Fergie and the objectification of women

Last night after class I was flipping channels and came across the "Tyra Show" right as she was introducing Fergie as her guest for the show, which was quite a coincidence since I had no idea who Fergie even was before our class, so I decided to try to stomach watching it. Fergie came out in a skimpy outfit and sang one of the songs from her new album that was almost as vulgar and suggestive as the video from yesterday. The dance was lightly choreographed and it consisted of eight or so men dancing around Fergie as she sang (or mainly chanted) and grinded on them. Meanwhile, the studio audience (which was all female) went crazy screaming and dancing. After the song, Fergie came back out but this time dressed in more conservative street clothes. During the interview she was very well-spoken, obviously educated, and she seemed to have had a very normal, middle-class upbringing (no "growing up on the streets" as suggested in class). In fact, her mother was even in the audience and had brought home movies of Fergie singing and acting as a child. When Tyra asked Fergie what a "London Bridge" was, Fergie blushed and said that she always answers that question vaguely and leaves it up to the listener's imagination.

Never once through the course of the show did anyone mention the negative aspect that her songs might have on women, or society in general (drinking, promiscuity, objectification of women, etc.). Her career was glamorously portrayed and she was even applauded as being a role model for women because of her exercise routine, overcoming her drug addiction, "speaking the truth" in her songs, and her sex appeal. My question is why women in our society enjoy pop music that portrays women merely as sexual objects. Music such as this, and other forms of media, sends the message to women that the most important thing in life is to be appealing to men - which has lead to issues of eating disorders, men objectifying women, underage and excessive drinking, drugs, promiscuity, low self-esteem, STDs, teenage pregnancy, and anti-intellectualism. Perhaps these issues are what should be taught about this type of popular music. By teaching popular music that is degrading and not discussing the social issues present in the song, teachers are in a sense condoning that music. If a student smokes marijuana, the teacher has no obligation to honor marijuana; just because something is "part of their world," doesn't mean that teachers should "honor" it in the classroom.