Hegemony’s Hiding Places
“I try to ignore it, but it’s everything I see
It’s on the poster on the wall, it’s in the shitty magazines
It’s in my phone, it’s in my head, it’s in the boys I bring to bed
It’s all around, it’s all the time, I don’t know why I even try”
This lyric excerpt is taken from Olivia Rodrigo’s song Pretty Isn’t Pretty. The song brings awareness to the never-ending list of beauty standards placed upon women, which celebrities are particularly targeted for. Through this song it is clear that Olivia is frustrated with the constant battle for self-esteem. This is not a new concept, and Olivia herself has mentioned it before. Her other song Brutal comes to mind. Other women have also been pointing out these unfair standards for a while now. Some examples I have examined previously are The Man by Taylor Swift and Bronx Season by Cardi B. Since this topic is well established, this article will not discuss beauty standards and self-esteem. Rather, we can read into a different meaning of Olivia’s lyrics by discussing hegemony.
Hegemony is a term that is useful to everyone in the process of unlearning bias and checking privilege. It refers to the dominance of one group over another. The Google powered definition describes hegemony specifically as a physical or military dominance of one country or region over another. For those who grew up in a bubble of privilege (including me), military dominance may seem in a distant past related to the World Wars in history class. However, it is not, as there are several geographical regions being occupied in the world today. The current most broadcasted examples are Ukraine and Palestine, where active conflict has been taking place. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies wrote a report with some background information on current military conflicts. They explain the history of the conflicts happening in Ukraine and Palestine, as well as Cyprus, Kashmir, Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenia-Azerbaijan), Russia’s invasion of Georgia, and Western Sahara which is being occupied by Morroco (Cornell, 2020).
Dominance can also be cultural and social. A definition of Hegemony for sociological purposes could be the dominance of one group’s ideology, identity, and image over another’s. Cultural and social dominance is quite prevalent in North American society. An extreme example of cultural dominance in North American history would be Residential Schools. In this example, settler government and religious powers were forcibly replacing Indigenous cultures with their own. This happened through legislation, spread of misinformation, stereotyping, and normalization. A subtle example of hegemony can take place during elementary school lunch break. This is perfectly depicted in Season 1, Episode 1 of Fresh Off the Boat, when main character Eddie brings in Chinese food for lunch while other kids enjoy the popular processed and premade lunch kit known as “lunchables”. Kids who bring in “lunchables” are praised through elevated social status for bringing the ideal American lunch to school, whereas Eddie is ridiculed. Specifically, the lunchables kids (aka the white kids) are complaining about the smell of Eddie’s food, specifically mentioning that it is gross. The scene also includes lots of other microaggressions that start before Eddie’s lunch is revealed. A similar lunch scene is shown in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, where Toula’s new acquaintances complain of the smell of her Greek food. The difference here being that this happens to her as an adult. The message is clear: conform to our culture (American food for lunch) or you will not be allowed to socialize with your peers at lunch. Whether extreme or simple, actions are taken to other people who don’t conform to the dominant culture in North America.
Reading these lyrics through the lens of hegemony, Olivia exposes multiple places to investigate for signs of cultural dominance. In print (posters and shitty magazines), in media (phone), in personal thoughts (my head), in social interactions (the boys I bring to bed), and in general life experiences (all around and all the time). As for the beginning and end pieces of the stanza: “I try to ignore it” and “I don’t know why I even try”, this is our call to action. Will we be complicit while cultural dominance is reinforced through othering, or will we make an effort to accept other cultures without modification? Perhaps this is answered in the bridge of Olivia’s song when she sings: “None of it matters / and none of it ends / You just feel that shit over and over again / No it will never change”. In this case, we must pick our battles to try and save energy for the long run. It might be impossible to change some people’s minds, but first we have to start with ourselves.
Please don’t plagiarize my work!
Bibliography
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Khan, Nahnatchka, writer. Fresh Off the Boat. Season 1, episode 1, “Pilot.” Produced by Eddie Huang, directed by Lynn Shelton, starring Randall Park, Constance Wu, Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler, Ian Chen, aired February 15, 2015, on ABC, https://www.disneyplus.com/play/aa7e6ad3-bc8f-4d43-90e6-9393b856e269.
Rodrigo, Olivia. “Pretty Isn’t Pretty,” by Olivia Rodrigo, Daniel Nigro, and Amy Allen, released September 8, 2023, track 11 on Guts, Geffen Records, Spotify, https://open.spotify.com/track/7IiOhvduGa8urDPC6l3CWo?si=f53c658a88034175.
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