The Controversial Ladies of Country Music

In class today we discussed all of the misogynistic themes that you find in rap music, and, as someone brought up, in country music as well. I think that its safe to say that you can find themes of misogyny and prejudice in really any genre these days. Certainly there are common themes in country music. Someone once said that there are only three themes possible for a country song: beer, women, or beer and women. While we could choose to be critical of the genre and say that country music teaches women to be belittled by men, to love wearing daisy dukes, to drink beer like water, and to be submissive to their horse riding, tractor using husbands, I think that the message that female country artists are sending is totally different and rarely acknowledged. 

Several female country artists have been made famous by writing songs that challenge male authority, and take the lead. Carrie Underwood is a hugely popular artist- one of her recent hits is entitled "Before He Cheats" and tells the story of a girl, betrayed by her boyfriend, who gets even in an entirely physical and revengeful way. The funny thing is that in this song, Underwood defies the stereotypes of weak women, who are caught up in emotions and too fragile to do anything physical or violent- she keys his truck, takes a bat to the windshield and headlights, slashes his tires- her response is so typical of what a male would do.

Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" Music Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaSy8yy-mr8

Tons of other female country artists have written songs that talk about murdering their abusive husbands, surviving in tough times, getting rid of boyfriend who perpetuate unhealthy relationships.

List of controversial country songs by female artists: http://www.engine145.com/20-most-controversial-songs-by-women/

 

 

They're empowering and not at all stereotypical. I think that its easy to look at any genre and see the negative, but you have to look at the counter-examples as well. Even something as trivial as Taylor Swift's country-pop sensation "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" seems silly and just fun, but when you listen to the lyrics its about a girl finally taking a stand for herself: 

"We are never ever ever getting back together
You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me
But we are never ever ever ever getting back together" 

Miranda Lambert is another example, her song "Baggage Claim" says it clearly: 

"Behind every woman scorned is a man who made her that way
Go on and take your little business trip with that sweet little habit
That you can't kick
You better call your momma when you get to town
Cause I ain't gonna be hangin' around"

Miranda Lambert "Baggage Claim" Music Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M7pCS6Jpho

Maybe the real question that we should be asking is why is it that we constantly look for examples of women being discriminated against or demeaned? Are we perpetuating the stereotype by making an issue out of these examples?

The Bond Girl

With all of the news media this week focusing on the aftermath of the election, the legalization of marijuana in two states, the legalization of gay marriage in a few more, and the resignation of General Petraeus, I was hard-pressed to find an article that had to do with anything concerning men, women, race, or gender in the media. So instead, I decided to write about something that I noticed in the media.. more specifically, what I noticed in the latest Bond movie, Skyfall. This installment of the famous 007 series featured two beautiful Bond girls: London born Naomie Harris, and French actressBerenice Marlohe. Marlohe, a deviant yet intensely mysterious and beautiful character, had stated in an article for the Los Angeles times that she was shocked and suprised when she earned the role. She said that she had struggled to find work since she started her career as an actress, and was shocked at the different atmosphere she experienced when she traveled to Los Angeles for her audition.




http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-james-bond-berenice-marlohe-skyfall-20121110,0,2208854.story

"Their reluctance wasn't just because of her Eurasian heritage — Marlohe's father is Cambodian, her mother French. 'They would tell me you are too tall compared to the actors, which is not good for you or you have too much personality. The producers and director of a movie actually loved my work, but they told me it is not good to have too much presence compared to the main actress, so we will not hire you. I didn't agree with the system.'" - Los Angeles Times

I began to wonder how many actresses had been turned away because of their racial heritae, or even more trivial, their height. The comment that she "has too much personality" is shocking also- isn't that the point? Aren't actresses supposed to exude personality and character? Nobody can argue that Marlohe made a grade A Bond girl- she transformed a rather unimportant character into a major role. Many critics are predicting that Skyfall will be nominated for an Oscar, and some even say Marlohe may be up for best supporting actress. All of this....despite the fact that she is of mixed race and too tall. 


The Bond girls could make an easy topic for this blog post because it would be incredibly easy to say the stereotypical response: they are women, they are overly sexualized, they never have major roles, they're merely 'eye candy' and a prop for the strong, male lead to use. But that isn't true, certainly not of this film. Harris, who plays another MI6 agent assigned to help Bond, is certainly a strong woman who can hold her own. SPOILER ALERT In the beginning of the film, she shoots him! Severine, Marlohe's character, plays a major role in the film. She is certainly a damsel in distress, and while we could sit around and criticize that role, she is a strong individual, fighting for her freedom as hard as she can. Overall, I found nothing wrong with the portrayal of the Bond girls and I thought that the film producers did a fantastic job of creating real, accessible, strong characters that culminated in an exciting and fantastical James Bond movie!