The article begins by addressing the growing phenomenon of the pimp culture in pop culture today, beginning in the hip hop music genre, but now branching into other areas. Not only the pimp receives praise, but the hoe also is promoted. Clearly this praise is incredibly demeaning to women, but some choose too still defend this phenomena. The defense is that the artists are not mentioning all women, but just "Bitches and hoes", a ludicrous defense(pun intended). This glorification of the "street" lifestyle is leading many women down a path they do not desire, but are commercially attracted to.
What makes this challenge even greater for women, is those who speak out are alienated and almost seen as traitors. The defense platinum rappers often employ is the "personal experience" defense, even though all of them have had opportunities to leave their troubled lives behind and experience so many different viewpoints and people.
The combination of alienation and denial is exceedingly troublesome and the author even calls hip hop a "'bitches and hoes' factory, encouraging girls and young women to play the limited roles assigned to them. Furthermore the roles have now become the "player" or the "one getting played" with nothing in between, and whichever role women are assigned they are demeaned for.
The author argues it is crucial for empowered women to be in charge of their own sexual imagery and to stop this justification of the "thug culture" It is also crucial to understand the roots of the sexist imagery and reduce their visibility in order to end them.
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