FIERCE

GROUP 1

Cant Hold Us Down

Dean Paniza
Graphic Designer

Sharon Truong
Web Master

Andres Rodriguez
Director

Kimberly Rosas
De Almeida
Editor

By

Christina Aguilera

Cant Hold Us Down

BY Christina Aguilera
So what am I not supposed to have an
opinion
Should I be quiet just because I'm a
woman
Call me a bitch cuz I speak what's on
my mind
Guess it's easier for you to swallow if I
sat and smiled
When a female fires back
Suddenly big talker don't know how to
act
So he does what any little boy would do
Making up a few false rumors or two
That for sure is not a man to me
Slanderin' names for popularity
It's sad you only get your fame through
controversy
But now it's time for me to come and
give you more to say
This is for my girls all around the world
Who've come across a man who don't
respect your worth
Thinking all women should be seen, not
heard
So what do we do girls?
Shout out loud!
Letting them know we're gonna stand
our ground
Lift your hands high and wave them
proud
Take a deep breath and say it loud
Never can, never will, can't hold us
down
Nobody can hold us down
Nobody can hold us down
Nobody can hold us down
Never can, never will
So what am I not supposed to say what
I'm saying
Are you offended by the message I'm
bringing
Call me whatever cuz your words don't
mean a thing
Guess you ain't even a man enough to
handle what I sing
If you look back in history
It's a common double standard of
society

The guy gets all the glory the

more he can score
While the girl can do the same
and yet you call her a whore
I don't understand why it's okay
The guy can get away with it &
the girl gets named
All my ladies come together
more and make a change
Start a new beginning for us
everybody sing
Repeat Chorus
[Lil' Kim:]
Check it - Here's something I
just can't understand
If the guy have three girls then
he's the man
He can either give us some
head, sex a roar
If the girl do the same, then
she's a whore
But the table's about to turn
I'll bet my fame on it
Cats take my ideas and put
their name on it
It's alright though, you can't
hold me down
I got to keep on movin'
To all my girls with a man who
be tryin to mack
Do it right back to him and let
that be that
You need to let him know that
his game is whack
And Lil' Kim and Christina
Aguilera got your back
But you're just a little boy
Think you're so cute, so coy
You must talk so big
To make up for smaller things
So you're just a little boy
All you'll do is annoy
You must talk so big
To make up for smaller things
This is for my girls...
(Repeat Chorus) X2
Spread the word, can't hold us
down

OVERALL
ARGUMENT:
Hyper sexualization is
only a way of
expressing ones self.
Most of the time,
women are labeled
sluts, whores, and
hoes because they
show a lot of skin,
when in fact they are
only expressing
themselves, and
enjoying the agency
and right that they
have to wear
whatever they desire.
Additionally, hyper
sexuality reveals the
ongoing existence of
double standards
through the imagery
of men being able to
dress seductively and
flirtatiously and get
away with it, while
women are mistreated
and judged when they
do the same thing.

 So what am I not supposed to have an

opinion?
Should I be quiet because I am a
woman?

Men tend to view womens opinions as

insignificant because they have the
reputation of being the dominant in a
relationship. Women are categorized as
weak and dependent but they are, in
reality, as capable and reliable as men.

Women are sometimes deprived of equality when

in a relationship. Their opinions are often ignored
and regarded as of no value because men do not
want to get sermons from a woman. In Sex, Lies,
and Conversation; Why is it so Hard for Men and
Women to Talk to Each Other by Deborah
Tannen, she states that for women, as for girls,
intimacy is the fabric of relationships, and talk is
the thread from which it is woven (Tannen 1). In
other words, communication is key in a
relationship; it is the only way women can truly
express themselves but they are often taken for
granted.

This is for my girls all around the

world
Who've come across a man who
don't respect your worth
Thinking all women should be seen,
not heard

Women are taken for granted by

men, nowadays, because they are
only wanted for their looks and
their body. Many women are being
objectified and disrespected
because they induce an image of
only wanting games by dressing
explicitly.

Women will not back down just because

judgments are being thrown at them.
They will keep doing what they are doing
for themselves and not to please others.
They would not allow anyone to tell them
what they can and cannot do.

In todays society, when a woman shows parts of her

body that shouldnt be exposed, she is automatically
labeled and judged, while men who often times shows
their body are found attractive and even praised for it. In
Ariel Levys Female Chauvinists Pigs: Women and the
Rise of Raunch Culture, a girl named Anne mentions she
[wants] guys to want [her], to want to hook up with
[her], even though [she] did not want to hook up with
them. [She have] always wanted all the guys to think
[she] was the hottest one (Levy 152). It reveals that
women do this to feel more confident and show their
assets. It can also be interpreted as being competitive and
as a way of getting attention.

Again, we see the double standards in a hyper

sexualized society where women are downgraded when
they perform sexual activities that are categorized for
men. According to Crawford and Unger in Sexual
Double Standards: A Review and Methodological
Critique of Two Decades of Research, traditionally,
men and women have been subject to different rules
guiding sexual behaviorBoys had to sow their wild
oats, but girls were warned that a future husband
wont buy the cow if he can get the milk for free
(Crawford & Popp 3). It is unjust how men can be
sexually active and be accepted in society but women
who play games are ostracized by society. However, it
is time to break away from this tradition.