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No Doubt's 'Just A Girl'

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“Just a Girl”, written by No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani and Thomas Dumont is an ambiguous take on the role of women in a male dominated society. Stefani and Dumont’s sarcastic lyrics show both the dominant, hegemonic view of women in a patriarchal society and the defiance of the author to this oppressive bourgeoisie system set up to make women subordinate to men. In this piece, Stefani and Dumont tackle the supposition that women must remain infantilized ‘girls’ who never mature into strong, capable women. Just a Girl remains a strong feminist anthem twenty years after its initial release in 1996, helping to propel the issue of women’s rights past the issue of just women’s suffrage.
The authors start off by using the line, “take this pink ribbon …show more content…

Young girls are designated and adorned in pink clothing from birth, establishing the separation from the ‘dominant’ males. Continuing on, the character is “exposed”, and it’s no surprise that she knows exactly “where she stands” in society. Girls and boys become separated in almost all aspects of society. In school, young girls are habituated into hanging out with other girls and learning a set of social norms that are carried into adulthood. Girls are not encouraged to be as aggressive or competitive as boys in either sports or academics. Girls are taught to be dainty and submissive, “knowing their place” in society. Little girls are taught play housewife, nurse, beautician, or singer, while boys play soldier, doctor, heroes, or sports affiliated activities. This seemingly innocent child’s play is teaching …show more content…

The lyrics define the character as “just a girl”, playing as “little ol’ me” reminiscent of characters such as Betty Boop, a classic, sexualized, girl-like standard of an ideal woman. The line, “well don’t let me out of your sight” shows character must be guided and watched like a small, mischievous child. Women in a patriarchal society must be “watched” and guided so not to step out of line. Women are taught to adhere to the hegemonic standards of society and are ostracized for doing jobs designated for men in fields such as law enforcement, internet technician, or anything related to manual labor. These women are seen as “masculine” and are deemed unwanted by males in the patriarchal society. They are meant to be ideologically, “pretty and petite” as the authors go on to state. The chorus ends with the line, “I’m just a girl, all pretty and petite, so don’t let me have any rights.” This reinstates the subordinate and powerless role of the proletariat woman in a chauvinistic male dominated society. This goes beyond the basic rights of women, such as a woman’s right to vote, but deeper into civil rights pertaining to being treated as an equal in society. Women are still not seen as being as capable as a man in aspects of society. They are not taken as seriously as men in positions of power or paid the same wage. Women are less likely to be voted into those positions of power in comparison to men, who

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