A warning about popular love songs aimed at young girls

By Sylvie Genest, Professeure à la Faculté des arts, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

The love and break-up songs that abound on the internet almost exclusively target young girls and teenagers, who play them over and over again, ensconced in the intimacy of their bedrooms.

The singers who enter the secretive, imagined worlds are very real to these young girls. They embody youth, beauty, wealth, autonomy and strength of character. They are also a powerful factor of socialization in what I call communicational violence. This term refers to a form of violence in which verbal messages contradict non-verbal messages, preventing people from making informed decisions.
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