{"id":5655,"date":"2015-10-12T23:05:39","date_gmt":"2015-10-13T04:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/?page_id=5655"},"modified":"2015-10-12T23:05:39","modified_gmt":"2015-10-13T04:05:39","slug":"bro-country-is-killing-romance-heres-the-solution","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/the-history\/bro-country-is-killing-romance-heres-the-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"“Bro Country” Is Killing Romance, Here’s The Solution"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently the element of romance in a relationship has fallen under attack. Now, with apps like bumble and tinder, a potential hookup is a mere finger-swipe away. The college setting is probably the worst with its \u201chookup\u201d culture. Recent country music artists have started to target people of this age range because artists are realizing the relevance it has for listeners and fans. \u201cBro-country\u201d has dominated the charts recently and has made a huge impact on society as a whole. But honestly, the whole culture is a mess. There are many country artists, recently and going back to more classic country, that have songs that incorporate the romance that a relationship needs.<\/p>\n

As college students, we live in a culture where a \u201crelationship\u201d is based off of hooking up. What exactly is hooking up though? According to an article written by the American Psychological Association<\/a>, a hookup is “a brief uncommitted sexual encounters between individuals who are not romantic partners or dating each other.” College students like me and you are suffering with this lifestyle in the worst way just because of how prevalent it is. According to a Huffington Post<\/a> article written by Molly Sprayregan, there are six basic steps that the average college student goes through:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Become friends<\/li>\n
  2. Begin an alcohol-assisted hook-up routine<\/li>\n
  3. Deny that they have any real feelings for one another<\/li>\n
  4. Reluctantly admit they have feelings for one another<\/li>\n
  5. Go on real dates<\/li>\n
  6. Still refuse to call it a relationship<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"\"There are many country songs out there that incorporate the steps on that list. One of the worst offenders is Luke Bryan, and recently he partnered with the app Tinder<\/a> to promote his latest song \u201cKill the Lights.\u201d In order to get access to his new single, Luke Bryan fans must be Tinder users. Bryan partnering with Tinder is almost a clich\u00e9 simply because both promote the easy hookup lifestyle. What is scary about that is Bryan\u2019s younger fans, sometimes even kids that are 10 years old, are getting on the app and starting to use it just so they can have access to his new song. In my opinion, the app is a bit too PG-13. The app’s purpose is to connect singles with a mere swipe of the finger, and encouraging kids to be on the app? Not a good idea, Luke.<\/p>\n

    The first song I want to look at is Luke Bryan\u2019s \u201cCountry Girl (Shake It For Me.)\u201d Luke Bryan seems to be the lead advocate for meaningless love, and his fans are crazy about it. While, I admit, \u201cCountry Girl (Shake It For Me)\u201d\u00a0is undeniably catchy, the message is all about his objectification of women. (If you don’t believe me, just take a look at about 3:15 and beyond in Bryans music video below…) \u00a0If we as a culture keep listening to and supporting songs like this, there is no way romance will make a come back.<\/p>\n