The transvestite community is one was rarely accepted in the 1970’s compared to that of today's world. They were known to be trivial and shameful in mainstream society, and those who identified as trans were deemed ridiculous. This did not stop the song “Lola” by the Kinks from reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart. Which subtly composed a passionate love story between a young man and a distinctly masculine woman. Despite the negative feelings about transvestites during the time when “Lola” was released, Ray Davies used powerful metaphors and a catchy chorus to create positive vibes towards transvestites and supports justifying everyone in the LGBT community.
There is much speculation covering if “Lola” is simply a woman that possesses masculine characteristics, or in fact a transvestite. Back in the 70’s this song had caused some uprising between radio stations. Some radio stations would even fade out the song before Lola’s biological assigned sex could be revealed. Most people favored the idea that Lola was indeed a woman, to justify listening to it without breaking conventional morals that went against dressing as the opposite sex. Although, in the beginning of the song, the speaker uses synesthesia to express that Lola had a “dark brown voice” already implying that she has a hint of an average male characteristic.
…show more content…
It was a simple catchy song meant for the pleasure of the listener's ear. Even when Davies sang it to his daughter, she instantly was hooked. Transvestites should be a topic you drop everything to analyze, but just enjoy that were living in a world that encourages you to express yourself. “Lola” could have been one of those small step to get to where we are now in society with accepting others and ourselves. Ray Davies uses an upbeat, catchy tune and positive imagery to express Lola’s gender and to inform others that love is love, no matter what sex you
The song is not only expressing his love for girls, it’s also a metaphor for his love Hip-Hop. This is another example of Lupe’s Fiasco lyrical skills.
Trina’s intent was to create a song that liberated women from the double standards and stereotypical views placed upon them. Her song however can cause harm to young women that listen to take this song to heart. Instead of liberation, we are moved further down into the hole of degrading and devaluing women. Trina should’ve sent the message that these things were wrong. Instead she endorsed and encouraged them.
It is often found that the stereotypical “butch” and “femme” pairing are more visible than other lesbian relationships. However, this does not mean that they do not exist. The ever-growing popularity of the lesbian social sphere has symbolized both difficulties and effects of identifying with such a label. The label or identity itself, though distinctly separating lesbians from “normal” heterosexuals begins to exhibit pre-existing conflict experienced by gay males: “there’s always been something wrong (Aldrich, 38).” This quote implies the conditioned and ingrained belief that homosexuality’s “taboo” existence was more than just wrong, but distasteful and something that society should look down upon for being an “abnormality.” Sometimes, this social reality for lesbians made it hard for them to “come out the closet” and be visible. This experience is exemplified as “The repressed lesbian has a harder time of it, for she is less aware of her abnormality (Aldrich, 41).” Additionally, to be able to clearly and accurately identify “the lesbian is to meet the many women she is at close range; to see her against her various backgrounds, hear her sundry voices, and familiarize yourself with the diverse facades of her several lives (Aldrich, 42).” Here, the presence of the “double life” is demonstrated to further analyze the lack of privileges that the lesbian community had, including the social aspect of their
In the song talks meanly about how a guy pretends to be someone who he isnt so that people get along whith him. Based upon a research about the song, its basically about how a guy takes to dinner pretndending to be a good person, in conclusion he drugs her so that he can take her to a hotel and raped her.
This essay sets out to distinguish how male characters can be portrayed in the same fashion as their female counterparts, and therefore become subjected to the same erotic objectification. This will be researched under the circumstances that the production revolves around gay characters and the assumed audience is exchanged from a homogenous crowd of heterosexual spectators, to a homogenous crowd of homosexual spectators. To support this claim there will be references to a segment from the American remake of the television series Queer as Folk (USA, dev. Ron Cowen, Daniel Lipman, 2000-2005) where Brian Kinney (Gale Harold) and Justin Taylor (Randy Harris) first meet.
Seidman, Steven, Nancy Fischer , and Chet Meeks. "Transsexual, transgender, and queer." New Sexuality Studies. North Carolina: Routledge, 2011. . Print.
Lola is a typical teenager who just wants to irritate her mother. It was peculiarly
“Boys will be boys, and girls will be girls”: few of our cultural mythologies seem as natural as this one. But in this exploration of the gender signals that traditionally tell what a “boy” or “girl” is supposed to look and act like, Aaron Devor shows how these signals are not “natural” at all but instead are cultural constructs. While the classic cues of masculinity—aggressive posture, self-confidence, a tough appearance—and the traditional signs of femininity—gentleness, passivity, strong nurturing instincts—are often considered “normal,” Devor explains that they are by no means biological or psychological necessities. Indeed, he suggests, they can be richly mixed and varied, or to paraphrase the old Kinks song “Lola,” “Boys can be girls and girls can be boys.” Devor is dean of social sciences at the University of Victoria and author of Gender Blending: Confronting the Limits of Duality (1989), from which this selection is excerpted, and FTM: Female-to-Male Transsexuals in Society (1997).
