Just a Girl

In 1995, MTV started playing No Doubt’s video for Just a Girl.  I was fourteen years old.  I think they played it a lot really late at night, after midnight or so, which was fine because I would usually stay up to read.  The video, I think, both compelled and confused me.  It was weird – who was this blonde chick bouncing around all over my screen?  Why is she doing push-ups?  Why is she stuck in that hotel room by herself and where did all those other people come from?  She’s wearing super girly makeup, but she could probably beat the crap out of anyone, boy or girl.  This uneasy mixture of femininity and masculinity that, at the time, was completely foreign to me.  And then there were the lyrics.  Sarcastic and ironic, the lyrics struck a chord with me.  


Let’s take a look:

Take this pink ribbon off my eyes
I'm exposed, and it's no big surprise
Don't you think I know exactly where I stand?
This world is forcing me to hold your hand


'Cause I'm just a girl, a little ol' me
Well, don't let me out of your sight
Oh, I'm just a girl, all pretty and petite
So don't let me have any rights
Oh, I've had it up to here


The moment that I step outside
So many reasons for me to run and hide
I can't do the little things I hold so dear
'Cause it's all those little things that I fear


'Cause I'm just a girl, I'd rather not be
'Cause they won't let me drive late at night
Oh, I'm just a girl, guess I'm some kind of freak
'Cause they all sit and stare with their eyes


Oh, I'm just a girl, take a good look at me
Just your typical prototype
Oh, I've had it up to here
Oh, am I making myself clear?


I'm just a girl, I'm just a girl in the world
That's all that you'll let me be


Oh, I'm just a girl living in captivity
Your rule of thumb make me worrisome
Oh, I'm just a girl, what's my destiny?
What I've succumbed to is making me numb


Oh, I'm just a girl, my apologies
What I've become is so burdensome
Oh, I'm just a girl, lucky me
Twiddle Dum, there's no comparison


Oh, I've had it up to
Oh, I've had it up to
Oh, I've had it up to here 

Okay, so the lyrics aren’t Shakespeare, but they’re catchy, right?  And clever, in my opinion.  And my fourteen year old self agreed because every time the video came on MTV, I would stop reading my book, and watch, almost helplessly.  What would it be like, I wondered, to be that girl in the video?  And trust me, I wanted to be the girl in the video.  Because despite the claim of “cause I'm just a girl, a little ol' me,” Stefani dominates the video, her face and body literally taking up the entire frame for some shots.  She is powerful and strong, and beautiful. 


So why am I writing about Gwen Stefani, No Doubt, and Just a Girl?  Well, the song came up on my iPod the other day and it reminded me of the video, and the lyrics made me think of Dr. Logan’s class and unruly women.  And Stefani, in this video, was unruly in the eyes of my younger self, and that made her awesome.  Brief tangent – am I the only one who can’t turn their brain off, and just enjoy music, books, TV and movies without automatically performing critical analysis?  Do you think students in other majors have the same problem?  Anyways, I decided to look up the video on No Doubt’s website and watch it, since it has been a really long time since I’ve seen it.  I’m embedding it below, in addition to a fan-based version of No Doubt that is incredibly fascinating, especially when you notice how many men appear, and how some are in drag.

Enjoy. 

Lyrics from ELyrics.net (beware of pop-ups if you click that link).