I Am Woman Final Draft

Natalie Polston

Dr. Brown

ENGL306

7 March 2016

“I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar”

            The year 1975 was met by the United Nations declaring it International Women’s Year, its anthem: “I Am Woman.” Written and performed by Helen Reddy, the song serves as a marker of the development of Women’s Liberation (Women’s Lib) in 1970s. While former movements focused on women’s voting rights and citizenship, 1970s feminism honed in on women’s rights over their bodies, equal pay, and similar issues. Much of the work of this movement needed to stem from awareness. This is why Helen Reddy’s classic song was well timed and well-said. Her anthem serves to prove the power of women not only in the music industry, but also on the world stage. Reddy, in her riveting anthem, sought to both inform and inspire a weary generation of women who sought greater for themselves.

            Looking at women’s rights in the United States today, it seems that women have come quite a long way. Most wouldn’t think that readily available commodities such as contraception were once illegal. Progressions such as legalization of contraception in the early 1900s seem didn’t come out of nowhere—those progressions resulted from women who sought for themselves what they wanted and had rights to. However, with fresh challenges and a remaining list of inequalities, the women of the 1970s were faced with unique and intimidating obstacles. Those who were part of Women’s Lib chose their first mode of action: to make others aware of the oppression that was still occurring. They set out to “[break] the silences which were so pervasive” (Stopper 75). If people could be aware of what was happening, they may be much more susceptible to joining the fight against it. Reddy’s goal of awareness is clear in the lyrics

I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore

And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'Cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna keep me down again.

Here, it’s clear that her conviction is that if everyone, particularly women, knew full what they were going through, they wouldn’t be able to go back to old ways. It’s evident that awareness is a large portion of the work this song sought to achieve.

            In order to achieve her goals of awareness and inspiration, Reddy used ethos, pathos, and kairos both in the lyrics of her song and in its release. The 1970s were a time where women got a lot of attention—and that was no accident. With major court cases like Roe v. Wade taking place in the early 1970s, it makes sense that the United States would be more tuned in to the rights of women. The decision of Roe v. Wade gave women the right to an abortion,  “I Am Woman” gained its popularity just two years after the Roe v. Wade decision, while the country’s head was still turned in that direction. Although the effects of Roe v. Wade could be interpreted as either positive or negative, people were paying attention to women. Reddy certainly utilized kairos in that her song fell on the world’s ears at the right moment in time. It was a song known to bring women “much needed clarity and inspiration” (Arrow 213). In a time where, even after much progress, women were still oppressed, “I Am Woman” catalyzed motivation to carry on.

            In past women’s movements, women have been forced to go against popular culture. Equality of women was not a popular idea, and therefore women had to step outside of culture in order to be heard. However, with mass media growing, along with it grew accessibility to new ideas. By and large, Women’s Lib tried to take hold of the media and “the rise of cultural studies from the late 1970s saw a less adversarial relationship develop between feminism and popular culture” (Arrow 215). By joining an already established institution of popular culture, Reddy utilized ethos. While mass media still enforced gender inequality, Reddy saw the power it had to influence minds. 

             She demonstrated women’s presence and power in the music industry when she won a Grammy for “I Am Woman.” In 1972, her Grammy award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance established Reddy as a feminist in the music industry (Gaar 120). This effectively put to action Reddy's ethos—that her stance as a pop star, woman, and feminist, was, in effect, validated by the accomplishment of a Grammy. "I Am Woman" was put on a nationwide scale at the onset of its Grammy win, and with it, all that it stands for. Being recognized at such an institution greatly increased her credibility and stature as an artist. In addition, it widespread her message and the heart's call of many women.

            Though 1970s feminists were beginning to take hold of some of the power encapsulated in mass media, this new mindset was severely underrepresented in music. According to Reddy, at the time there were no female empowerment songs. She commented, “I finally realized I was going to have to write the song myself because it simply didn’t exist. And that was the genesis of ‘I Am Woman’. It was my statement as a feminist” (Reddy in Gaar, 122). Not only was the song significant for Reddy personally, it stood as a reference point—breaking the ground for feminism to be represented in music. Through her Grammy win and increased renown, Helen Reddy stood tall as a “superstar and feminist” (Wells 1973, 25). She used her celebrity to grow her activism, rather than shrinking back for fear of reproach.

            The song’s lyrics are powerful and evocative. Riveting lines such as, “Oh yes I am wise, but it's wisdom born of pain,” are sentiments to which all women can relate. The song spoke for a national feeling had by women that hadn’t yet been articulated in music. The song utilizes pathos in both the lyrics and the music itself. Particularly enthralling are the last lines of the song: “I am invincible, I am strong, I am woman.” Words like these are utterly empowering, and show women in a different light. She reminded her audience that being a woman is something to be proud of—women are shrouded in this irrevocable strength and resilience. The music of the song grows as Reddy proudly belts, “I am woman, hear me roar.” The tune is simple, and the chorus is catchy as to be easily learned by any who listen.

Reddy put effectively feelings into words, because “for many women, listening to ‘I Am Woman’ was a way of connecting with some of the goals of feminism as they were articulated in popular culture, especially taking pride in womanliness, and female economic independence” (Arrow 223). In many cases, it gave women a new way to think about men, one another, and themselves (Arrow 226). In a cultural world where women’s voices were silenced frequently, “I Am Woman” was a banner and reference point—not only for women but also for men. It’s clear that her audience is broad when, in the song, she has a “long long way to go, until I make my brother understand.”

“I Am Woman” created and defined what was a feminist anthem. More than that, it was a source of simultaneous comfort and empowerment for women in the 1970s and beyond. In a time when women were denied of much, this song allowed them to celebrate the glory of being a woman, regardless of how she is treated. Yet in that, Reddy reminded women that they need not accept whatever treatment other give them—therefore spurring on the Women’s Liberation movement of the 1970s. She used a major part of culture to change the culture, at the opportune time, and with the most fitting words.

Works Cited

Arrow, Michelle. "‘It Has Become My Personal Anthem’." Australian Feminist Studies 22.53 (2007): 213-30. JSTOR. Web.

Gaar , Gillian. 1992. She's a rebel: The history of women in rock & roll. New York: Seal Press.

Reddy, Helen. The Woman I Am: A Memoir. New York: J.P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2006. Print.

Sink, Nancy. "Women's Liberation Movement." Women's Liberation Movement. N.p., Dec. 2008. Web.

Stopper, Anne, and Marianne Hartigan. "The Catalyst for Women's Lib." Books Ireland 284 (2006): 75. JSTOR. Web.