摘要：In “Manchild”, the lead single on her new album, she complains her lover is “stupid”, “slow” and “useless”.
原文标题：
Lad-loathing lyrics
Why female pop stars are lambasting mediocre men
The trend may reflect the growing gulf between young men and women
厌男歌词
为何女歌星抨击平庸男人
这种趋势可能反映了年轻男女之间日益扩大的鸿沟
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JUDGING BY HER lyrics, Sabrina Carpenter has mixed feelings towards the opposite sex.
从萨布丽娜·卡彭特的歌词来看，她对异性的情感十分复杂。
She finds her paramours attractive, exciting—and disappointing.
恋人的魅力与激情让她心动——可失望也如影随形。
In “Manchild”, the lead single on her new album, she complains her lover is “stupid”, “slow” and “useless”.
在她新专辑的主打单曲《Manchild》中，她吐槽恋人“愚蠢”“迟钝”又“没用”。
She asks, mocking a caveman, “Why so sexy if so dumb? / And how survive the Earth so long?”
还带着戏谑模仿原始人的口吻反问：“为何外表如此性感，头脑却这般愚钝？/ 又怎能在地球上生存这么久？”
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“Manchild” is not the only track on the record to lambast mediocre men: time and again Ms Carpenter takes aim at blokes who can barely “do the dishes” or “assemble a chair from IKEA”.
《Manchild》并不是专辑中唯一一首痛斥平庸男人的歌曲：卡彭特屡次将矛头对准那些连“洗碗”或“组装宜家椅子”都不会做的男人。
The American pop star suggests her beaux are dumb, as when, in “Sugar Talking”, she says: “You’re having these epiphanies, big word for a real small mind.”
这位美国流行歌手直言自己的情人们头脑不灵光，比如在《Sugar Talking》中，她说：“你突然开窍了，对你这小心眼，'开窍'真是高级。”
Some do not understand basic grammar. In “Slim Pickins”, a hit from last year, she complains about a man who “doesn’t even know the difference between there, their and they are”.
有些恋人甚至连基础语法都不懂。在去年的热门歌曲《Slim Pickins》中，她就吐槽过一个男人“连‘there’‘their’和‘they are’都傻傻分不清楚”。
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A number of young female pop stars are combining catchy melodies with grumbles about sub-par men.
许多年轻的女流行歌星将朗朗上口的旋律与对平庸男性的吐槽相结合。
Chappell Roan, an American singer-songwriter, laments in “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” that “this man wouldn’t dance” and “didn’t ask a single question”.
美国创作型歌手查佩尔·罗恩在《Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl》中感叹：“这个男人不肯跳舞，也没问过一个问题。”
In “Training Season”, a hit song of 2024, Dua Lipawarns her potential suitors that she does not want to “have to teach you how to love me right”.
在2024年热门歌曲《Training Season》中，杜阿·利帕提醒潜在追求者，她可不想“教你如何正确地爱我”。
Male listeners might wonder if they are expected to be telepathic.
男性听众或许会疑惑：难道是指望他们会读心术吗？
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Charlie Harding of “Switched On Pop”, a podcast, says that these songs reflect the evolution of songwriting.
播客节目《Switched On Pop》的查莉·哈丁认为，这些歌曲体现了歌曲创作的演变。
Since the late 1960s—when artists such as Joni Mitchell started writing about personal experiences—lyricists have moved away from universal themes towards confessional storytelling.
1960年代末之后——那时琼尼·米切尔等音乐人开始创作关于个人经历的作品——作词人便逐渐脱离普遍主题，转向自白式叙事。
Female pop stars began belting out anthems about obnoxious, selfish men.
女流行歌手们也开始放声歌唱，吐槽那些令人讨厌又自私的男人。
Carly Simon, an American singer, offered the brilliantly paradoxical lyric: “You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you.”
美国歌手卡莉·西蒙有句歌词写得精妙又矛盾：“你太自负了，大概还觉得这首歌是在说你吧。”
Pop stars from Beyoncé to Taylor Swift have crooned about bad boys breaking their hearts.
碧昂斯、泰勒·斯威夫特等众多流行歌手都唱过被渣男伤透心的故事。
Country singers including Dolly Parton and Carrie Underwood have reflected on infidelity.
多莉·帕顿、凯莉·安德伍德等乡村歌手，她们在歌中表达了对出轨问题的看法。
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Yet this current wave of songs reflects a social shift. Women in the rich world are enjoying more economic power, meaning they can be choosier about their partners.
然而，当下的歌曲浪潮折射出一种社会变迁。在发达国家，女性的经济话语权持续提升，这意味着她们在选择伴侣时更具主动权。
Many are willing to hold out for someone who will do the washing up and put the toilet seat down.
许多女性愿意耐心等待，只为找到一个会洗碗、会把马桶圈放下的伴侣。
According to Pew Research Centre, 35% of American women between the ages of 25 and 54 were single in 2023, up from 29% in 1990.
皮尤研究中心的数据显示，2023年，美国25-54岁的女性中，有35%处于单身状态，而1990年这一比例仅为29%。
Across many measures, from education to politics, young men and women are drifting apart.
从教育到政治等多个维度来看，年轻男性与女性之间的差距正不断扩大。
Nearly 60% of American university graduates are women. Given that most women prefer not to date or marry down, for many it can be, as Ms Carpenter says, slim pickings.
美国大学毕业生中，女性占比近60%。鉴于多数女性不愿与学历或社会地位低于自己的人交往或结婚，正如卡彭特的歌曲那样，对许多女性而言，可选的伴侣确实寥寥无几。
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Men are pushing back, at least musically.
男人们也在反击，至少从音乐上能看出来。
In August the top album on the Billboard 200 chart was “I’m the Problem” by Morgan Wallen, an American country singer.
8月份，美国公告牌200强专辑榜的冠军专辑是美国乡村歌手摩根·沃伦的《I’m the Problem》。
“If I’m so awful,” he sings, “then why’d you stick around this long?”
他在歌中唱道：“要是我真那么糟糕，你为什么还在我身边待了这么久？”
（恭喜读完，本篇英语词汇517左右）
原文出自：2025年9月13日《TE》Culture版块
精读笔记来源于：自由英语之路VIP群
本文翻译整理: Irene
本文编辑校对: Irene
仅供个人英语学习交流使用。
【重点句子】（3个）
A number of young female pop stars are combining catchy melodies with grumbles about sub-par men.
许多年轻的女流行歌星将朗朗上口的旋律与对平庸男性的吐槽相结合。
Pop stars from Beyoncé to Taylor Swift have crooned about bad boys breaking their hearts.
碧昂斯、泰勒·斯威夫特等众多流行歌手都唱过被渣男伤透心的故事。
Yet this current wave of songs reflects a social shift. Women in the rich world are enjoying more economic power, meaning they can be choosier about their partners.
然而，当下的歌曲浪潮折射出一种社会变迁。在发达国家，女性的经济话语权持续提升，这意味着她们在选择伴侣时更具主动权。
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来源：空气猫的老婆婆