Becoming Girl: My Experience in 20 Faces with Emancipatory Lyrics

These lyrics by Madonna express beautifully the dilemmas of girlness. I felt these paradoxes keenly when I was living in a 'Woman' social gender. In a sense being socially and emotionally receptive is much more socially complex. Than the 'Man' role of performing dominance. Her lyric about showing skin in patches takes me right back to the experience of learning to dress and learning the technologies of sexy clothing and makeup. Learning to be the object of sexual desire and attention and to exist in that vulnerability.

-----Girls can wear jeans
And cut their hair short
Wear shirts and boots
cause its ok to be a boy
But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading
cause you think that being a girl is degrading
But secretly youd love to know what its like
Wouldnt you
What it feels like for a girl

Silky smooth
Lips as sweet as candy, baby
Tight blue jeans
Skin that shows in patches

Strong inside but you dont know it
Good little girls they never show it
When you open up your mouth to speak
Could you be a little weak

Chorus:

Do you know what it feels like for a girl
Do you know what it feels like in this world
For a girl

Hair that twirls on finger tips so gently, baby
Hands that rest on jutting hips repenting

Hurt thats not supposed to show
And tears that fall when no one knows
When youre trying hard to be your best
Could you be a little less

(chorus)
(chorus, prefixing 3rd line with what it feels like)

Strong inside but you dont know it
Good little girls they never show it
When you open up your mouth to speak
Could you be a little weak

(chorus, repeat)

In this world
Do you know
Do you know
Do you know what it feels like for a girl
What it feels like in this world
------------------------------------------------------------------------
these pictures at Lovefest 2009 in San Francisco. I document a new generation of Women, Women who will define the future. The music is a remix of Madonna's What It Feels Like For A Girl

Category:

Music

Tags:

• emancipation
• girls
• feminism
• crossdressing
• liberation
• lovefest
• women
• future
• Madonna
• sanfrancisco
• civiccenter
• beautiful
• photography