"She's a Lady" vs. "Superfreak": the definition of a woman

The female human being can be defined as "a member of the species homo sapiens sapiens containing two X chromosomes and lacking a Y chromosome; the child-bearing gender of the human species." The connotative definition can range from saint to slut, as it has since the time of the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene. But now, with the advent of hip hop, women are being ostracized and anyone who doesn't have the butt, the boobs, the hair, or the sexual stamina is not accepted as a standard "woman." And the songs that try to proclaim the woman as saintly also set an image as far as what is publicly acceptable to be a woman, though sometimes, this image turns into a full-blown standard of living.

The two types of women that are out there--"The kind you don't bring home to mother" and "The kind they'd like to flaunt and take to dinner."--are clearly defined in, respectively, Rick James' "Superfreak." and Tom Jones' "She's a Lady." The woman is a complex being with constantly fluctuating emotions that can range from the high saint to the low sinner, depending on the time of the month, the time of the day, or the time of the year. Emotion and, furthermore, sexual prowess of a single woman or a group of women shouldn't determine the bias toward an entire gender. Whereas "Superfreak" is a declaration of sexual desires, "She's a Lady" is an ode to the "perfect housewife." Both have generated biases of what is acceptable in a relationship and in the bedroom.

"Superfreak" seeks only pleasure. Rick James' ideology on women is that they are entirely sexual objects and that they should be frequented while they still look good. Apparently, women can be whored out easily, considering the "boys in the band" have been with her, too. She likes him the most though (I wonder if she says the same thing to all of her other regulars). This song gives a strong "OK" to prostitution and says that it's a respectable way to live.

The other extreme is found in "She's a Lady," where women are objects of love who don't ask questions and present themselves well at all moments of the day. Not to mention, Jones only allows women to be subservient to men and makes men as a whole seem holier-than-thou. Women have the same rights as men and, therefore, ought to be held to the same standards and treated as equals. I'm on a mission to find a song that shows women in a normal light...one that's loving and doesn't misrepresent the female population.

One that comes to mind is "Thunder" by Boys Like Girls. The band shows the girl as a beautiful person and the only thing on the man's mind (not far from the truth, am I right?) while reminiscing about an excellent summer and wondering what today may bring judging by the past. Though this is also a connotation, I'm sure it's impossible to make a song from a standard dictionary definition and emotion and personal belief have to be added to the definition. Besides, Merriam-Webster isn't a recording company. Everyone has a personal definition for everything, but these definitions oughtn't set standards for what the majority thinks. Then we'd be conforming...and I certainly don't want to get into that argument again...

Super Freak - Rick James

She's A Lady - Tom Jones

Thunder - Boys Like Girls

Stand Your Ground.

Aside from closed/absentminded conservatives, I cannot think of a single case where an opinion has wavered. The general consensus' opinion is in constant flux and there's nothing we can do to stagnate the opinion for two seconds (to get an accurate reading) except to keep opposing advertisement going strongly. The one industry that is held back the most, in this respect, is entertainment.

Movies and music constantly have to alter their plotlines, their beats, their lyrics to appease the ever-wanting, ever-wavering majority. One of the most recent films that has done this is the Oren Peli film Paranormal Activity. Shot in the span of a week and originally screened in film festivals in 2007, the ending made audiences shiver. In 2009, Steven Spielberg suggested re-filming the ending to make it blockbuster-worthy. With an opening weekend grossing 22.4 million dollars in the national box-office (in 1400 theatres), it beat out Saw VI by 4 million dollars. Here's the kicker: Saw VI was viewed in over 2600 theaters. Peli's work, with Spielberg's help, has attracted much attention, but at what cost?

Peli placed himself in the mass culture. A festival film that was budgeted at 11,000 dollars was altered by THE mass culture icon of the film directing world. Is this problematic? In the right context, yes. But it's not beatable. The monster of public opinion is ever-haunting, ever-wavering, never-stopping.