The Portrayal of Women in Katy Perry's Selected Song Lyrics

Amelia Lisara The Portrayal of Women in Katy Perry’s Selected Song Lyrics

The Portrayal of Women in Katy Perry’s Selected Song Lyrics

Amelia Lisara English Language and Literature Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia [email protected]

ABSTRACT The present study entitled The Portrayal of Women in Katy Perry’s Selected Song Lyrics aims at drawing the portrayal of women in the selected song lyrics and revealing gendered messages in the selected song lyrics as viewed in post feminism perspectives. Utilizing a qualitative research particularly descriptive method, the discussion of the present study is framed within gender studies and theory of post feminism. The result of the present study shows that most of women in One of the Boys album (2008) are portrayed through five portrayals highlighting women’s physical appearance, women as sexual subject, women’s passive behavior, and women’s attitudes to cover their dependency on men. These portrayals support patriarchal ideology in which women are in accordance with patriarchal society’s expectation. The present study also discovers that gendered messages in most of song lyrics in One of the Boys do not show the notion of post feminism by being passive and dependent to men. Nevertheless, several songs explore the theme of sexuality as one of feminism values. Keywords: Gender, Feminism, Ideology, Women

Passage 2014,2(2), 61-68

INTRODUCTION Song lyric, as a piece of Generally, when lyric writers write a literary text, also contains the song lyric, they are influenced by message in both explicit and implicit their life experience and events. For way. It is almost impossible for any example, a song writer who is types of literary text for not having a brought up in an environment that particular meaning. The connection values partriarchal ideologies may between song lyric and its message, portray women inferiority in his or then, emerges in view of the fact that her song lyrics. The portrayal of a songwriter whether in a conscious women in song lyrics has been a condition or not, always influences particular interest, especially for the their songs with their intended feminists. Many have tried to draw meaning. Gendered message as the the representation of women in deeper meaning focusing on gender literature that is to a high extent still relation in song lyric can be prone to mistaken description and or identified by emphasizing incorrect representation. This is also correspondence of lyrics and images true for the representation of female as the elements in the texts character in song lyric .For instance, (Silverman 2001, cited in Click and in a paper critiquing Pink’s Stupid Kramer 2007). Girl, Leonardi and Dickinson (2007) Katy Perry is an American pop discuss how each gender is being singer-songwriter whose most of her portrayed in the song when they say, songs concerning on gender relation. “Females are constructed and Most of her lyrics elaborate realistic portrayed through various negative aspects since it reflects view, feeling, strategies to be passive, shallow, and voice of women. Katy Perry is unengaged, and disempowered also well-known as a singer- creatures”. They found that the song songwriter who often explores supports patriarchy by making the themes of sexuality in her songs as a woman seem inferior to the man and tool to make female character in her having the man seem to be a more songs powerful. However, there is an powerful figure in the song. implicit meaning that can be

Amelia Lisara The Portrayal of Women in Katy Perry’s Selected Song Lyrics

analyzed through that kind of gender studies and post feminist portrayal. Considering that, this perspectives as its theoretical present study tries to uncover how foundation, this present study utilizes women are typically portrayed in text analysis in analyzing the popular song lyrics written and sung by song lyrics. Textual analysis helps woman and what gendered messages reveal the way lyric tells different can be derived from the song lyrics stories about women’s expectations as viewed from a post feminist and experiences while at the same perspective. time enabling the researcher to read For this reason, this present gendered messages in each song. The study chooses ten song lyrics from result of the present study is One of the Boys (2008) album by expected to provide new insights for Katy Perry to be analyzed. The song understanding gender issues in media lyrics are Fingerprints, Hot n Cold, I through a deep analysis of women’s Kissed a Girl, If You Can Afford Me, portrayal. I’m Still Breathing, Lost, Mannequin, The concept of gender in the One of the Boys, Self Inflicted, and present time relates to the role of Thinking of You. Katy Perry co- man and woman rather than just man wrote every song on the album as and woman’s biological sex well as writing three of the songs difference. Gender is what people do, herself. wear, speak to show who people are The data were collected as their identity. Sex-role behavior is through reading and re-reading to learned (French, 1985, p. 531). Thus, Katy Perry’s selected song lyrics for it does not mean because one is a several times. It is because the study female then she should be feminine. mostly deals with narrative textual She appears to perform feminine analysis. The data is collected from qualities because she learns how to ten Katy Perry’s song lyrics in the be feminine, not masculine. form of textual evidences that are Patriarchy was to make men central selected and directed to answer the (and women marginal) to human life research questions. Framed by (French, 1985, p. 91). French names

