"You'll find me in the studio and not in the kitchen"
Allen's song Hard Out Here is about the struggles women encounter in their daily lives. Rolling Stones magazine called Lily Allen's song "a feminist anthem through and through"
women. The beginning of the video starts with Allen getting liposuction. The doctors are heard saying "we need to get more fat off from the legs". Her "manager" stands over her and proclaims " how does someone let themselves go like this". Allen is overheard saying "I had two babies". The synthpop music starts to play and Allen starts singing. Throughout the video Allen's "manager" is seen telling her to sexualize common things such as, eating, washing dishes, and dancing. The whole video is telling the a story of how women in the industry and in real life get treated. They are seen as sexual beings.
Lyrically Allen's song brings a synthpop feel into a hard hitting subject.
"If I told you 'bout my sex life, you'd call me a slut
When boys be talking about their b******, no one's making a fuss"
When boys be talking about their b******, no one's making a fuss"
The lyric suggests that men are given a more lenient term for having multiple partners(whether sexual or nonsexual). In fact, a term for men with multiple partners was not coined until 2013. However, a women who has had the same amount encounters is called a slut. It is a double standard society has for women.
"If you're not a size six, then you're not good looking
Well, you better be rich, or be real good at cooking
You should probably lose some weight 'cause we can't see your bones
You should probably fix your face or you'll end up on your own"
Well, you better be rich, or be real good at cooking
You should probably lose some weight 'cause we can't see your bones
You should probably fix your face or you'll end up on your own"
Women are seen as "pretty things" they are meant to be at home or doing "womanly jobs". teaching, nursing, or even flight attending are the traditional women jobs other than stay at home mom. In addition the lyric discusses how women are perceived as pretty objects. Women are supposed to be a certain weigh, if not then they should be good housewives in order to make up for their lack of looks.
I enjoyed your analysis of one of my all-time favorite songs. You're completely right she is calling out the double standard that men are, for the most part, free of judgment when engaging in sexual activity, while women are demeaned for the same actions. The fact that women are judged so harshly for their sex lives goes hand in hand with the fact that in pop culture, women are thought of as sexual objects. We are taught growing that the most important thing is to look great and be skinny so that hopefully we can fulfill our ultimate life goal of finding a husband and raising a family. Allen calls out the fact that women's issues are not just a thing of the past when she says "we've never had it so good, ... we're out of the woods, and if you can't detect the sarcasm you've misunderstood", and "inequality promises that it's here to stay, always trust the injustice 'cause it's not going away". For me, it is sad to realize the truth behind this statement. With that being said, I am going to take some advice from the song and go break some glass ceilings. :)
ReplyDeleteHey Victoria! This is the very first time I've heard this song, so thanks for introducing it to me! It's amazing. The fact that she's calling out not only the industry she works in but also general attitudes towards women is great. My favorite line is when she says "there's a glass ceiling to break". It's not just that we as women recognize that there is a glass ceiling there, but the song promises that we will break it. The message this song gives women is one I hope every woman takes to heart- we don't have to settle for the what's expected of us if we don't want to. While she does say "always trust the injustice because it's not going away", I would love to hope this isn't true. Great job!
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