Song Analysis
Should society criticise someone so much that they should change their appearance? The song ‘Mrs Potato Head’ sung and produced by Melanie Martinez in 2016, covers part of our narcissistic, degrading society towards a person’s physical appearance, specifically girls and how people need to be up to a certain physical standard to please someone. Melanie attempts to influence people about this issue and tries to inform them that you don’t have to change your physical appearance for anyone and that getting plastic surgery won’t fix your insecurities. Melanie told ‘Noisy’ that, “It was not me bashing women who get plastic surgery, but more of a ‘Why are you doing this when you’re beautiful without it?” I am a part of the demographic that get heavily influenced by the now judgemental society but this song has made me realise that if I’m happy in my own skin that’s all that matters.
Teel paragraph
The song, ‘Mrs Potato Head, sung by Melanie Martinez positioned me to feel sympathy for the people who have lost their self-esteem because of societies physical standards and have changed their selves through plastic surgery to change that. Simile, allusion, imagery and metaphor are used to make me feel this way. For example, in the last line of the first verse simile is used, “They stick pins in you like a vegetable”. In this example, comparing you to a vegetable suggests that ‘they’ (surgeons) stick needles, pins and other tools in you in order to look beautiful.
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In the following example, allusion is used to convey the issue of societies physical standards, “Oh Mrs Potato Head tell me, is it true that pain is beauty?” In this example, allusion is used in the words ‘Mrs Potato Head’. ‘Mrs Potato Head’ refers to the toy where you can add and take away parts suggesting that the toy is like a person getting plastic surgery. This would of not made sense to the reader if they didn’t know what Mrs Potato Head was making this an allusion.
In this example, imagery is used in the last line of the 4th stanza, “They pucker up their lips until they suffocate”. The words ‘pucker up their lips until they suffocate’ creates an image inside of the reader’s head of girls are getting so much lip fillers to the point where they it can be dangerous. This strong image can change the reader’s opinion on plastic surgery because it has described what the person looks like which can be very disturbing.
In the last example, a metaphor is used in the second line of the second stanza, “Baby soft skin turns into leather”. The comparison between soft skin to leather suggests that plastic surgery will turn your youthful, soft skin to a plasticky, hardened texture. This comparison makes the reader rethink their choices on plastic surgery. Simile, allusion, imagery and metaphor have made me feel sympathy for the people who have resorted to getting plastic surgery due to societies high standards of physical beauty. Martinez has tried to make people aware of this issue in society and tried influence people that don’t change yourself because someone said to. Martinez has challenged society about their values on inner beauty and diversity about what a person looks like. Sadly this song is still relevant today, mostly because of unrealistic people on social media making the viewer reflect on one’s physical appearance.
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