We Heart: Lynzy Lab’s Satirical Take on These “Scary Times”

“A Scary Time” is the reaffirming song women across the country didn’t know they needed, but definitely deserved. The viral satirical tune by Lynzy Lab Stewart, a singer based in Texas, mocks the self-confessed fears and concerns from male lawmakers and public figures arising as feminists continue to demand accountability for perpetrators of sexual harassment and violence—including the president, who remarked that it’s a “scary time” for boys.

Lynzy’s song reveals the myriad ways in which it isn’t a scary time to be a man—but why it is, every single day, scary to be a woman. “I can’t walk to my car late at night while I’m on the phone,” she sings, “I can’t open up my windows when I’m home alone, I can’t go to the bar without a chaperone, I can’t wear a miniskirt if it’s the only one I own, I can’t use public transportation after 7 p.m., I can’t be brutally honest when you slide into my DMs, I can’t go to the club just to dance with my friends and I can’t ever leave my drink unattended.”

In stark contrast, she also mocks men’s collective fear not of violence, but of accountability. “It sure is a scary time for boys, gentleman band together, make some noise,” she sings. “It’s really tough when your reputation’s on the line, and any woman you’ve assaulted could turn up anytime.”

In another verse, she remarks: “It sure is a scary time for guys, can’t speak to any woman or look her in the eyes. It’s so confusing, is it rape or is it just being nice, so inconvenient that you even have to think twice.

After a fit of faked confusion, Lynzy comes to her senses. “Oh, that’s—oh that’s right,” she sings. “It’s not such a scary time for boys. They’ve always had the upper hand. They’ve always had a choice.” Alongside her declaration comes a call to action.

“It’s time for women to rise up, use our collective voice,” she reminds the feminists tuning in. “The day to vote is November 6th, so let’s go make some noise.”

This isn’t Lynzy’s first time speaking up for survivors. In 2017, she posted a video telling her own #MeToo story in the wake of the movement’s explosion online. Now, survivors and supporters from all over the country are retweeting, sharing and liking her satirical song to show support for her call-out of rape culture—and it has over 10 million views and counting.

About

Miranda Martin is a feminist writer and activist and an editorial intern at Ms. She has written for a variety of publications and been published by The Unedit and Project Consent. Miranda recently graduated from University of Wisconsin La Crosse with a major in Interpersonal Communications and a double minor in Creative Writing and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. She loves to travel, read, exercise and daydream about the fall of the patriarchy.