In my spare time, I enjoy listening to all different genres of music, anywhere from old blues music from the 40s, rock and roll, some indie music, and even underground rap. For having wide range of music, I sometimes get a lot of negative opinion about it. This is called music shaming.

Music serves as the ultimate opportunity for self-expression and creates self-identity. When introduced to a high school environment, the judgement from peers seems to increase. The harsh reality is that self- reflection becomes a problem in personal music taste.

Another problem presents itself when people start bashing your personal music taste. It disables people from being able to express themselves. The fear of ridicule starts to resonate, and it could hold a person back from the best form of self-representation. Disagreement is inevitable, but when it goes further and turns into a fit of shame, it serves as the ultimate punch and makes them regret showing that part of themselves.

According to Evolution Counseling, this “shaming” can lead to a detached personality.

“People with detached personality don’t feel capable of putting their authentic feelings out there, especially in conflict situations where that’s exactly what’s required of them.”

The act of judging someone based on their music preference also shows a major problem in today’s society. Instead of asking why somebody like’s a specific artist or song, an automatic defense mechanism arises and dismisses the other opinion. The feeling of “disagreement” turns into a match of who is better, instead of accepting that people can value different things.

Positive Parents, a website ran by popular author Rebecca Eanes, describes shaming as having an toxic influence towards children can influence destructive behavior and lead to obsessive perfectionism.

Judging someone based on personal differences can be viewed as having a shallow ability to listen. Music serves as therapy in many different ways. It can be used to cope with emotional feelings and serve as the ultimate sense of nostalgia.

In an article by Murray State News, students were interviewed on the topic of music shaming all said to have caught “flak” for the different types of music and artiststo which they actively listen.
Music shaming is more than just being verbal; it acts as a personal attack to the individual. Creating a lack of self-expression simply removes the positivity in any environment, it is important to work at your full potential, and being comfortable in your surroundings.

Stop shaming other people’s opinion on music. Instead try, to understand why they’re attached to it. Be open to discussion, don’t dismiss a unique avid music enjoyer.

Cartoon drawn by Andrew Sykora