Girl Power Popular Culture
American society has been shaped by pop culture. “Harry Potter and the Function of Popular Culture”, by Dustin Kidd, is an article from The Journal of Popular Culture. In this article he discusses how popular culture affects everyone’s life, no matter who or where you are in the world. Kidd talks about how pop culture has become a necessity in everyday life and how it affects the individual as well as the population. According to Kidd “pop culture has become necessary, it establishes norms, social boundaries, rituals and innovations, while also paving the way for social change” Similarly, girl power anthems are paving the way for social change and establishing norms, in order to help women stand up to old views about a “female’s role”. Girl power anthems are a song/music video that are trying to take a stance against the old view of a females role in the world. They are used to help females gain control of their thoughts and life, in order to change the general thought that women are the less dominant gender. A girl power anthem is empowering for women of all ages, but most powerful for younger girls. Younger girls are the future of women in American society, so it’s important to teach them how to be a strong female and be in control. Society is going to need strong women in order to keep the change of thought moving forward and to generate new ideas on how to help women advance in life. Just as Dustin Kidd argues that popular culture is essential for paving the way for social changes in American society, so girl power anthems from artists like Beyonce and Alicia Keys are important for paving the way towards social changes in the way women are thought of and their roles in society. Keys video is trying to make a point of that women are not the lesser gender, but a strong and powerful being like fire, just like fire it is hard to put a woman “out.”
Music is a huge part of pop culture, which dictates many aspects of life. Without pop culture where would the US be? Have you ever thought about what pop culture really is, or how it’s defined? Dustin Kidd has a few definitions of the word popular, but the one that goes hand in hand with girl power anthems is the idea of “commercial culture.” Commercial culture is about widespread fame and enjoyment throughout society. Many people look to music for guidance, especially women. Different types of music are used for different situations, for example, during a break up a women either listens to a sappy, sad song or a go screw yourself, angry type of song. Music helps the soul get through whatever feeling is going through the body. Girl on Fire is talking about how Keys character is raising her children on her own because she no longer wants to put up with her deadbeat boyfriend or husband. She is empowering women to be on their own. Girl power anthems are a huge part of today’s pop culture, with more and more artists popping up.
Although, some girl power anthems are criticized for creating a false world, like Beyonce’s “Run the World [Girls)”, it is common knowledge that women do not run the world, but pop culture has blurred the lines of this concept. At feminsiting.com, a feminist blogger by the name of Samhita interpratated Beyonce’s music video and shared her thoughts on it. Samhita wrote a blog about Beyonce’s video, and called her out on a few important details. She suggests that girl power is now being used to buy into mainstream and find a place in society. In reality, the gender wars are not over, and this mainstream young girls are buying into is just false hope. Throughout the video Beyonce is shown taking a stand and being in control, but this is from being sexual and gaining power from a sexualized state of being. How are women supposed to gain respect when they are being over sexualized in order to gain power. In response to Samhita’s blog post, a video blogger, 19 percent, discussed her views on the beyonce video. Just like Samhita she is also a feminist, but has different ideas than Samhita does on the music video. 19 Percent made a video in response to Beyonce’s video which puts girl power into question. This Vlogger made an important point that Samhita also alluded to, that female sexuality is for sale. Men don’t respect women, instead they view us as a sexual object. Women are constantly objectified and defined by derogatory names, which is not furthering girls running the world. It’s important for young girls to be watching videos and listening to music that isn’t creating a false sense of girl power, like the song Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys.
In the music video for “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys, Keys character is portrayed as a woman who is doing the typical “womanly duties”. She is shown picking up the children’s toys, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. The husband/boyfriend/male figure in her life is not seen until he comes home from what the viewer can assume is work. This is the typical, old school, view of man versus woman roles in the household. During the video, the viewer can tell that Keys is getting frustrated with her “duties” as a woman with her eye rolls, body language and facial expressions. She is shown in a scene with papers that can be interpreted as job postings, with a frustrated facial expression. Keys’ is looking for a better life and wants the best for her children. She looks puzzled and confused, but also somewhat annoyed. I infer she is annoyed due to her growing frustration of her womanly duties. This is like current social norms today because many women feel as though they have to stay home with the children while their husbands/significant others go out. This video is trying to prove the point of a woman can do it all on her own. Keys cooks, cleans, takes care of her children and mother, while also looking for a better job. She is a the common mother looking to improve her life as well as her children’s lives.
In the next scene with the children, she is standing with her hands on her hips, signifying her in charge attitude. She then lets out a sigh but continues on with her “womanly duties.” A change in how she acts is shown when she “finds” her super powers. Key’s character is now being referred to as a superhero in a way. She digs deep to find the power to continue on with her day and ends up being the superhero or super mom. Many single moms can relate to this video and receive empowerment because of how Key’s character does everything on her own, even though she does have a significant other. Even during frustration, Key’s character never loses a smile. She never quits, but instead powers through the hard times in order to raise and be there for her kids. When the man does eventually come home, she has little interest in him. Her character has grown annoyed of the unequal deviation of the roles in the household. The man obviously wants to be loved when he comes home, but she immediately pushes him away. She is taking the dominant role in the situation and being forceful with what she wants, or in this situation what she does not want. She is empowering women to do their best and not get pushed around by a man.
The lyrics in Girl on Fire are very powerful throughout the whole song. “She’s livin in a world and it’s on fire…”, Keys is trying to make a point of how the world is not right, and in this case it’s because of unequal gender roles. The word fire is used as a metaphor throughout the song. Keys is trying to convey the point that a girls world is not where it should be and needs help. This video is empowering girls to “extinguish” the fire, and chose a better life for themselves. Women do not need to be in shadows, we can do anything on our own. Girl power is so important in todays society, which is why so many girl power anthems have been produced recently. Key’s sings about not backing down, which goes along with how women cannot back down on this issue until equality is reached. Women have the right to equality, just like men. Women are on top of the world according to Keys, which is not true yet but is an idealistic future. Samhita would most likely criticize Key’s the same way she criticized “Run the World [Girls)” by Beyonce, in the sense that Beyonce is trying to create an idealistic world where women run the world. A part of feminism is how a woman presents herself and looks, these lyrics address the narrow minded thinking, “Looks like a girl, but she’s a flame.”
Just because Keys looks sexy in this video doesn’t mean she can’t be messed with.
A flame is hot and fiery, like Keys in the video. She stands up for what she wants and doesn’t let the man control her. She’s also showing girls that you can be sexy for yourself, whether its to feel good about how you look or because you’re proud of yourself. Dressing sexy isn’t always about trying to seduce a man, she’s in control of herself and her body. Which is why she refers to her character as a flame. Her lyrics are empowering throughout, giving off the message to women to be a force to be reckoned with, a flame. It’s not easy to fight with fire or to put it out, so a flame for symbolizing girl power makes sense.
In conclusion, girl power anthems connect with Dustin Kidd’s thesis in the sense of they are paving the way for social change. Kidd discusses how important popular culture is for social change and to keep society moving forward. Girl power anthems make a movement to help women not be dominated by men and achieving equality. These songs help women feel empowered to do what they never thought they could, stand up to a man and be okay on their own. In “Girl on Fire” Keys essentially shows women that when it may not be easy, doing things on your own is possible. She is a “fire to be fought” and will not back down. Keys character grows tired of her “womanly duties” and decides to make a change in her life. She does not let the guy push her around, but instead dominates him by saying no when he tries to seduce her later in the video. Social change will happen for women, just like how gay marriage has become accepted or how technology has evolved. It just takes time, but these empowerment songs will help women get to where they should be, equal with men.
Kara Williams
