I will be analyzing lyrics from some of the top songs of the past decade by female artists using the Sex Role Theory and stereotypical/counterstereotypical feminine traits. The Sex Role Theory looks into how women and men are portrayed in various types of media. With specifically viewing how women are portrayed and how their feelings are interpreted in their song lyrics, I will be commenting on what I think is stereotypical and what is seen as counterstereotypical. The counterstereotypical traits will be referring to more masculine traits.

Song: “Cheap Thrills” (click here for lyrics)

Artist: Sia

Overall Message: 

〉The main idea of this song is that you don’t need to have money in order to have fun, such as dancing to music, as shown in the song. You can still have a good time without luxuries and being wealthy.

Analyzing the Lyrics: 

〉Stereotypical Feminine Traits 

  • Feminine: “Gotta do my hair, put my makeup on” and “Gotta paint my nails, put my high heels on”
    • These actions are strongly associated with being feminine. When a woman has her hair and makeup done, her nails painted, and is wearing high heels, a thought some people tend to have is that they are high maintenance or that they want to make themselves look put together to attract men. However, most of the time women get ready for the sake of feeling good in their own skin and to feel confident in themselves.
  • Feminine (Continued): “No, I ain’t got cash, I ain’t got cash, But I got you, baby”
    • These lyrics can be interpreted in two different ways. She could be saying that even though she doesn’t have cash, she still can dance to the music. The other explanation could be that as long as she has someone (a man) she doesn’t need any cash.  She repeats this same line one other time in the song and because most pop songs reference a man, it is easy to fall to this conclusion. If this is what she means, then this concept is said to be more feminine due to the well-known stereotype that says women need the support of men because they can’t make enough money on their own.

 

Stay tuned for the next post on…Adele again!

Shared by: Emily Calewarts
Image Credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/452611831303101971/