Passage 2014,2(2), 61-68

the term of human division as his song, chances are other people masculine and feminine principles. will start using the same term to refer The principles assert that masculine to women. The fact that a song can experience is rooted in power-in-the- control someone’s action and world, with its symbolized act: to behavior indicates that music kill. Meanwhile, feminine experience industry has a big impact on the way is rooted in nature, with its gender is constructed. symbolized act: to give birth. The highlight in popular Popular songs have an culture is in the role of media. important role in constructing gender According to Hall (cited in Hollows, in society. If a song is played over 2000), popular culture is associated and over and everybody likes it, then as local culture, something that is the song becomes popular. Thus, produced and consumed by people. what is represented in that song or Strinatri (2004) states that popular messages that the song carries on culture is called as mass culture. She must be well-known as well. Brown further says that in 1920s and 1930s, (2003) in his article states that cultural products such as popular popular songs form the background press, cinema and radio become the of car rides and social gatherings, consumption of mass society. The and it also inform the adolescent popular culture media defines about the adult world through the Postfeminism as Girl Power. It lens of the artists’ lives, language appeared in 1990s that the term Girl and role modeling. For instance, if a Power is identified as female popular female singer mentions empowerment (cited in Genz and about women wearing a revealing Brabon, 2009). The term Girl Power outfit in her song, then young girls is directly associated with music would probably think that they culture since the arrival of Spice Girl should be wearing the same kind of in 1996. Girl Power brings the idea clothing. It could also work in of a celebration of self-belief in another way; if a male rapper uses a regards to friendship and derogatory term refer to a woman in independence.

Amelia Lisara The Portrayal of Women in Katy Perry’s Selected Song Lyrics

To add more, there are Faludi (cited in Genz and Brabon, debates regarding the definition of 2009) in society, backlash defines the term Post feminism. Faludi (cited itself through media-inspired images. in Gamble, 2001) asserts that all Media-inspired images persuade women are Post feminist now, which women that feminism is means that women have arrived at unfashionable and not worthy equal justice. He further mentions consideration. that Post feminism is viewed as Based on the analyzed data, reaction against second-wave the present study finds that women in Feminism. Katy Perry’s selected song lyrics are Just when record numbers of portrayed through five portrayals. younger women were The first portrayal is women are supporting feminist goals in the presented in attractive physical mid-1980s (more of them, in appearance. The second portrayal is fact, than older women) and a women are treated as sexual object. majority of all women were The third portrayal is women are calling themselves feminists, engaged in significantly passive the media declared that behavior. The fourth portrayal is feminism was the flavor of the seventies and that ‘post women are presented as having feminism’ was the new story – negative attitudes and the last complete with a younger portrayal is women are presented as generation who supposedly having positive attitudes to cover reviled the women’s movement. their dependency on men. Each From the explanation above, women portrayal has different women’s who called themselves as feminists characteristics or traits. The revile the women’s movement at that characteristics are powerful, time. The action comes from women emotional, self-blaming, attractive, who called themselves as feminists fickle, loyal, powerless, dependent, who reacted against the goals of comforting, sexual object, and in feminist movement. This reaction is solidarity with other women. called as backlash. According to

