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Christian singer-songwriter Matthew West came under fire after releasing his new song, “Modest is Hottest,” on June 18th, 2021. The singer is being heavily criticized for the lyrics of the song that allegedly indicates how girls should wear “modest clothing.”
The song is written from a father’s perspective with a music video featuring Matthew West’s daughters and wife. Critics have called the song out for having “misogynistic undertones,” as it opens with the songwriter blaming women for being “beautiful” and alluring men with their beauty:
“The boys are coming around ‘because you are beautiful. And it’s all your mother’s fault.”
As the song moves on to the second paragraph, Matthew West croons about “modesty” being the “latest fashion trend.”
“Modest is hottest, the latest fashion trend is a little more Amish, a little less Kardashian. What the boys really love is a turtleneck and sensible pair of slacks.”
The singer also takes a dig at video sharing and content creation platform TikTok and sings:
"If I catching you doing dances on the TikTok, in a crop top, so help me God, you'll be grounded 'til the world stops."
He continues to comment on women’s clothing as the song progresses, expressing the need for them to “wear more layers.” In a further satirical attempt, that rather comes out as disrespectful, West writes how parents would like children to be “more like Jesus and less like Cardi B.”
“All the parents be saying their prayers, that all their girls they be wearing more layers. Moms and dad ‘round the world, yeah, they’re on their knees, lord make them more like Jesus and less like Cardi B.”
The song was welcomed with severe criticism immediately upon its release, with people calling out Matthew West for portraying a disdainful image of contemporary women.
Twitter calls out Matthew West for questionable take on modern women in new song
Matthew West is well-known across the world for his Christian music and records. With five studio albums to his credit, West was nominated for five Dove Awards by the Gospel Music Association US in 2005.
He went on to win three GMA Dove Awards over the years. He also won the Best Contemporary Inspirational Artist award at the AMAs in 2013. Unfortunately, the singer has left his fans highly disappointed with his latest release.
The lyrics of “Modest is Hottest” has angered both parents and pupils, with several users taking to Twitter to call out the singer for his songwriting.
On the day of its release, Matthew West took to Twitter to share that the song is “a light-hearted take on an age-old struggle.” He maintained that the song has been made to remind daughters that “appearance doesn’t define them” in a “ridiculously silly way.”
However, both the satire and the concept of the song did not sit well with the listeners. As Matthew West continues to face severe backlash online, it remains to be seen if the singer will directly address the issue any further.
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