One Direction Is An Agent of the Patriarchy

They don’t really know what makes you beautiful

“one direction 371” by donkeyjacket45 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Bubblegum pop made a strong comeback in the early 2010s after guitar sounds and emo pop-rock dominated the early 00s. Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream broke Michael Jackson’s record for the number of number one hits from a single album, and Meghan Trainor’s Title earned three top ten hits. Male artists also benefited from this trend. As far as the on-again, off-again cycle of boy bands goes, One Direction filled a vacancy that had existed since the breakup of N’SYNC in 2002. The concept of an all-male music group, whose identity hinges on its cohesion as a pack of boys, had existed since the Beatles. However, the Backstreet Boys, N’SYNC, and New Kids on the Block revived the demand for a group of male heartthrobs in the late 90's and early aughts. Consequently, One Direction’s existence in the media, through their star turn on The X-Factor, plus a base level of talent, allowed Simon Cowell to turn them into a marketable product.

2012 was the summer of pop underdogs. With Katy Perry on hiatus after the success of Teenage Dream, and Beyonce drawn back from the spotlight after 4 under performed compared to her previous albums, new stars emerged. Carly Rae Jepsen’s number-one hit “Call Me Maybe” stayed at the top of the charts for nine weeks. Demi Lovato would crown herself pop’s new singer of empowerment…