Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Music, Little Girls, and Pop Princesses

The part where I have a hissy fit over what music is doing to our next generation.

I’m on Tumblr. I’ll never tell you my name because I post all manner of inappropriate shit. This one meme keeps coming around and it angers me beyond belief every time I see it. Its song lyrics that aren’t at all bad, they’re just ridiculous to see posted over and over again. It got me thinking about other music that I have problems with which lead me to this here blog. Be prepared, though. I go full frontal bitch on this one.

This is the post that started this rant…


(brought to you by: MissCue. )

I believe you all know how much I absolutely adore Adele. The girl has had my heart for a long, long time. The song this quote is pulled from (in case it’s not obvious) is “Someone Like You.” It’s a beautiful song that certainly showcases her voice. She wrote it herself and it was, I’m sure, legitimately how she was feeling at the time. The problem, though, is that 13-19 year old girls are now quoting it en masse and seeming to be truly feeling the exact same way. All. The. Time. But letting these girls continue to swoon over someone who doesn’t want them, sulk over their failings and sink into a depression-laden song is in no way creating smart, independent women. The feelings are 100% legit and they have a right to feel that way for a while. But at some point the older and wiser women on Tumblr (and anywhere else where these words are being echoed) need to say, “No. You won’t. You’ll find someone better, because you deserve someone better.” By not saying anything and by letting our teens swoon so pathetically like this, we’re just nourishing a future society of simpering women clinging to any boy that pays attention to them. I’m pretty sure that’s not why our mothers and grandmothers burnt their bras. If they're going to quote Adele, why not "Turning Tables?" Take a listen to the bridge. "Next time I'll be braver/I'll be my own savior" are far better lyrics for girls, young and old, to be repeating to themselves and others.




On the flipside, I also have serious issues with this Princess bullshit being fed to girls by the likes of Taylor Swift. I mean, what the hell is this?



Don’t get me wrong. I love the Disney princesses and frilly dresses and tea parties. I love seeing tons of little girls dressed up as princesses for Halloween. But, at some point, little girls have to grow up and face reality. This isn’t just about thinking you deserve to be treated like a princess-It’s about the whole idea of a fairy tale romance. Too many songs have this whole, “My life isn’t complete until you notice me and marry me” vibe, as if marrying the first boy that you fall in love with will guarantee happiness. (The closest thing she has that says the opposite is "White Horse" and even that is suspect, it's mostly just about breaking up with one prince so she can find a better one)

Taylor Swift is in her twenties. Why does she still think fairy tales exist? Why is she still pushing this drama onto our cousins, nieces and daughters and why are we letting her? Our daughters need to be taught that, first and foremost, they can and will be just as happy without a Prince Charming and that their life and worth isn’t defined by what kind of Prince they married. They also need to be taught that if they do get married, it won’t necessarily be ‘happily ever after.’ Marriage is tough, even if it’s the love of your life, even if he’s a fucking prince and even if it does last forever, it won’t always be easy or happy. It was cute when Taylor was sixteen, but she’s a grown up now and she needs to lead the way for her fans to grow up and face reality, too.

Speaking of fantasy vs. reality means that we should probably talk about Ms. “Teenage Dream,” Katy Perry. Is this any more acceptable for our girls to be listening to and singing along with?



Katy Perry is no longer a teenager and neither am I, so to a certain extent this song is fun and cute. It’s fun to sing along to in the car. The problem is, though, that my seven year old cousin absolutely adores, “Firework.” Right now that’s the only song her mother allows her to listen to, but what happens when my aunt loses that control of the iPod? What happens when a nine or ten year old cousin goes into the stores and picks up the CD so she can hear the rest of the album? My cousin is young, but that’s happening. Pre-teen girls all over the world are being drawn in with the feel-good message of “Firework” and then listening to “Teenage Dream.” I’m sorry, but I’m not okay with a girl about to start high school hearing that when she’s a teenager, to be a boy’s dream girl, she needs to let him put his hands all over her. Katy Perry started out with a pretty niche audience of older teens and twenty-somethings getting a kick out of “I Kissed a Girl” and “Waking up in Vegas,” but as she’s gained popularity her audience has grown to including a lot younger crowd. I think she needs to reconsider the message of some of her songs. And, failing that, mother’s need to reconsider what they allow their girls to listen to in the car.

And, don’t even get me started on the hate that the likes of Tyler the Creator and his gang are shoving down everyone’s throat and my utter dismay at MTV’s willingness to condone such filth. At least that’s currently being contained to a slightly older audience.

Of course, to be fair, at the age of seven, I was listening to “Prop Me up beside the Jukebox,” “Going through the big D" and all of Garth Brooks’ cheating songs. I turned out mostly unscathed (minus that whole failed-marriage at 25 business), even after listening to this:


(She was still strong and independent-ish. You know, after she whore'd it up/out for a while.)

But, I also grew up in a time when a seven-year-old wore skirts that were plaid, instead of leopard print, sweats that had kittens on the bottoms instead of “Juicy” across the butt and Barbie wore mostly ball gowns, not hoochie skirts. The times they are a-changin’ and it’s our job to do every little bit possible to help our girls grow up at a decent speed. They can neither be rushed nor stunted. We must warn them that often times teenage dreams turn into teenage mothers, meaning they’ve dashed their own dreams to be someone else's fantasy. We can’t allow them to be Princesses forever or they will grow up to be sorely disappointed with their average ever after.