Mental health professional have tried to correct their ‘‘gender identity disorder’’ with brutal aversion therapies. Tran’s youth who came out often faced crises throughout their family and social systems. Once out, developing a sense of realness about their new gender became extremely important. An urgent need develops ‘‘to match one’s exterior with one’s interior’’ In ad...
The second wave of feminism starting in the late 1960s presented new ways of thinking about female rights and roles and gave greater attention to the issues affecting the various groups of women in the feminist movement. One of the essential topics that rose was the debate over female sexuality. From this point on efforts were made for changes in how women were expected to express their sexuality, which was controlled and adapted to the standards of men . These changes were also seen in the music area of which women sought to control their own representation and agency. Women began to challenge any models forced upon them based on preceding gender norms and traditions, and began to express their own identities according to their own comforts . The shift from traditional industry to the new media age in the 1990’s was a period of rapid transformation regarding female representations, of which females have claimed the freedom of expression through music, mainly seen through the sexual appearance of the female body. Nevertheless this achievement has been debated over most predominantly between liberal and radical feminists. This Essay will discuss the distinct views of radical and liberal feminists regarding the development of women’s freedom of expression and opportunities over time. Liberal feminists believe that women are in control of their own sexuality and have the right to express it in any way they choose. In contrast, radical feminists believe that female artists who expose their body in a sexual way and believe they have full control over themselves, are actually still trying to satisfy their predominantly male audience, therefore giving them control . To exemplify the different views on female development over time this es...
... of what happened from the seventies to the nineties. We went from liberal ideas of ways to dress and live our lives to conservative ideas of clear defining lines between sexual categories and more conservative styles of dress; boys dressing like boys and girls dressing appropriately as girls. People of the nineties were not able to accept the fluidity of bisexuality because it does not fit in a clear-cut category; it entails all of them instead. Perhaps as we venture into a new century and millennium our society should start learning from the past so we can continue making steps forward instead of backtracking into the close-mindedness of the past. Freedom should be something embraced and not stepped over. This freedom can help us to remember, "…In the end, it is really about the simple mysterious pull between warm human bodies when the lights go out." (Newsweek, 50)
Lisa Henderson’s article “Simple Pleasures: Lesbian Community and Go Fish” really helps to explain how this film resonates so deeply with lesbian
At the end of the `Cold War', the early years of the 1950's represented all that was wholly good and traditional about family life. Women were homemakers, men lived up to the expected strong masculine role of the provider and a conventional family with children, was normality. Morality and values were of key importance and were inbuilt and represented through family life. Therefore it is imperative to examine the social history of post World War II America, to understand and emphasise the impact of the Beat Generation writers on this era at that time. It is then possible to see the acute disparity of style and attitude between the Beats and that of the 1950's "family values" epoch. Oliver Harris argues that the fundamental reason Beat culture "seized centre-stage in the theatre of early Cold War America...is because its major figures worked on a very particular range of margins." The contentious question, however is where does the margin of homosexuality stand in relation to Cold War ideology and Beat Cultural po...
“You’re not your gender. You’re not your sexuality. You are a human being above all else. In the end you aren’t known for your gender, you 're known for who you are.”(Anonymous). Maybe if ideas and people 's mindsets would have been like this in the early 1920’s than Lili Elbe would not have had such a hard time transitioning from a male to female. The Danish Girl tells a story based on the true life of Lili Elbe, a transgendered woman, and her wife Gerda Wegener. Throughout the movie we get to see the turmoil that transgender people felt during this period of time because of things like sexoligists, who misdiagnosed people, mental institutions, and so called “treatments” to help cure the disease of being transgender. This movie also explores
Gender Theory in Everyday Life”, the various definitions of “trans” depict that it is not possible to place one’s gender into only two categories. In the definitions of “trans”, transformation or transitioning is a common theme. Transforming into their true self or transitioning from one gender to the other. In the third definition, transgendered individuals are seen as transcending gender, thus making gender non-existent; not only to them, but when they view other individuals (Kessler and McKenna 1-2). The individuals in “When Girls Will Be Boys”, had to create a safe space, and find allies that would provide them with resources to help them in their progression as a trans individual. Trans people truly want to be integrated into society, but they are cognisant of the social standards in place that make them othered (Quart 49-50). In the instance of the varied definition of trans and the experiences of people in “When Girls Will Be Boys”, they are all going against the social norms and actively fighting to create a seat at the table. They refuse to to fit in the status quo of accepting that there are only two genders, and one must stay in either category. Instead, they challenge that thinking by being themself, thus having a hand in creating the new norm. These individuals are not passively combating the misconceptions, miseducation, and misinformation. They are actively creating a space for others and themself to grow in self and in