Youth Rebellion And Counterculture Essay, Research Paper
In both of the books, there are some central themes. Among them are self expression through music and sex. The media also plays a role in both of the books, however much more so in Douglas’s. Douglas is more of a activist from within, more of a bystander than is Janis Joplin. Janis, from the start, is a rebel who did not want to be confined by the shackles of society. She was rebellious from high school and continued to be throughout her life. People like Janis, who participated in many movements as well as became a well-known icon, was able to get in touch with the youth. Women looked to Janis, as well as many others, for inspiration. Janis cut through many racial and gender lines with her music and public displays of sexual and individual freedom. Unfortunately, Janis did not live long enough to see the women’s movement, in which she played a notable role.
In Where the Girls Are, Susan Douglas talks about herself as part of the baby boom generation. From the beginning of the book, she concentrates on the media’s role in the female psyche. She begins by describing the fact that her generation was extremely large, and the media knew it. Douglas talks about the media’s role in programming young girls to believe that they are “the chosen people,” and that they could do anything. They were told that they have opportunities beyond their mother’s wildest imaginations. The television, however, sent mixed messages, as the news demonstrated the conflict, inequality, and insecurity in the world. This confused these children because none of this was shown on the shows. Moreover, the shows depicted the women’s role as her husband’s keeper. Cartoons, particularly Disney cartoons, showed the same types of bias and sexism. In 1961, Jacqueline Kennedy became first lady, and she became an important symbol for the baby boom girls. Douglas, being exposed to all of this media, knew one thing for sure, she didn’t want to end up like her mom. In this respect, the media played a huge role in the lives of Douglas as well as millions of other people.
During the war, women were told that their country needs them to work, and they did. And they saw that they enjoyed working out of the house. However, when the war ended, the male soldiers returning home needed their jobs back, and the women were fired. Again, the media played a role in assisting in this retransformation of women going back to being housewives (or backlash, as Douglas calls it). The media portrayed women who worked, especially with kids, were sick and were bad mothers. To cope with this, women drank, tool medicine, some got jobs, others went to college. It seems that the media followed the baby boom generation through their lives, to this day, due to the sheer number of them. As such, during the puberty stages the baby boomers were exposed to magazines and movies that became obsessed with sex. This basically marked the start of the Sexual Revolution. Women were always told that sex before marriage is completely wrong, and these girls were pushed away from their sexuality. (this was the time of the advent of the pill as well). They were told of all the dangers, and such which scared these youngsters. However, magazines and movies began to portray a different image during the Sexual Revolution. This was about the time Helen Brown wrote a book on sexual freedom. Movies helped break the sexual taboo long before television even dared to enter this realm. The advent of the “pregnancy melodrama” also made women feel more in touch with their sexuality.
However, it was not only movies that helped break women out of their sexual shells, and thus, the confines of society. Music and the radio also had a huge impact. As Douglas points out, rock n’ roll was meant mostly for the rebellious and sexual young men, and during this time few women made the top charts. Douglas writes about her love for the Supremes and the Shirelles, who were the first female group to break the number one spot. Music was extremely important during this time. Douglas asserts that the music spoke powerfully to the youngsters because the singers spoke of the very feelings that so many had. And not just women, but men as well. They were, in a way, the spokespeople for the youth. It is in this context that Janis Joplin becomes important, as she was one of the few women who were able to compete in a male-dominated music industry. Moreover, she expressed free love and open sexuality, and nonconformism, and many people, particularly women, heard her messages loud and clear. Douglas states in her book that “a few women broke through, most notably Janis Joplin, who, when I saw her, drank about three quarts of bourbon onstage, cursed the security guards, and sang her guts out” (Douglas, 150). Actually, it was most probably a bottle of Southern Comfort that she was drinking. Rock music was becoming political and attacking things like materialism and sexual repression.
