Mar 9 ML 34, 35

Girls and media. This is a good topic if overdone. After all--is anyone more interesting to the modern human imagination than the young female?

Instead of TV, I'll talk about music and the evolution of girl power in the media that can be accurately traced through the career of one particular female: Britney Spears.

According to her Wikipedia entry, Britney Spears released her first single in 1999 when she was 17 years old, "Baby One More Time." Here is the link:

[embedding disabled: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bsniYwSaWg]

In the video, you can see she is portrayed innocently as a pretty school girl. Her sexuality is mostly hinted at through showing her midriff. The lyrics of the song are about "loneliness" and "still believing"--basically, about lost love. The video is characterized by strong vocals, highly energetic but not suggestive dancing, and above all, coyness--at the end, the video is shown mostly as a daydream.

Following this single there was "Oops...I Did it Again" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unBACOHFXes]. The music video for this song is supposed to take place on Mars in which an astronaut describes her as "cute." She wears a skin-tight suit and is more suggestive than "Baby one More time." This song also establishes a pattern of the girl's manipulation of male affection for attention. Although the video is again coy, the last line of the song goes "I'm not that innocent."

In 2001, she released "Slave 4 U" and in 2002 "I'm Not a Girl, not yet a Woman." Both seek to emphasize her innocent youthfulness anxious to break into adulthood--in the former, sexually, in the latter, emotionally. She echoes teen girls' yearning to be seen as adult while at the same time personifying their naivete about sexuality and maturity. Both give the sense that Britney is singing against control and oppression. In both videos, she is wearing little clothing on her torso, and in the "Slave 4 U," sexuality is highly suggested.

In 2004, her top release was "Toxic"--one of her first songs that seems to completely drop innocence as a theme. Rather than strong, belting vocals, Britney adopts a breathy, autotuned voice. In the video, she portrays an airline attendant in business class. Her dress is a highly festishized uniform. She seduces one of the passengers, a paunchy middle-aged male, in the airplane's lavatory--suggesting the video targets male fantasy. In segments of the video, she wears a sparkly nude leotard, hinting at total nudity.

In 2007, "Gimme More" was a top hit. The lyrics, like in "Toxic," aren't particularly romantic, but are about seduction. In the video for "Gimme More," Britney pole dances, dances against a mirror, and appears to be trying to seduce another version of herself who watches the dance. "Gimme More" also is the first major hit to do away with coyness--the song is about sex and sexual dancing.

In 2009, Spears released "If U Seek Amy." If U Seek Amy is poorly disguised code for "F-U-C-K me," and in case it was not understood the first time, the video includes two segments of a newswoman strongly hinting at the code. The video begins with Britney at the end of what appears to be some sort of scandalous gathering--the people are putting their clothes on and several are passed out on the floor. Britney sings about an "Amy" who makes no appearance, but the refrain sings "all of the boys, all of the girls want to F-U-C-K me." The second part of the video she unusually dons modest clothing and a short blond wig. She comes out of the house with a pie, two cute sons and a husband while meeting a crowd of paparazzi. The video suggests that picture-perfect celebrities lead a double life, doing things less publicly favorable in private.

Britney Spears' progression from innocent, heartbroken teenager to jaded, confident, casually sexual adult chronicles the sexual and emotional maturation of a contemporary young female, tracking first loves and first sexual experiences in high school. From the usual failure of these relationships, girls draw strength from their sexuality and use their sexual appeal to gain attention and power. As the girl ages, there is growing gap between sex and emotion and a closer relationship between sex and power.