P!nk Showing Girl Power – The Wrong Way
Music is not just a means of entertainment, but also something that influences our cultural script. As a culture, people listen to music in order to enhance emotions, or rather to feel certain emotions they wish to feel. This then separates people into different groups based upon the types of moods they wish to feel, selecting different kinds of music. Consequently, these different cultures then begin to have different sets of norms influenced by the music that group of people listen to. Dustin Kidd, a cultural sociologist, writes a scholarly journal discussing the functions of pop culture in which he introduces the idea that pop culture establishes norms (71). If pop culture establishes norms, then people are listening to music in order to know the appropriate ways in which to behave in certain situations. If someone’s state of emotions is disturbed by a certain event, music can either be a means for people to control these feelings, or boost them. More specifically, after a bad breakup, girls turn to music that would make them feel better. When girls are at their most vulnerable state (young, inexperienced, and heart broken) music has a chance to influence their ideas on what is a normal way to act. These songs are meant to make women feel more empowered so that women can move on from the relationship they were just in, and even give them the power to put themselves above the man they were just with.
These girl power anthems are set to make women feel a source of power, commonly over men. They tend to be very popular because it helps boost women’s self esteem, particularly in the moment they need it the most: after that awful relationship. Girl power songs promote women to be “who they are” and encourage behavior out of women that go against old norms and social boundaries in order to create new ones. Samhita, a blogger who voices her opinion on feminism in relation to Beyoncé’s music video Run the World (Girls), expresses the importance of choice women need to have. She believes that girl power anthems are not necessarily feminism because they are not promoting choice, even though, ironically, it seems like that is one of their main purposes (5). Because girl power anthems create new social boundaries, women are not making their own choices; they are just following the rules under a new power. Girl power anthems try to show a feminist aspect in them in a way that engraves the idea into listeners’ minds that women have the capability to do whatever they please.
Dustin Kidd argues that pop culture is a normal part of capitalist societies because it serves several crucial social functions, the most important being norm generation and boundary maintenance (86). In this essay, I build on his findings to argue that girl power anthems establish these social norms and create social boundaries. Kidd mentions that when pop culture sets these norms, it does have its benefits (75). For instance, pop culture is very important in order for our society to come together. Kidd also discusses how pop culture creates social boundaries. Pop culture (from music, to clothes, to television) constitutes our identities and helps separate our identities from others (Kidd 21). In other words, pop culture helps create our values and morals that put us into different groups. I will be focusing on how girl power anthems, in particular Blow Me (One Last Kiss) by P!nk, influence these norms and social boundaries that Dustin Kidd writes about. Samhita mentions some of the norms and boundaries girl power anthems try to challenge and discusses whether these anthems have any feminist aspects or if it matters if these songs are political since they are meant to be art (2).
The music videos that people watch can influence them under many different levels; perhaps it is because these new rules are emphasized not only through the music, but also through the instruments, lyrics, clothes, dance, camera angles and body type. Girl power anthems show girl dominance, promiscuous ways to dress, and how to act in certain situations. Not only do these aspects come through to us in just the one song, but also the theme a girl power anthem is trying to promote is then again expressed in other popular songs. Often enough, girls respond to these videos believing that these are the new norms and follow them. Because these songs are meant to make girls feel powerful, girls often listen to these songs in order to feel like they are just as powerful, if not more powerful than men. Although girl power anthems seem to promote feminism, the new norms and boundaries they are creating deceive girls from reality. The goal of feminism in this essay will be looked at as a way to create an equal society between man and woman. Norms relate to the way in which a certain social group usually behaves. The boundaries that these girl power anthems are setting exemplify rules in which women should follow.
Girl Power anthems try to control women’s beliefs on how women should act by producing a new set of norms for women. At first, especially from a feminist point of view, this is a good goal for music stars. In a world where many believe that women are still second to men, why wouldn’t women want to promote a different set of mind? A strong feminist, NineteenPercent, has pointed out in one of her video blogs that there is not a society in the world where women have a higher decision making power over men (0:32). However, the norms those girl power anthems have been setting has been veering away from the traditional feminist movement that other feminists wish to set. These girl power anthems are also, in a way that NineteenPercent explains, celebrating the power girls obtain over men, when in reality girls are still in need to be treated as equal to men. Some of the examples she says include how 95% of domestic violence victims are female, how women are only paid 78% of what men are paid for doing the same work, and how most rap songs strongly disrespect women. These anthems are veering away from feminism through the false idea that women are above men. Feminism is also about the need for women to be equal to men, not to put them above. The ultimate gratification of empowerment is not quite enough, and is giving its audience a false sense of truth.
In the girl power anthem Blow Me (One Last Kiss) by P!nk, the artist tries to show its viewers how to handle a relationship when it seems to be approaching its end. In this song, P!nk is the one saying the final goodbye, yet she also shows evidence in her song that her actions and feelings are dependent on the actions and feelings her boyfriend expresses. From the beginning of the video, P!nk is shown splashing wine over her boyfriend after he interrupts their conversation by answering a phone call. She later is shown with a different guy, the guy she imagines her boyfriend is: painting her in a romantic sensitive way. The next scene shows that her relationship with the delusional version of her boyfriend got her back in touch with her innocent self, whom is all dressed in white as shown in figure 1. When her boyfriend comes in to ask her to marry her, she shows that she is ready to accept until she realizes that he is not asking this new version of her; he is asking the old innocent version of her, all dressed in white, which is also shown in figure 1.
