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“Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” Now that’s an interesting play on words if I have ever heard one. If you have not seen the music video for this song, it starts with Shania Twain dressed like a man in a business suit and top hat. By the end of the video, she is wearing a seductive looking one-piece outfit that is low cut on the chest and very high above the knees, with a pair of gloves that goes almost to her shoulders that match. The song, even without the video, makes you think – what exactly is Shania Twain singing about? If you look at the life that she had growing up, it leads you to believe that she is singing about the way she became a woman before she was ready (Twain 1997). At an early age both her parents were killed in a car accident and Shania, known then as Eileen (she changed her name to Shania later in life), took over the responsibility of looking after her siblings. She played the role of both father figure and mother, succeeding in raising her siblings with as much as she could provide them (Twain 1997). In my opinion, this would have led to her maturing at a much faster rate than the average woman of her age matures. It would have made her that much stronger and more able to deal with life’s little problems, as well as teaching her a valuable life lesson – do not always take what you have for granted, one minute it is there and the next it is gone. This essay is going to take a look at the way this maturity is reflected, as I see it, in the lyrics of the song Man! I Feel Like A Woman! I am going to concentrate on the way that the concepts of gender roles, courtship and dating, the women’s movement, values, and individualism are revealed in the lyrics. The main objective of this essay is to explain the meaning of these concepts, and relate them to the lyrics, as well as interpreting the concepts as they apply to the song and forming my own conclusions. Man! I Feel Like A Woman! Was written in 1997 by Shania Twain and John “Mutt” Lange. The song, as I see it, portrays the life of a very liberal woman who is not afraid to live life the way she sees fit. She talks about going out and having a good time for ‘girls night out on the town,’ not being afraid to ‘let it all hang out’ (Twain and Lange 1997), and the fact that she just wants to have fun, not look for romance. Gender roles play a major role in this song. Gender roles are “attitudes and activities that a society links to each sex” (Macionis and Gerber 1999:302). Our society expects males to be the team sports heroes and the females to be people we can go to when we need someone who is a good listener. These stereotypes have been around for some time, and, in my opinion, some people will continue to keep them around. These people do not realize that times have changed, men do not necessarily have to be the ‘big sports heroes’ to qualify as a man, and women can go out there and win all the Team Canada championships that they want. “Gender draws attention to the socially constructed aspects of differences between men and women” (Marshall 1998:250). Our society stereotypically identifies males as being the dominant, assertive, and rational of the two genders, whereas the females are identified, stereotypically, as being submissive, receptive, and emotional. Gender is “a basic organizing principle of society that shapes how we think about ourselves and guides our interaction with others…gender affects the opportunities and constraints we face throughout our lives” (Macionis and Gerber 1999:296). Society defines females and males as different kinds of human beings, even though today’s society is beginning to become less and less stereotypical when it comes to gender roles. A good example of the way gender roles are portrayed in the song is the bridge and chorus: The best thing about being a woman Is the prerogative to have a little fun and … Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy – forget I’m a lady Men’s shirts – short skirts Oh, oh, oh, really go wild – yeah, doin’ it in style Oh, oh, oh, get in the action – feel the attraction Colour my hair – do what I dare Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free – yeah, to feel the way I feel Man! I feel like a woman! (Twain and Lange 1997). In these lyrics, Shania talks about “feeling like a woman” and at the same time is talking about wearing “men’s shirts – short skirts” and “colouring her hair,” which are all stereotypically female characteristics. It seems that most girls like to wear a baggy sweatshirt, which usually belongs to a male friend, and a pair of skins tight pants, or a very short pair of shorts, at the same time. It is also apparent, however that the following lyrics do not conform to the stereotype of women being the weaker of the sexes and only staying at home to raise the children. Shania says it best with: No inhibitions – make no conditions Get a little outta line I ain’t gonna act politically correct I only wanna have a good time… (Twain and Lange 1997). She is singing about how women are no longer the ‘stay at home and look after the kids’ type. They are no longer afraid to go out and “do what they dare” and “let it all hang out” (Twain and Lange 1997).
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