Alice Vol. 7 No. 3

to those feeling
GUILTY about their music
taste ;DON’T BE
By Maddy Reda
In a world of musical gatekeeping and judgment, it’s
common for people to feel ashamed of the music they
listen to, preferring to keep their favorite Glee albums,
Disney playlists or show tunes locked away in private
sessions on Spotify, never to see the light of day despite
the rush of joy and endorphins the listeners get from
them.
People often use the term “guilty pleasure” to describe
songs or artists that others should feel “embarrassed”
listening to. According to an article by The Odyssey,
a guilty pleasure is defined as something someone
enjoys taking part in or enjoys even though it is not well
regarded by society.
While not everyone feels guilty listening to the music
they enjoy, the overpowering culture of musical
gatekeeping and shaming has overtaken social media,
making people afraid to be open about what they like to
listen to.
Hali Skelton, a freshman majoring in psychology at
The University of Alabama, said she enjoys Disney’s
“Encanto,” specifically the soundtrack because of the
representation and its unique choice in music styles,
however, she feels a bit embarrassed for loving a movie
for children.
Skelton said she thinks guilty pleasures shouldn’t exist
because people “should let everyone like what they like.”
Gatekeeping as it relates to music is the practice of
music enthusiasts self-authorizing themselves to
determine who does and doesn’t belong in a fandom,
who has good music taste and who doesn’t or even
attempts to dictate who is and isn’t a die-hard fan of
someone like Harry Styles or Doja Cat.
Josh Levine, a junior at The University of Alabama
majoring in mathematics, said the music that is popular
amongst certain groups of people is stereotyped to only
those people, leaving it to be frowned upon for outsiders
to enjoy the same genres.
Despite going to a flagship university in the south, the
birthplace of country music, many students express a
strong and loud distaste for the genre.
Sarah Dunlap, a junior majoring in nursing, said she
loves country music but feels guilty about it sometimes
since none of her friends like it.
Jalyiah Pierce, a junior majoring in psychology at The
University of Alabama, said she also likes country
music, yet as a Black woman from Eufaula, Alabama,
where the preferred sound is R&B and rap, she’s
suffered judgment from her peers over liking country
music.
“They always stereotype me to be with the white group,
you know, ‘you’re white go hang with your white
friends,’ but country is actually pretty good,” Pierce said.
“It’s very peaceful and calming.”
hile it is truly harmless to jam out to country music, a
song from “Encanto” or “Saturday Night Fever,” there
[56]