating a lot of men. However, Lopa made it clear that the amount of men that someone dates should not be an issue. She told me that Taylor Swift’s talent should not be questioned because she is a woman who sings songs about breaking up with ex boyfriends and girl power. Lopa also talked about how deep Adele’s music is and that if you listen closely to the lyrics you can find really cool messages within the song.
I personally believe that American pop culture is having a mostly positive effect on Indian teenage girls because they are getting an outside perspective on feminism. Although many people do not agree, I can see how much influence Adele and Taylor Swift have on girls. In India, many of the entertainers in the entertainment business such as singers and actors are predominately male, so having a female role model to look up to is a good thing! Lopa talked about how she learned so much about what it means to be a young woman through music and other important issues that she would not have learned in school, and because of that, she is a better person.