Last night I was driving along Route 93 in Boston, listening to what used to be my beloved WBCN, when one of those terrible tween-y neo-angst pop songs came on. I didn't change it right away, because driving on Route 93 can be pretty hairy and I was afraid to let go of the steering wheel. So, I was held hostage for several minutes as someone who sounded a lot like Avril Lavigne lamented her nonexistent love life. I memorized some of the nauseating lyrics so I could Google the song later, fully prepared to turn Avril upside down and inside out.
To my dismay, the song was "You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift. Crap. Girl's had kind of a rough week, and I felt a little bad for wanting to criticize her song, until it occured to me that she probably didn't even write it, and besides, the songwriting is colossally bad. With this in mind, I decided to proceed.
But she wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts / She's cheer captain, and I'm on the bleachers / Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find / That what you're looking for has been here the whole time
I have a couple issues with this, one being the absolutely trite and clichéd subject matter. But I won't dwell on that one, because it's all the latent sexism in the lyrics that's really getting my panties in a twist.
First of all, I resent the notion that women fall into one of two categories: women that like to do stuff and women that like to look pretty. Of course, the underlying implication is that women who are "tomboys" (gah, I hate that word) have substance and are more "like the guys" and therefore inherently better, while stereotypically "feminine" women are shallow, materialistic prisses who only care about hair and shoes and clothes. So it's no wonder that Taylor's hero in the song is the one that wears the t-shirts and sneakers and is thus more deserving of the boy in question.
She also doesn't miss the opportunity to take a swipe at the other girl, a la Carrie "she can't shoot whiskey" Underwood:
You're on the phone with your girlfriend, she's upset / She's going off about something that you said / 'Cause she doesn't get your humor like I do
Because she's too busy worrying about her split ends! Duh.
Ultimately, this song makes it all about the guy. Are you that mousy girl with an unremarkable wardrobe but a killer sense of humor? Hang in there! Your crush will eventually realize his arm candy has inhaled too many fumes from the nail salon, and soon he'll come around to validate your existence! Sigh.
P.S. Sorry, Avril. My bad.
Image: CMT.com
22 minutes ago
4 comments:
She actually did write that too! I was at a charity event that had a cover band, and they sang a Taylor Swift song. I turned to my friend and said, "do you know what's worse than listening to Taylor Swift sing her song?" To which she replied "listening to someone else sing a Taylor Swift song?" YUP!
excellent post! i still love 'our song' though- guiltly pleasure alert!
WOW! I am ultimately forced to listen to 92.3 WPRO FM every morning as I dress myself for work - it's the only channel I get in my bathroom, and it's either that or listen to the neighbors hack up the entire pack of cigarette's they smoked the day before. So, I've been over-exposed to this horrible piece of "music?"... It truly does make me wonder...why, oh why, do the women in question in these songs always have to fall into either that bimbo-riffic beautifully dressed and made up gal; or the "just one of the guys" type of gals? It's perplexing...
THANK YOU. I wear short skirts. I also had straight A's in high school and was routinely pestered by the cheerleaders that I somehow supposedly resemble, because I don't wear t-shirts, what? Things aren't that black and white, although I do have a very short, black and white miniskirt that I love. The lack of fabric does not represent a lack of gray matter, thank you, Taylor Swift.
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