As I was reading about Latinas in reggaetón, I often thought about the women in hip-hop, and their closely linked female allies found in R&B. It seems as if reggaetoneras carry the tremendous weight of carving out the women’s place in reggaetón. How did this differ from the early Hip-Hop movement?

Hip-hop women have, like Ivy Queen, responded and offered up new idea on the “right” role of women. I can remember Roxanne Shante, one of the earlier female rappers in the 80s, responding to KRS-One’s song about “Roxanne” a girl who thought she was “all-that.” Shante responds that she is not stuck-up, instead she is too self-respecting to respond to catcalls. Other women such as MC Lyte, Missy Elliot, and Da Brat have challenged the notion of females being nothing but empty-headed “bitches.” They take on the power role in relationships. For example, Queen Latifah's song UNITY she tells women that you "got to let him know you aint a bitch or a ho," and asks, "Who you calling a bitch?"

However, nowadays we often see a different type of woman. The popular song "Cater to you" by Destiny's Child advised women to we often see in R&B a different type of woman. This woman “caters to her man,” and asks him if he wants a "foot rub." They sing that they want "to reassure you (their man) my life would be purposeless without you."

Moving to reggaetón, Ivy Queen is unarguably the most popular female reggaetonera. Her song, "Yo Quiero Bailar," says:

Yo quiero bailar
Tu quieres sudar
Y pegarte a mi
El cuerpo rozar
Yo te digo si tu me puedes provocar
Eso no quiere decir que pa' la cama voy

in which she tells the guy she is dancing with that just because she may be turned on, it doesn't mean that she is going to have sex with him.

Glory although sometimes not identifiable by her name alone, is another prominent voice in reggaetón. She is often the female voice heard moaning and whining in others' songs. For example, she is the girl singing "Dame más gasolina" and "Suelta como gabete." She has has singles such as "Perreo 101" after the sometimes-banned dance that is strikingly similar to sex, so much so that I know people who have had sex in the clubs dancing perreo.

Her song "La Popola" was banned in many countries due to its content. She sings about her "pussy" and about how it hurts from a man going más duro. She is known for her highly sexual lyrics, but she is lesser known for her education. Glory is highly educated. She has her bachelor's degree and is currently completing her thesis for a master's, with plans of eventually getting a PhD. Of interest to some, Glory is in her late 30s.

Many have been critical about Glory and her portrayal of women. I wonder if it is not solely Glory’s subject, but rather her approach that is problematic for some feminists. Surely it is okay for women to talk about the pleasure of sex, but Glory subjugates herself to a lower and lesser role under the command of a man. It can be argued that she does this for her pleasure. I think that if Glory does not feel secondary to men, there is nothing wrong with her songs. However, this message could be clearer, especially for the thousands of young girls (and boys) she might be influencing. I think that the proliferation of hip-hop and R&B female artists allows for a wider berth of interpretation, but since reggaetoneras are few and far between, their every action carries immense weight. This fact could be interpreted as either good or bad, but it must not be ignored.