Feb. 11, 2004 -- Janet and Justin's racy half-time stunt at this year's Super Bowl sparked heated debate about the line between entertainment and indecency.

That same debate has existed for some time about today's music, where the line often is a fine one. Many of the music world's best selling artists continue to walk it in lyrics and videos, especially with their portrayals of women.

In an ongoing series, Tolerance.org has examined the state of misogyny in music, looking first at rap and hip hop, then rock and other music genres and also at videos.

Many say these demeaning messages and images in music and videos are damaging to young people.

A study released last year by researchers at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health indicates an association between 'gangsta rap' videos and risky behavior among African American teenage girls.

Dr. Michael Rich, spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics' Media Matters campaign, said the connection to misogynistic music and behavior may be evident in other areas of young people's lives, too. He said such music portrays dating violence and coercion around sexual activity as normal relationships.

Others, like Gwendolyn Pough, assistant professor of women's studies at the University of Minnesota, say misogynistic music is merely a reflection of the attitudes and values already present in society.

In the final report of the Misogyny in Music series, Tolerance.org asks a diverse group of teens from high schools in Wichita, Kan., and Montgomery, Ala., what they think about the portrayal of women in today's music, and its impact on their lives. Here is what they told us:

What are the messages about women you see and hear in music lyrics and videos?

Virginia Tran, age 16: I've noticed that a lot of music puts women in a shallow light. With some of the women singers out there, there's this theme of competition, like you have to be better than everyone, look better than everyone. With the men's music, a lot of it puts women into categories like bitches or submissive whores.

Shawna Fitz, age 16: I'm an African American female — full black, I mean I'm pretty dark. I think a lot of music and videos paint this picture of the interracial or light-skinned girls as being the most beautiful. I think that bothers me more than some of the explicit stuff — it bothers me more than the misogyny.

Kegan Jones, age 17: There's this generic image of women as strippers that's commonplace. Like when I turn on MTV or MTV 2, especially with the hip hop or rap music, it's like every woman has on a bikini and wants the guys around just to look at her. You know that's kind of unrealistic.

Do you think any of the messages about women in music lyrics and videos are degrading, or do you ever find yourself offended by them?

Shandria Sellers, age 16: I take great offense when I hear rappers call women out of their name. And it offends me when women get in videos, dancing around half naked. They're misrepresenting themselves and all women.

Greg Brown, age 16: Yeah, I mean, I think there is something wrong with a lot of it. Like "bitch" and "ho" are pretty overused. But I guess it isn't a big deal — there are always women in the videos, so they're OK with it; it must not be a big deal to them.

Shawna Fitz: I'm not offended by any of it. It's not like I think they mean to call me a bitch or a ho. To me, it's just a term, you know, like madam or something. It's impersonal, so I think it's not meant to be derogative.

Virginia Tran: There's this one song that I've been hearing on the radio lately and actually singing along. But I just realized what some of the words are, like the guy is saying stuff like, "I like my hands around your neck" and "I like your pants around your legs." Now I can't believe I actually was singing that song, like it makes me kind of mad now.

Do you think any of these messages impact the way girls your age see themselves, or the way others see them?

Liz Sifford, age 16: You can definitely see the impact, and I go to a very diverse school. But you can see the impact it has on a lot of girls. They tend to want to be more like what's in the videos, and they don't value themselves as much as they should.

Kegan Jones: I have a little sister, and she wants to wear the provocative clothing. I'm pretty sure some of that has to do with what she hears and sees in videos and on the radio. Maybe she thinks that's the way she's supposed to look, too.

Shandria Sellers: I'd say it impacts the way every female sees herself. Like they may think, "I don't look or act like that, so am I good enough?" I think it drops a lot of girls' self esteem by giving them this standard of beautiful that is almost impossible to reach.

In a study last year, researchers at Emory University found an association between the amount of time a group of teenage girls spent viewing 'gangsta rap' videos and their involvement in risky behaviors like drug use and promiscuity. Do you believe messages in music videos actually influence behavior?

Virginia Tran: Personally, I don't think it influences me or how I behave. But I do think a lot of it sends the message that sex is OK and that using your body to get what you want is OK. And I think girls are having sex pretty early, and getting pregnant pretty early. Maybe that's not just because of the videos, but I know the videos don't help the problem.

Greg Brown: Most of it is just trying to appeal to a male audience, you know, like that's what they think the male audience wants to see. I watch them, like I watch Ludacris, Eminem. I like 50 Cent, too. But I'm not going to do something just because of what I see them doing on TV.

Shawna Fitz: Yeah, like I'm one of those girls if I see a girl wearing something in a video and it looks cute, I'll tell my best friend… and it's like, "Let's go to the mall tomorrow and buy it so we can look cute." I don't think it's going to make me go out and do something bad or crazy, but I know it might make me want to go out and buy something I saw in a video.

Everyone is talking about Janet and Justin's racy stunt at the Super Bowl last week. Some say they crossed the line. What's the difference in how the public has reacted to that incident and how it reacts to the racy music played on the radio and videos shown on TV everyday?

Shandria Sellers: I think the Janet and Justin thing caught people off guard because the Super Bowl is watched by everybody. Everybody doesn't watch videos or listen to that kind of music; families don't necessarily do those things together. Maybe now, people will think about that and realize, "Hey, my child is watching BET, my child is watching MTV. What kind of stuff is my child seeing there?"

Kegan Jones: I think it represents where we've come as a society, like some things have gone out of control. Everybody all over the world was watching that, and I think that's why people started wanting to speak up and say, "That's not how we are!" But in a lot of ways, it is the way we are.

Liz Sifford: Music has always had sexual undertones… I think that just pushed it too far. Music is made so now that you can say bolder things. You can just put it out there in a way that's vulgar and over the top. Everybody has a right to free speech and free expression, but when people take it farther than they should, that gets people's attention.

How should parents be involved when it comes to monitoring the music kids listen to or the videos they watch?

Jeff Konen, age 16: Me and my mom have a good, open relationship. I love talking to her about the videos I've seen. She even took a class, a "Women in Popular Culture" class just to have a greater understanding about some of the things I'm exposed to. I think other parents should do that kind of thing. And they know what their kids are watching and sit them down, talk about it sometimes, and point out what's wrong and what's right.

Shandria Sellers: I think parents should start talking to their kids before they're old enough to start watching all the videos. Things would be very different if Moms sat down with their girls, like when they're little and playing with Barbie, telling them what messages about beauty are realistic and what messages aren't. Then, they wouldn't be looking to videos and music once they're older to learn about how to dress or how to look beautiful.

>> DO SOMETHING
Learn to manage music in your home using tips from the Media Awareness Network.

>> DIG DEEPER
:: Read Tolerance.org's previous reports on Misogyny in Music.

• MISOGYNY IN MUSIC: Hip Hop's Bad Rap
• BEYOND RAP: Musical Misogyny
• MISOGYNY IN MUSIC: Have Videos Gone Wild?