RECONSTRUCTION OF STRONG WOMEN IN RACHEL PLATTEN'S SONG ‘GIRLS’: A FEMINIST CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36665/elp.v11i2.1164Keywords:
discourse analysis, feminist, girl, popular cultureAbstract
This study looks at how the representation of strong women in popular culture is reconstructed in Rachel Platten's song Girls (2023). Prior research on women's representation in pop music has mostly concentrated on linguistic characteristics, moral principles, or themes of general empowerment. Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FCDA) has been used to examine how feminist ideology and female agency are discursively constructed in song lyrics. In order to close this gap, this study intends to investigate how language and discourse in Girls represent female strength, agency, and solidarity. The study uses a descriptive qualitative design to analyze the song lyrics using Michelle Lazar's (2014) FCDA framework, with de Beauvoir's (2011) existentialist feminist theory and Hook’s (1984, 1994, 2000) feminist theories. The analysis using Fairclough’s (1989) three-level analysis includes textual analysis, discursive practice, and social practice. The results show that affective discourse that emphasizes self-worth, vulnerability, and emotional resilience, solidarity-based narratives that frame relationships as sources of empowerment, and agency-oriented verbs and metaphors that position women as active subjects are all used to construct female strength. By showing a shift in empowerment songs from individualistic ideas of strength toward relational and existential forms of empowerment, this study adds to feminist discourse studies and provides cultural and pedagogical insights into gender representation in popular music.
References
Ahearn, L. M. (2010). Agency and Language. In Annual Review of Anthropology (pp. 28–48). Annual Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1075/hoph.7.03ahe
Al-Manaseer, D. F. A.-J., & Noori, S. N. (2023). Women’s Empowerment and Confidence in Pop Music: A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis of Little Mix’s Lyric Song “Change Your Life.” Lark Journal, 50(2), 972–991. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.31185/
Asroriyah, A. M., Mitsalina, E., Pratiwi, B. I., & Lestari, S. (2023). Moral Values in Rachel Platten’s Selected Songs Lyric. English Education and Literature Journal (E-Jou), 3(01), 76–87. https://doi.org/10.53863/ejou.v3i01.530
Banet-Weiser, S. (2018). Empowered: Popular Feminism and Popular Misogyny. Duke Univeristy Press.
Beauvoir, S. De. (2011). The Second Sex (Vol. 1, Issue 2020). Random House.
Beaver, D., & Clark, B. (2002). “ Always ” and “ Only ”: Why not All Focus Sensitive Operators Alike. https://web.mit.edu/24.954/www/files/beaver_clark.alwaysonly.pdf
Bridge, S. K. (2020). Gendering Music in Popular Culture. The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication, 1–10. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119429128.iegmc158
Chwang, E. (2014). Shared Vulnerabilities in Research. American Journal of Bioethics, 14(12), 3–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2014.964872
Dunbar, J. C. (2020). Women, Music, Culture. Routledge.
Fairclough, N. (1989). Language and Power. In New York. Longman Inc.
Faye, S., & Hooper, J. (2018). Emotional Strength: A Response Type, Response Disposition and Organizing Principle for Emotion Experience. New Ideas in Psychology, 50(January), 6–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2018.02.002
Gill, R. (2007). Postfeminist Media Culture: Elements of a Sensibility. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 10(2), 147–166. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549407075898
Gupta, M., Madabushi, J. S., & Gupta, N. (2023). Critical Overview of Patriarchy, Its Interferences With Psychological Development, and Risks for Mental Health. Cureus, 15(6). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.40216
Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. M. I. . (2014). Halliday’s Introduction to Functional Grammar. Routledge.
Hill, L., & Blazejak, E. (2021). Stoic Feminism and Early Modern Women Writers. In Stoicism and the Western Political Tradition. Palgrave Macmillan.
Hooks, B. (1984). Feminist Theory: From Margin To Center Bell Hooks. In South End Press. WordPress.
Hooks, B. (1985). Sisterhood: Political Solidarity Between Women. South End Press.