Figure 1, P!nk, Blow Me (One Last Kiss), 2:29
P!nk tries to show power by leaving a bad relationship. Instead she reveals that she was ready to commit to the relationship (by taking out her hand to accept the ring) until she realized that her boyfriend is not interested in the new version of herself, but the old innocent version. This shows that her feelings are dependent on his. She is not leaving him because she is unsatisfied on what he is; she is leaving him because he is unsatisfied on what she is. A great way of looking at this is understanding Samhita’s explanation; when looking at the girl power anthem Run the World (Girls) by Beyoncé, women are shown as powerful but still second to men. She explains that women believe this to be the natural order of things, and in this natural order women are still powerful (11). But if this song were to show real feministic aspects in it, it would not show that women are powerful and second to men, it would show that women and men are equally powerful. When P!nk relies on her boyfriend to understand what to do, she does show power, but power behind her man. This idea is then emphasized again in the chorus part of her song as she sings, “I think I’ve finally had enough, I think I maybe think too much, I think this might be it for us (blow me one last kiss)”. When she sings, “I think” it shows she is not too sure of her decision to leave, waiting to see how he feels. It also contradicts her overall image of trying to be powerful; how can someone be powerful if they are not firm or definite on their own decisions?
P!nk also creates a new norm, which is the idea that revenge is not only acceptable, but also empowering. Because P!nk seeks revenge on her boyfriend and goes through with it, she is showing weakness because she is giving into her wants. P!nk understands giving into one’s wants is a sense of freedom which therefore must be powerful in her perspective. She expresses this idea in her lyrics when she says, “I will do what I please, anything that I want. I will breathe, I will breathe, I won’t worry at all. You will pay for your sins, you’ll be sorry my dear”. These lyrics in her song not only explain her desire to do whatever she wants, but also reveals her desire for revenge. At the beginning of the music video, she is dressed all in white, along with the man she is with. Not even forty seconds into this video does she already show her revenge on her man: Splashing red wine on his white outfit. Similarly at the end of the video, her revenge is also of a red substance splashing over white outfits, but in this case the white outfits resemble what could be her wedding. The beginning of the video foreshadows her own revenge later on in the video which shows the emphasis on her own revenge. In figure 2 it shows the white flowers from a completely white wedding (which symbolize goodness, innocence and purity) drenched in P!nk’s red (anger, energy, danger, strength and power). P!nk (the version of her dressed in black) smiles right before this scene showing her relief as the big heart explodes overhead, releasing all that anger and power and pouring it on the man that betrayed her.
Figure 2, P!nk, Blow Me (One Last Kiss), 3:01
Girl power anthems also set social boundaries by telling us what is and is not okay in their lyrics as well as their actions in their music videos. Having a famous artist say and do certain things sets new boundaries for their fans. As Dustin Kidd mentioned when talking about pop culture, music constitutes people’s identities and also puts them into different groups (21). There are people who listen to girl power anthems and there are people who do not listen to girl power anthems. It would seem accurate to say that people who listen to girl power anthems have similar values regarding what is and is not okay when comparing girls to other men. Women who listen to girl power anthems tend to feel and believe the certain way that the song wants them to feel which is why girls who listen to them think and behave that certain way.
One common belief among women who listen to girl power anthems is the idea that women have a higher power over men. NineteenPercent said, when speaking of a different girl power anthem, Run the World (Girls) by Beyoncé, that Beyoncé was “lying”. Girls do not run the world at all (0:02). In some ways, she’s right. She points out how there is not even a society in this world where women have higher decision-making power than a man. This is the side of peoples’ beliefs of power and morals that they never think of. This may be what brings these people together and puts people in separate social groups because they think about feminism differently. The way women value themselves and value other men are being set by the songs they listen to. Maybe its because the age group that listens to these girl power songs are still trying to figure themselves out, having an authority tell them its okay to do certain things is hard to go against. Natasha, a blogger who claims to be serious about her feminist views, potentially supports the views that P!nk has set forth. She strongly believes that women should have the right, and have the attitude that will allow them to be whomever they want. She even asks a valid question, asking her readers, “Why is it that the women who proclaim to be pro-woman so loudly are the first ones to tear another woman down in the most brutal and humiliating fashion?” (qtd by Natasha 10). Feminism is not about tearing other women down, but it is also not about doing whatever you want either. As Samhita put it, girl power and Feminism are not the same thing. Girl power is a pop culture tool to encourage females to buy into a mainstream product (5). The boundaries P!nk is setting are not in any particular way the correct morals and values that women should be having that would lead them into feminism, yet P!nk is setting those boundaries anyways.
Even though it appears that girl power anthems are only meant to make girls feel powerful, they produce new norms and set their own boundaries that may be pointing listeners away from feminism. Women are not being treated equal to men, and in many feminist views they agree that the goal should be for men and women to be equal. If girl power anthems are so powerful because they set norms and create social boundaries, then they should try to send listeners a message that will bring society closer to that goal. Making women feel powerful by setting the wrong norms and morals is not going to help the world value women in the respectable manner feminists wish it would. Right now, girl power anthems certainly do not equal feminism, but maybe one day they could.
