The song “Marshall Mathers” by Eminem relates very closely to our class discussion on gender roles and gender stereotypes. The song reiterates the reoccurring theme in rap of the importance of toughness and heterosexuality for men, and the association of the term “bitch” with women.

Eminem, also known as Slim Shady, is not a very large person. He may not be in poor physical condition, but despite not having large muscles, he supports that violence and strength are stereotypes which are often associated with men in everyday society. Eminem expresses his “beef” with many other people in this song, and he continuously begs for the opportunity of a violent encounter. He stated, “I’ll knock you fuckin faggots the fuck out. Ask ‘em about the club they was at when they snuck out…” He portrays the men who fled when they sensed forthcoming violence as cowardice and weak. While everyone has different perspectives on how to deal with conflict, it is still often expected for many men in our society to stand up to their fears by fighting each other, where as it is expected for women to passively work things out.

I don’t consider Eminem to be a homophobic person, or someone who discriminates based upon sexuality, but I can understand how one could view his language as being conflicting with my beliefs. Eminem uses many terms considered to be derogatory to homosexuals, and he often uses the feminine actions of men as a point of criticism. I believe he uses these terms to vent his frustrations against specific persons and not as a stab at the entire gay community. However, the line “Slim Anus, you damn right, Slim Anus, I don’t get fucked in mine like you two little flaming faggots!” appears to be a direct jab at these persons specifically due to their alleged sexual actions.  I think this shows the adversity that people can go through based or whether or not they carry out a heterosexual appearance, and how any sexual orientation that deviates from the norm is considered to be inferior or a weakness.

The term “bitch” often seems to be linked strictly to the behavior of females. While there is no set definition in place for what makes us label women as bitchy, the label is frequently given based upon a variety of things relating to women. Women can be called a bitch based upon their posture, the tone of their voice, their actions, or just their facial expressions. While men are not excluded from being completely similar to women in any of these regards, they seldom receive this label. A man may even be considered assertive or a good leader for behaving in the same way that gets a woman called bossy or a bitch. Eminem calls women bitches seemingly without much consideration, as if the terms were interchangeable. I believe that when Eminem asks, “which is it bitch, Mrs. Briggs or Ms. Mathers” the listener feels more opposed to Eminem’s mother because of a label that she receives for being a disliked female. After viewing the pictures brought in class on the day of discussion, I find it to be very similar to the song that the women who appeared to be less friendly were also described as bitches.