Gandert 1

Abby Gandert
Professor Calhoun
English Composition 1201
16 February 2020

Visual Texts Essay

Both videos of the song, “You Don’t Own Me”, sung by Lesley Gore originally, and
remade by Grace and G-Eazy, have proved to be very similar. From the coloring to using the
same shots, to the anthem-like tone, and even the faces that the women make, the two videos are
easy to compare. The two videos also have a similar message, yet vary quite greatly based on the
era they were produced in, as they are 52 years apart. Each version has a different audience, and
a slightly different message based upon that.

In the 2015 version sung by Grace and G-Eazy, Grace is powerfully singing in a
recording booth, while G-Eazy is adjusting the vocals. During her singing, Grace exhibits a
confident stance and it looks like she is passionate about the message she is sending. While she is
singing, the video cuts to G-Eazy while he “hypes her up” by him rapping about how she is
independent and supports her by editing her music. All of G-Eazy’s rapping, including the lyrics,
“Well goddamn, she said come over and see it for yourself; Never asking for your help
independent woman”, and “That’s when she told me she ain’t; Never ever ever ever gonna be
owned”, show explicitly that he sides with her in every way. In addition to this, the filter of this
video has a light coloring and features many close-up shots of Grace, specifically of her lips
moving as she sings, which is a tribute to Lesley Gore in her original music video. The new
version has many similarities to the original video, yet a modernized twist exists in this song and
video pair.

This visual text displays that in this day and age, it is common for women to stand up for
themselves, and for men to support them as well. From the beginning, Grace is a powerhouse,
which shows that she has no doubts about what she can and can’t do. Given that this is the
theme, it only makes sense that the audience would be young people, young girls specifically.
The intended audience is young girls because it is essential that they grow up in a society where
they believe that they can do anything they desire, and not be tied down by dependence on
anyone. Even the original song showcases the lyric, “Don’t tie me down ‘cause I’d never stay”.
The aforementioned phrase exhibits the absolute power and independence in both versions of the
song and accompanying videos. Overall, this video shows the audience that they must be
independent and confident. They must not doubt themselves, because they deserve to be
independent.

Next, a rhetorical appeal that the 2015 video uses is the pathos appeal. The video is filled
with power shots of Grace and G-Eazy, along with an energizing beat. This type of sound is
typical in the pop genre, which is meant to be upbeat and bright. As previously stated, Grace
looks powerful as well, including having the support of G-Eazy. Through the visual
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Abby Gandert
Professor Calhoun
English Composition 1201
16 February 2020

representation of Grace’s power, along with the tone of the upbeat song, the viewer feels inspired
and joyful. All in all, this song has a feel-good mood, which rubs off on the viewers and
listeners.

The second version of the song was sung by Lesley Gore, which originated in 1963. In
the video, Lesley is on stage, as she goes through different stages of confidence. The video
shows Lesley singing timidly at first, with a bit of a nervous appearance. Lesley starts by
glancing nervously all around her, As the beat builds, Lesley appears to have more attitude, sings
louder, and overall looks more confident through her stance, voice, and body language. The
sound of this version is more choppy, in the aspect that each line is a snap from Lesley. In the
newer version, Grace makes it flow together easier. This is because as aforementioned, Grace is
confident all along, yet Lesley must work up to being comfortable. In 1963, this song was one of
the first of its kind, for women to be demanding independence from men. Times were different
almost 6 decades ago, so the message and audience differ from this version to the other.

In the 1963 video, the intended audience is women of all ages. These women are
encouraged to break free from the societal standards they grew up with, instead of learning them
as young girls as in the first version. Like the new song, the rhetorical appeal to the older video is
pathos. The rhetorical appeal is pathos because like in the other video, the main character, or the
singer, rises to power through the message of declaring her independence. Arguably, this appeal
in this version is stronger because there is a dynamic character, which makes her breakthrough in
a lack of confidence that much better. Again, this appeals to the viewer because it gives them a
sense of inspiration from Lesley.

The two videos relate to each other in a multitude of aspects. In fact, the same producer,
Quincy Jones, who managed Lesley’s song was the producer of the 2015 remake as well. Due to
this, it displays how Grace and G-Eazy wished to honor Lesley Gore, which turned out to only
be one month after her passing. Through both versions, girls and women everywhere are inspired
by this cheerful early feminist anthem.
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Abby Gandert
Professor Calhoun
English Composition 1201
16 February 2020

Works Cited

“Grace - You Don't Own Me Ft. G-Eazy (Official Music Video).” Performance by Grace,
Grace - You Don't Own Me Ft. G-Eazy (Official Music Video), 1 June 2015,
youtu.be/8SeRU_ZPDkE.

“Lesley Gore - You Don't Own Me (HD).” Performance by Lesley Gore, Lesley Gore -
You Don't Own Me (HD), 28 Nov. 2011, www.youtube.com/watch?
v=JDUjeR01wnU.