In a way, music and the media were tide, as it was the media who helped “hype” up the Sexual Revolution, and all the movements of the era. Consequently, the media, in various ways, promoted the music simply by showing it and talking about it on the air. Throughout her book, Douglas demonstrated the importance of the media on her and to “millions of others” as well. However, other than participating in “ban the bra” where she talks about her wearing men’s shirts braless in support of the Miss America demonstration, she remained mainly non-active or passive during this time of the movements and demonstrations. This is in sharp contrast to Janis Joplin who almost from the start was one of the women who Douglas would see and read about, and who was getting inspired by, by dressing “like a boy” at Thomas Jefferson High School. Janis in a very real way was a part of many of the movements combined, but mostly through her music. This was the time of the Civil Rights movement, and segregationists feared racial mixing. Rock n’ toll concerts and dances basically promoted this mixing. Janis had black and Jewish friends; she even went to temple with the Bennetts. She was also rebellious sexually, as she “felt compelled to appear promiscuous. Not only was Janis exposed to the media and her conservative parents, but she was far from the media’s image of the petite beautiful girl either. Kids at school made fun of her, and this ended up sticking with her, but also in a way motivating her throughout her short life. She loved folk, jazz, and blues music, which were considered “black music.” She loved listening to it, but loved singing it even more. Janis not only crossed the gender lines by her simply being a singer, but she crossed over the racial lines by the type of music she liked to sing. She sang what was considered “black music” which crossed over racial lines, but she also competed in rock n’ roll, which was predominantly male. Janis, like Douglas, didn’t want to be like her parents and live within the confines of the society. She wanted to break out and explore her body and mind. And she did just that. Throughout the book Janis has casual sex with various men and women. However, she always wanted to be loved by one man, get married, and have kids. She talked about the classic white picket fence house scene. Janis had an insecurity problem, as many females did. And it was a direct result, according to Douglas, of the media, and society as a whole. Janis’s insecurities came from a realm of areas, from her parent’s disapproval to her friends making fun of her in school, to her dissatisfactory looks. In this context, she also showed to women that they don’t have to be ashamed of their looks, and that they can still be in touch with their sexuality.
Aside from music, however, Janis did actively take part in several demonstrations. But it was through her music that she showed the world her message. She did this not only through lyrics, but through participation in historical landmark events such as Monterey Pop and Woodstock. She also took part in things like Red Dog. “For baby boomers raised on a steady diet of westerners, the Red Dog was a dream some true” (Echols, 116). It was through places like Red Dog, and events such as Monterey Pop where people like Janis had such a huge influence on people like Douglas. The singers/bands such as Big Brother and the Dead, sang and the audience listened, and together they united. These not only expressed sexual freedom, but individual freedom and rights as well. Janis loved to sing redos of songs, ususally black songs, but the black artists respected her for giving them their due credit. In this way students and musicians, activists, feminists, and the like expressed bringing equality and unity to the country.
For Janis, music was an escape from reality, as were drugs. However, when she was onstage, she was only high on the music. Not only did it make her feel free, but it made her feel somewhat secure in being loved by her audience. She wanted the world to love her, as she wanted the people back in her hometown of Port Arthur in particular to love her. In these ways, Janis’s music not only made her voice heard, but helped within herself as well. Some say that Janis was caught up in the whole idea of being a star, but I think that she just wanted to be loved, and that was stemmed from her insecurity. Janis, as is apparent, was extremely active; through her singing as well actual participation in demonstrations, she was a very smart and strong woman who didn’t care what people thought about her. She was about freedom, and she took part in the whole Beatnik and later Hippie movement. Douglas was more of a bystander, although she felt all of these things within herself, and she agreed with all the movements stood for. She admittedly watched most of it on TV. However, all of it did change her life, as she is now a full blown feminist, and she has her eyes wide open to the media and to society while she raises her children. Music was an escape for not only the musicians, but to the listeners as well. And through the mass media (movies, TV, radio) the outspoken touched the lives of millions.
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