Protect Yourself

 As you know, stereotypes are ever-present in today's popular music videos. The bad news is that this music is such a big part of culture that it's difficult to get away from it. But the good news is that there are many ways to protect yourself that are easy to do-and not all of them even stop you from listening to this music!
The easiest way by far to protect yourself is to just be aware of them. That can stop you from programming you. If you just don’t mindlessly accept the stereotypes, if you just think, This isn’t what real life is like, and this isn’t what I have to be like, you can greatly diminish the power.
One thing you can do to stop being affected by the video stereotypes is-not watch the videos! Music videos are often more stereotyped than the music itself, so using CDs or sites like Pandora or Spotify can bring the amount of stereotypes down. This won’t be a complete cure-music is often at least a bit stereotyped as well-but it will certainly bring down the level and get you away from the heavily affecting visuals. This is the easiest thing by far to do, but it’s useful as well. If you’re not sure about this, then that is the way to go.
For those of you who are willing to commit more but don’t want to give up popular music, it’s just a matter of choosing carefully. There is quite a bit of music on top Billboard charts that is not heavily stereotyped, even if there is also a lot that is. The difficult part is knowing how to look, but these artists are often easy to spot. One clue is that they’re often relatively nonconforming. Lorde, for example, has a distinctive style that is very different then most pop artist’s, and her music is different as well-unstereotyped and without the usual carefree feeling. Yet she’s one of today’s most popular artists. People don’t mind music being different, they just think they do. Stereotypes make us think this.
A more drastic change you can make is to switch genres completely. Country and jazz music, as well as classical, is often less stereotyped. The sacrifice, obviously, is that you will have to change what music you listen to. This is the way that will get you closest to having a completely stereotype-free experience, but it will cut you off from much of the popular music culture.


Clear Ear Artists

Here’s a head start on finding your list of Clear Ear Artists. If you have more ideas for additions to this list, please comment them below!
Clear Ear Artists:
Lorde
Adele
Tegan and Sara
Bea Miller
Brandi Carlile


Sara Bareilles

Avicii
P!nk

Mary Lambert
Bastille
OneRepublic
Idina Menzel
Imagine Dragons
Phillip Phillips
I've included a music video of one of each artist's songs and a website where you can find information about them. Some of them you probably know, like Lorde and Adele. Some might not be as familiar. But I bet you'll like them. 

 Thank you for considering changing your habits. I hope you'll help other people stop being programmed as well. 

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