The shining “Unity in Diversity” sign that hovered above Hoodie Allen’s head throughout the course of his disastrous performance is the epitome of irony. As Hoodie Allen attempted to rap about “living life without responsibility” and his many tales of lust and loss, I counted the number of people sitting with me on the upper balcony at the House of Blues. There’s 46 of us. 46 more than should actually have to suffer through this performance. Hoodie Allen made a wonderful first impression. I could feel his energy and excitement as he strutted onto the stage. He drew in the thirty or so screaming teenagers standing on the floor surrounding the stage by asking them questions about their relation to the fan base and past concert experience. His
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While the bandmate may have previously agreed to Hoodie making these comments about his previous sexual encounters, consent is ongoing and ever-changing. Hoodie took it upon himself not only to sexualize a female fan onstage and sing a tune about her body without her permission, but to provide intimate details about his bandmate’s personal life without asking the bandmate right beforehand if he could discuss this information with the audience. The songs he performed further highlight how he acts as if women are solely a vehicle for sex, from the second song “Are U Having Any Fun?” (“Everyone agrees, you so attractive, it's unanimous / I'll do anything you want, babe, except abstinence”) to the tenth song “Casanova” (“30 Bitches piled in and we so deep / 20 Women on the couch and they on me / 10 Hoes tryna figure where my rank goes”). If the entertainment industry is going to continue to maintain this front of celebrating diversity, then entertainers like Hoodie, ones who publicly promote ingrained gendered hierarchies and notions revolving around how a woman’s worth lies in her sexuality, should not be allotted a platform to do so. In the midst of the #MeToo campaign, in which victims of sexual assault are coming forward to share their experiences, Hoodie Allen deliberately chose to perform songs that promote the notion that since he has money and a small amount of notoriety, he is in the position to exploit the sexuality of others for his own
While the bandmate may have previously agreed to Hoodie making these comments about his previous sexual encounters, consent is ongoing and ever-changing. Hoodie took it upon himself not only to sexualize a female fan onstage and sing a tune about her body without her permission, but to provide intimate details about his bandmate’s personal life without asking the bandmate right beforehand if he could discuss this information with the audience. The songs he performed further highlight how he acts as if women are solely a vehicle for sex, from the second song “Are U Having Any Fun?” (“Everyone agrees, you so attractive, it's unanimous / I'll do anything you want, babe, except abstinence”) to the tenth song “Casanova” (“30 Bitches piled in and we so deep / 20 Women on the couch and they on me / 10 Hoes tryna figure where my rank goes”). If the entertainment industry is going to continue to maintain this front of celebrating diversity, then entertainers like Hoodie, ones who publicly promote ingrained gendered hierarchies and notions revolving around how a woman’s worth lies in her sexuality, should not be allotted a platform to do so. In the midst of the #MeToo campaign, in which victims of sexual assault are coming forward to share their experiences, Hoodie Allen deliberately chose to perform songs that promote the notion that since he has money and a small amount of notoriety, he is in the position to exploit the sexuality of others for his own