Passage 2014,2(2), 61-68

The way women are figure in the song. The most presented in attractive physical interesting portrayal is women are appearance and treated as sexual presented as having positive attitudes object reinforce the traditional to cover their dependency on men. assumption that woman is only At first, this portrayal seems to have valued from their body and its a positive sense but if we take an in- function. Furthermore, it is depth comprehension towards the emphasized that woman is only portrayal, there will be a negative believed as subordinate from man in sense. The women in If You can society that defines woman as “lack” Afford Me, One of the Boys, (Beauvoir in Pilcher and Whelehan, Mannequin, and Self Inflicted 2004). Women are also considered as become powerful, loyal, and weak creatures that need man’s comforting just to cover their need of protection and she does not have to the man’s love. These portrayals be smart to attract man. This support Pearson and Pope (1976, portrayal can be found in I Kissed a cited in Savitt 1982) who state that Girl, One of the Boys, and Thinking “Patriarchal society views women of You. essentially as supporting characters Meanwhile, the women’s in the drama of life.” Most of the portrayal as having passive behavior lyrics show how women cannot and negative attitudes simply imply neglect the fast that they are men’s that women are constructed and subordinate. portrayed through various negative The present study also strategies to be passive, shallow, and discovers gendered messages in each disempowered creatures. The songs of Katy Perry’s selected song lyrics with these portrayals such as Self that are different one and another. Inflicted, Lost, I’m Still Breathing, The findings show that 8 out of 10 Mannequin, and Hot n Cold support Katy Perry’s song lyrics under study patriarchy by making the woman have negative gendered messages seem inferior to the man and having creating the women’s need and the man seem to be a more powerful dependency of the men. It is

Amelia Lisara The Portrayal of Women in Katy Perry’s Selected Song Lyrics

evidenced in Hot n Cold, I Kissed a Relying on the findings and Girl, If You can Afford Me, Lost, discussions in the previous Mannequin, One of the Boys, Self explanation, it can be concluded that Inflicted, and Thinking of You. One of the Boys album (2008) Otherwise, Fingerprints and supports portrayal of woman to be in I’m Still Breathing are two song accordance with patriarchal society’s lyrics with its positive gendered expectation. Most of women in this messages which show great album are presented by performing achievement of women. The themes traditional gender assumption to be of song lyric become broader, not feminine. In One of the Boys (2008), only about the suffrage or equality, Katy Perry demonstrates women’s but also women’s celebration in quest for freedom and power both popular culture. In these songs, the sexually and personally. Despite all women are consistent with efforts to this, the gendered messages in most empower women in initiating the song lyrics exhibit feelings of low decision and having a good self- self-esteem and admit to a certain confidence. dependency on men. To sum up, most of gendered Regarding the investigation messages in Katy Perry’s selected on song lyrics, the present study song lyrics are not in line with the suggests that further researchers may term Girl Power in post-feminist discuss some other researchable which brings the idea of self-belief in issues in popular music study, for regards to friendship and instance the identity construction in independent (cited in Genz and song lyrics, character’s development Brabon, 2009). Most of the song in song lyrics, and the uniqueness of lyrics under study convey dominant narration in song lyrics. Further gender role expectations in romantic study of portrayal of women and relationships where men are depicted gendered messages can also be as more inclined to leave their lovers conducted by obtaining the data from while women remain painful as a particular novels which currently consequence. emerge as medium to portray the

Passage 2014,2(2), 61-68

issues of woman’s portrayal and Postfeminism: Cultural Texts and Theories. Edinburg: gendered message. Edinburg University Press Ltd.

Hollows, J. (2000). Feminism and REFERENCES Popular Culture. Manchester University Press. Brown. (2003). New Research Explores Effects of Rap Music Leonardi, M, and Elizabeth on Adolescents. Brown Dickinson. (2007). Feminism for University Child and Adolescent Stupid Girls: A Feminist Behavior Letter 19.6: 1. Rhetorical Critique of a Popular Academic Search Elite. EBSCO Song by Pink. Conference Web. 23 August 2013. Papers—National Communication Association: 1- Click, M., and Kramer, M. (2007). 25. Reflections on a Century of Living: Gendered Differences in Pilcher, J., and Whelehan, I. (2004). Mainstream Popular Songs. Fifty Key Concepts in Gender Journal of Popular Studies. London: Sage. Communication, 5 (4), 241-262. University of Missouri. Savitt, J. (1982). Female Stereotypes in Literature (With a Focus on French, M. (1985). Beyond Power on Latin American Writers). Women, Men and Morals. New (online). Available at York: Ballantine Books. http;//www.yale.edu/ynhti/ (June, 20th 2013). Gamble, S. (2001). The Routledge Companion to Feminism and Strinatri, D. (2004). An Introduction Post feminism. New York: to Theories of Popular Culture. Taylor & Francis Group London: Routledge II New Routledge. Fetter Lane.

Genz, Stephanie, et.al. (2009). .