Tuesday, January 18, 2011
California Girls
Ok folks, here's a little word association game for you. When I say California Girls, you say? Katy Perry was probably your first thought, and who can blame you, that song was all over the place this past year. It was played constantly on the radio, on TV, in clubs and bars, literally EVERYWHERE! Now I have a question...how many of you knew that a country singer named Gretchen Wilson came out with a song also entitled California Girls back in 2005? I will venture to guess it was a significantly smaller margin. Whats my point? Katy Perry's pop song, is very much the stereotype of California. However as many "California Girls" will attest they do NOT all run around in a bikini top and daisy dukes. Is it a catchy song? Yes. Does it reinforce many of the media's negative stereotypes of how women should act and dress? Yes. While the Gretchen Wilson video, does not exactly squash the bikini and short-shorts stereotype, her lyrics confront the "California Girls" stereotype. She is clear that not all women in California are "California Girls". To bring it back to my original point, the media has been instilling in us the ideas of what women should look like and act like for some time now. So is it any coincidence that Katy Perry's pop song about skinny bitches in bikinis is the California Girls most teens and young adults know? Absolutely not.
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I found your post really interesting. I have never heard Gretchen Wilson's "California Girls," but definitely Katy Perry's. I was actually trying to think of a song to do a post on myself that involved reinforcing negative body image in women and I kept thinking of songs by men. I guess it didn't really occur to me that male artists aren't the only ones creating this unrealistic idea of perfection most of us strive to achieve.
ReplyDeleteHaving grown up listening to the 'oldies' channel on the radio, the first song I think of is 'California Girls' by The Beach Boys. Katy Perry is the second artist that comes to mind only because, as you said, the song has been all over the place lately. The Beach Boys' song compares girls from all over the county saying what they like about all of them, but none of them can beat those california girls. It still gives that stereotype of the tan sexy girls from California, making girls from other places want to be like them.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely stems back to the Beach Boys and their songs "California Girls," "Surfin' in the USA," etc. 50s and 60s pop culture totally enforced the plastic, fun-in-the-sun image of life on the beach. It continues today with surf pop bands like Best Coast, Beach House, Wavves, and Surfer Blood. In my opinion, it only further encourages the further dumbing down and rise of superficiality amongst body-obsessed teens - despite, of course, its sunny imagery.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, not only is Perry's lyrical substance original, but her producer was also responsible for Ke$ha's "Tik Tok," which shares the exact same chord progression and pattern. Ah, pop music.
My only point in not choosing the Beach Boys' song "California Girls" for this post, was that both Gretchen Wilson and Katy Perry are both women. Katy Perry is reinforcing a stereotype for her own gender. As Lizzie pointed out when you think about objectifying women through music, your first instinct is to look at the men. However, as I was trying to show above, women aren't all making these stereotypes a negative thing.
ReplyDeleteI know girls, who would give their left arm to be skinny, or blonde, or taller, just so that they could fit a stupid stereotype that female celebrities encourage, however subconscious it may be. That is why I chose to do Katy Perry and Gretchen Wilson. But you are absolutely right that it stems from the Beach Boys, whose song compares women from all parts of the USA. Which is just wrong.