At the time that Lesley Gore released her song “You Don’t
Own Me”, the second wave feminist movement was prevalent and focused on gender disparities. These consisted of inequalities
in the workplace, sexual harassment, and household responsibilities. Although
this song mainly inspired women to stand up for their rights in relationships, Gore
was sending a message to the nation as a whole. This song reached #2 on the
Billboard Hot 100, causing most of the listeners to be teenagers. Gore recorded this when she was seventeen years old, thus younger women, particularly teenager girls,
who listened to the song gained the courage and confidence to become
emancipated from men. Teenage boys would also listen to this song and realize
that women are not theirs to control and that they have their own rights. By
aiming this song at a young age group, the idea that women are individuals will
be instilled in their heads at a young age, whereas the older generation might not be as susceptible of comprehending this idea. The main goal of this song was to empower women to be themselves, and that they do not need men to control them.
-Michelle Su
I think it is very important that you focused on how this song came from a teenage songwriter and is intended for the younger generation. This is because it is always the next generation that sees out change in the world and if you get them to believe something early on, it will be ingrained in them once they are in positions of authority
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Gore's age played a big role on the intended audience. By going for the younger audiences, she hopes to inspire change in the world for the future. It is also important to realize this song was not intended for solely women. Gore wishes for everyone to stand up for women's rights, not just the women.
ReplyDeleteWith Gore being 17 when she produced this song, it is very easy to see that she provided this song for people like her, those that are young and women. She aims the audience to be for women as a reminder to take ownership of themselves, to be their own destiny and to not let a man rule over them. The message is designed for men as well to let them know that women are human beings and are not prey. I like that you noted that it is a reminder that they have rights, and it is important for women to believe that and for men to understand that. The overall goal is for women’s rights to be well advocated and for women to feel empowered and independent and fight the ideal of women being submissive to men.
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