No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani sings the song from her own perspective. She communicates the struggles of being a woman in each verse, but does so in a sarcastic way. Directly asking for the poor treatment sarcastically shows her exhaustion throughout the song with lines such as “so don’t let me have any rights.” She communicates her position as a lower class citizen and, through a literal view, tells how she wants the poor treatment. However, the obvious sarcasm not only shows how much she hates the treatment, but also communicates how fed up she is with the treatment. Her phrasing and wording shows how exhausted she is with sexism. This is nothing new to her, she has been facing this her whole life. “Oh, I’m just a girl, Take a good look at me, Just your typical prototype.” The message would lose strength without the sarcasm, as this tactic heavily magnifies how fed up she is in a passive aggressive manner.
To contrast with the sarcasm in each verse, she scatters in a direct message of her exhaustion throughout the song. Most commonly, she repeats “oh, I’ve had it up to here!” Her sarcastic verses build up a feeling of guilt, then, at the end of each, her direct, aggressive conclusion hits hard as a finisher. This format is perfect to build sympathy, and it allows her to communicate her human nature instead of being seen as an object. If she was to communicate in a more aggressive, less sarcastic format, she would come off as hot-headed and would be dismissed. If she was to use a more subordinate tone, without the obvious exhaustion, it could easily be overlooked. This format, on the other hand, is perfectly aggressive enough to catch attention and make the wrongdoers uncomfortable, but at the same time, is civil enough to gain relatability and support from others. This relatability is a big part of the message. While she discusses her personal experiences, she does so in a manner that all women could relate to.
She feels completely trapped in the sexist stereotype. “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.” She is confined by oppression, but she found that she can get her message out through songwriting. Easily relatable lyrics with a direct yet not over-the-top tone transform the song from a catchy new-wave tune to a meaningful statement. She can be confined in society, but her words spread far.
In Just a Girl, Gwen Stefani sends a heavily feminist message of discontent and exhaustion with treatment towards women in 1995 society. By using sarcasm, she creates a passive aggressive dynamic within the lyrics that attracts attention without being too aggressive as to put off potential allies. The whole song comes together as a relatable piece for modern women.
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