Gender In Children's Stories

Missed Independence

Recently, I declined my little sister's invitation to accompany her to a Kelly Clarkson concert. I've always viewed my sister with an eye of protectiveness. Her obvious idolization of Clarkson worries me as I am doubtful of what many pop stars stand for. I am skeptical of any human being who has been reduced to an icon, yet perhaps they best represent us. The media both perpetuates and exposes our values and views.

Shows like Fox Television's American Idol are perhaps some of the most blatant examples of this. Viewers all across America debate which potential idol they like best, in essence, in terms of talent, image, and performance. Kelly Clarkson, the first winner of Fox Television's American Idol, has gained increased popularity since winning the Idol competition, producing songs such as the hit "Miss Independent," co-written with Christian Aguilera.

Ostensibly, her attitude is one of self-appreciation. She says in an interview published on kidzworld.com "I don't let anything get to me or people pressure me. If you're going to pressure me to do something, I'm going to do the opposite. So if you tell me to get skinny, I'm probably going to get fat just to piss you off" (kidzworld.com. This attitude pervades the song's lyrics. The title and first few lyrics pose as an empowering discourse on autonomous womanhood, putting men at a distance. Miss Independent seems to be a woman who has found self-identity, which is not an identity based on a relationship (or lack thereof).

This message is not necessarily a unique one. Clarkson's song is accompanied on radio stations with many others of similar implications such as Britney Spears' "Stronger," Gwen Stefani's "I'm Just a Girl," and others. The "Girl Power" movement, as coined by the Spice Girls, seems to be filling the pop charts. This particular genre seems to be targeted toward empowering young, ambitious girls in an effort help these girls find themselves first and then a man. I've watched as my sister sings these songs with a distinctive quality of strength in her voice. No doubt, the song's attempts are revolutionary. There are few places in the media where a woman is defined as something other than what she is to a man. Clarkson's song is explicit as to say that Miss Independent is "miss don't let a man interfere" and "miss on her own." These words are backed by a catchy, sassy rhythm. The verses which communicate this image of "miss independent" are marked and staccato, thus reinforcing the assertions.

This musicality is juxtaposed with the screaming vocalization that characterized the choruses. It is here that Clarkson communicates a story of a woman who is taken over by feelings of love for a man. In the face of love, she is transformed from "miss unafraid" to a nervous, love-struck female. These feelings are "what is real" according to the lyrics. "Miss unafraid" is only fearful at the mention of a man whom is the object of her affection. She is "little miss apprehensive" as she falls in love. The use of the diminutive ("little miss") is particularly telling here. "Miss out of my way" focuses her attention on a man and then suddenly shrinks to "little miss." The idiomatic expression "to fall in love" is used by both sexes, yet perhaps it carries different connotations for each gender. She falls in stature; perhaps she falls to the floor to be walked on. After all, as "miss independent" falls in love she "no longer need(s) to be defensive." She no longer keeps men at a distance; and by "opening the door" to a man, she closes down more of herself to let him be more. So vulnerable, it is no wonder "miss unafraid" is suddenly nervous.

This tentativeness has characterized femininity. Psychologist Carol Tarvis' comments as to the effects of this paradigm on women, which are particularly telling in this respect.

"The feminization of love in America, the glorification of women's ways of loving, is not about the love between autonomous individuals. It celebrates a romantic, emotional love that promotes the myth of basic, essential differences between women and men. It supports the opposition of women's love and men's work. In so doing, it derails women from thinking about their own talents and aspirations, rewarding instead a narrowed focus on finding and keeping Mr. Right."

"Miss independent" is an illusion. The verses presenting a lively and high-powered woman are but a mask. Apparently, Miss Independent wonders "why can't that be me" when she thinks of love (and we're given some indication that this has been her true feeling all along). No indication of this is given until the second to last stanza of the song. Miss Independent is an image. The reality of womanhood is in feeling for a man. The feeling of love is "what is real." Love is glorified; autonomy is suppressed. This dichotomy is presented to us in the song in the two faces of Clarkson - Miss Independent and "miss in-love." We never see them coexisting.

This duality is pervasive in American culture. In light of this, a particular prescription for what it means to be a healthy woman in a relationship has come to be recognized in our culture. As Carole Spitzack prefaces her chapters on women's relationships in Confessing Excess with a note that, "Healthy women are those who...retain a posture of rebellion when confronted with restraints in any dimension of personal existence. Central to women's health, given the priority afforded to human involvements in female socialization, is a scrutiny of relationships. Discourses on women's excesses encourage a critical examination of relational ties, a breaking of ties if necessary...strength and independence coalesce in beautiful women to signify a mastery of person and body, a complete transcendence of earthly entanglements" (Spitzack 83). The reason for the mask of "Miss Independent" in the first verse is the requirement for a beautiful woman to be characterized by strength and independence. All three of these attributes are brought out in phrases such as "Miss if you want to use that line you better not start," "Miss out of my way," and "Miss never let a man help her off her throne" respectively. These traits are prerequisites to appealing to a man in a romantic relationship, and, for this reason, they are presented at the