Sample lyrics:
When I grow up I wanna be famous, I wanna be a star, I wanna be in movies
When I grow up I wanna see the world, drive nice cars, I wanna have BOOBIES [emphasis mine]
(As my best friend wisely noted, it would have been better if they'd rhymed "movies" with "scabies.")
The message is clear: Young girls, shelve those aspirations of becoming a high-powered executive at an environmental law firm that will save the planet from its imminent demise. When you grow up, aim for freakishly large boobage!
What irks me about this is that it presents such a narrowly defined view of female sexuality. It's one-note raunch. No one profits from one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter sexuality. It's boring as hell. It's not substantive. And worse, it does not allow women to think for themselves, to own their own particular brand of sexuality, to flaunt their own unique goods in their own unique way. It's mass-market de-individuation. The message is clear: We want all women to be sexual in the same way. And it has nothing to do with female pleasure. This is about the receiver, not the giver. It's submission masquerading as empowerment. Women are being sold their own ticket to identity slavery. And they're buying it. On sale.
Having said that, when I grow up I would like to be able to do this badass Pussycat Doll scissor-kick for my gynecologist:
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