08/03/2025
She works hard for the money 🎶 but why does it have to be so hard?
Money is one of those things we don’t just learn about in school - it’s something we absorb, often without even realising it.
Pop culture plays a huge role in shaping how we think and feel about money.
The songs we grew up hearing on car rides, in movies, at parties, and in the background of everyday life all reinforce certain ideas.
If we want a good life, we have to be workin’ 9 to 5, just trying to make a living.
Money, money, money must be funny in a rich man’s world.
That cash rules everything around us, so we better hustle.
We sing along probably without thinking too much about the message, but over time, these ideas sink in.
Struggling? That’s normal. Just work harder.
Want more? Be careful - too much money is greedy.
Making good money easily? That must mean you cheated the system.
Between the hustle-until-you-drop anthems and the rags-to-riches fantasies, we’re taught to believe:
If you work too little, you’re lazy.
If you work too much, you’re a corporate sellout.
If you make money too easily, it’s suspicious.
If you don’t care about money at all, you’re naive.
Too little, and you’re struggling. Too much, and you’re selfish.
No wonder so many of us feel uncomfortable talking about money.
And then there’s the gender bias.
When a song is about men and money, it’s often framed as power, success, and ambition. The message is that they earned it. They deserve it.
When a song is about women and money, the script flips.
If she wants wealth, she’s a gold digger.
If she enjoys spending it, she’s a material girl.
If she dares to own her success, she gets a special label ✨boss babe✨ as if women making money in business still needs its own category.
A man flexing his wealth is ambitious.
A woman doing the same? She better explain herself.
A man providing for his family is responsible.
A woman doing the same? Get’s critiqued.
A man rapping about splashing the cash? Aspirational.
A woman? High maintenance.
Why is financial success still seen as something men earn but women are given?
If pop culture tells us that too little money means you haven’t worked hard enough, and too much money means you’re greedy, what are we actually supposed to believe?
Do we start thinking struggle is a sign of worthiness?
Do we assume having enough must mean sacrificing something else - health, time, ethics?
Do we feel uncomfortable talking about money at all, because we don’t want to be seen as obsessed with it?
And since it’s International Women’s Day*, it’s a chance to highlight the gender biases in the hidden (and not-so-hidden) messages around money.
What’s a lyric that really makes you think about money? Maybe it’s one you never questioned before, or one that hits differently now.
*IWD is mostly performative, but I’ll take any excuse to talk about money and equality - calling out outdated norms and inviting in something better 💪