Hooks, B. (1994). Love as The Practice of Freedom. In Outlaw Culture: Resisting Representations. https://uucsj.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/bell-hooks-Love-as-the-Practice-of-Freedom.pdf
Hooks, B. (2000). Feminism is For Everybody. In South End Press. South End Press. https://doi.org/10.1042/BIO_2023_160
Inness, S. A. (2018). Tough Girls: Women Warriors and Wonder Women in Popular Culture. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Khan, B., Rasool, F., & Ameen, M. (2023). Unleashing The 4th Wave: Exploring the Battle Against Body Shaming Through Feminist Social Media and Action Research in Twitter: A Comprehensive Analysis of Blind Chances and Empowering Outcomes. VFAST Transactions on Education and …, 11(2), 56–67. https://www.vfast.org/journals/index.php/VTESS/article/view/1508%0Ahttps://www.vfast.org/journals/index.php/VTESS/article/download/1508/1242
Kurniawati, N., & Nuswantoro, U. D. (2021). Representation of Black Women Power in Beyoncé Knowless ’ s “ Run t he World ( Girls ).” E-Structural, 4(1), 68–79.
Kusumaningtyas, S. W. (2025). Sisterhood Against Patriarchy in Moxie (2021). Journal of Indonesian Literacy and Indigenous Culture, 1(1), 14–32. https://journal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/JILIC/article/view/44101?
Langacker, R. W. (1987). Nouns and Verbs. Linguistic Society of America, 63(1), 53–94. https://doi.org/10.2307/4341113
Lazar, M. M. (2007). Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis: Articulating a Feminist Discourse Praxis. Critical Discourse Studies, 4(2), 141–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405900701464816
Longman, C. (2018). Women’s Circles and The Rise of The New Feminine: Reclaiming Sisterhood, Spirituality, and Wellbeing. Religions, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9010009
Luthfiansyah, L., & Fidinillah, M. A. (2023). Self-Confidence Representation Analysis in The Album Alassia Cara Know-It-All. Scope?: Journal of English Language Teaching, 7(2), 195. https://doi.org/10.30998/scope.v7i2.16402
Masood, R. (2023). Role of Women in Today’s Society and The Inequality in Genders. Journal of Life Economics, 10(4), 273–284. https://doi.org/10.15637/jlecon.2216
Milestone, K., & Meyer, A. (2020). Gender and Popular Culture. John Wiley & Sons.
Neisya, N., Aprilia, F., Darlius, A. N. S., & Lestiana, F. (2023). Women Empowerment Through Song Lyrics: Feminism Perspectives of Katy Perry’S Roar. Indonesian EFL Journal, 9(1), 11–18. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v9i1.6642
O’Reilly, A. (1998). Mothers, Daughters, and Others. Canadin Woman Studies, 103–126. https://doi.org/10.1525/california/9780520280540.003.0005
Olusola, K. (2023). Subverting Women’s Subjugation in West African Society: The Roles of Popular Music. NIU Journal of Humanities, 8(1), 81–88. https://doi.org/10.58709/niujhu.v8i1.1574
Permana, I. P. A., & Winarta, I. B. G. N. (2019). Figurative and Imagery Within The Fight Song. Seminar Nasional INOBALI, 6, 398–404. https://eproceeding.undwi.ac.id/index.php/inobali/article/download/101/85/
Porter, R. E., & Samovar, L. A. (1996). Cultural Influences on Emotional Expression: Implications for Intercultural Communication. In Handbook of Communication and Emotion. Academic Press.
Rachman, S. (1984). Fear and Courage. Behavior Therapy, 15(1), 109–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(84)80045-3
Rahman, R. W., Syarif, A. R., & Tohamba, C. P. P. (2024). Enhancing Vocabulary Through English Songs?: a Self-Directed Learning Experienced for Efl Students. Klasikal?: Journal of Education, Language Teaching and Science, 6(3), 864–882. https://doi.org/10.52208/klasikal.v6i3.1236
Rich, A. (2021). Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution. WW Norton & Company.
Ruanglertsilp, E. (2022). Discourse of Self-Empowerment in Ariana Grande’s ‘thank u, next’ Album Lyrics: A Critical Discourse Analysis. Journal for Cultural Research, 26(2), 200–220. https://doi.org/10.1080/14797585.2022.2097882
Storey, J. (2021). Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003011729
Sujatna, E. (2009). Material Process In The English Clause: Functional Grammar Approach. Sosiohumaniora, 11(3), 65–73. https://jurnal.unpad.ac.id/sosiohumaniora/article/view/5426/2788
Walby, S. (2003). Gender Transformations. In Gender Transformations. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203431153
Whiteley, S. (2024). Woman and Popular Music: Sexuality, Identity and Subjectivity. Routledge.
