"I'm not nothing without a steady hand"

[HausOfAntonio 7,821]

Thats an essentialist argument that frames womanhood as exclusively centred around biology and that excludes trans people thus is very problematic sis 

[Wet Fire 5,676]

5 hours ago, HausOfAntonio said:

Thats an essentialist argument that frames womanhood as exclusively centred around biology and that excludes trans people thus is very problematic sis 

Right to an extent. This strand of feminism essentializes femininity to biology. But then Hélène Cixous herself goes on to claim that even though she's using a biological metaphor, it is just a metaphor. And in her essays she describes men like Shakespeare having the figurative "vagina" because Shakespeare, and a few other non-masculine writers, write in a way which is feminine or androgynous. Basically, Cixous thinks that any form of writing which is not exclusively dominated by the penis is feminine writing. And that results in the equating of feminine writing with a figurative vagina.

[GregJA 3,863]

9 hours ago, Wet Fire said:

 

I would like to point out how having a steady hand can also be read as having a means to masturbate which is, again, a metaphor of writing 

So I can tell people I’m actually doing my homework? 

in all seriousness, your whole post makes a lot of sense!

[HausOfAntonio 7,821]

19 minutes ago, Wet Fire said:

Right to an extent. This strand of feminism essentializes femininity to biology. But then Hélène Cixous herself goes on to claim that even though she's using a biological metaphor, it is just a metaphor. And in her essays she describes men like Shakespeare having the figurative "vagina" because Shakespeare, and a few other non-masculine writers, write in a way which is feminine or androgynous. Basically, Cixous thinks that any form of writing which is not exclusively dominated by the penis is feminine writing. And that results in the equating of feminine writing with a figurative vagina.

Idk I understand the sentiment but I have a really hard time getting behind these tropes of phallocentrism/gynocentrism because at the end of the day they rarely challenge/subvert the gender binary I'm not familiar with Cixous though, so I'm not one to speak about the entirety of her philosophy.

[Wet Fire 5,676]

27 minutes ago, HausOfAntonio said:

Idk I understand the sentiment but I have a really hard time getting behind these tropes of phallocentrism/gynocentrism because at the end of the day they rarely challenge/subvert the gender binary I'm not familiar with Cixous though, so I'm not one to speak about the entirety of her philosophy.

I agree with you here. This is the reason I never really liked French feminist thought when it comes to questioning phallocentrism. They are rightly criticized by those who are struggling with the imposition of binary. And it does surprise me how Cixous sees the figurative vagina in a male body as a metaphor of androgynous literature. Even though we have equated creativity with femininity since time immemorial. Even the Greek poets had female muses because they thought being a woman brings one closer to the act of creating something out of oneself and creating art was seen as giving birth and conceiving a child.

[Wet Fire 5,676]

44 minutes ago, GregJA said:

So I can tell people I’m actually doing my homework? 

in all seriousness, your whole post makes a lot of sense!

It's the sexiest homework you can do. Best of luck! 

[Akiki 3,900]

Im kinda surprised by this. The line is pretty obvious in my opinion.

The song is called Free Women. Steady hand is about how man are perceived to be in our society. She doesn't need to be led by a man. This is even a saying in some countries. A strong men with a steady hand is a considered to be a leader. Someone that is focused, tight and straight to the point.

It's also a reference to one of the most common male behaviours. Men always hold women (putting a hand in your back) cause It's a demonstration of power and... well... a steady hand.

Gaga uses this line to say that she doesn't need to rely on that cause she can hold her own. She doesn't need to rely on men. 

I don't even understand how can someone perceive anything else from that lyric. But hey, maybe It's masturbation. 

 

[Akiki 3,900]

9 hours ago, Regina George said:

I always interpreted that line as “I’m not nothing without a man” because a “steady hand” is how some people like to call “strong/successful” men. Like “you need a steady hand in a relationship” meaning you need a strong man.

90% sure It's what she meant. But let's pretend that Gaga was high and decided to add some obscure meaning to a pretty ordinary and obvious lyric. 

by the time we finish maybe we get a new single

 

[shane_c 480]

I think it's just about having confidence.

[Wet Fire 5,676]

9 minutes ago, Akiki said:

Im kinda surprised by this. The line is pretty obvious in my opinion.

The song is called Free Women. Steady hand is about how man are perceived to be in our society. She doesn't need to be led by a man. This is even a saying in some countries. A strong men with a steady hand is a considered to be a leader. Someone that is focused, tight and straight to the point.

It's also a reference to one of the most common male behaviours. Men always hold women (putting a hand in your back) cause It's a demonstration of power and... well... a steady hand.

Gaga uses this line to say that she doesn't need to rely on that cause she can hold her own. She doesn't need to rely on men. 

I don't even understand how can someone perceive anything else from that lyric. But hey, maybe It's masturbation. 

 

We usually do not interpret a line based on the writer's intended meaning. That would narrow things down. The writer's intended meaning is one of the many meanings or interpretations a line can acquire over time. For many people, that's the beauty of art. When a line is left to the audience to interpret, it belongs to the audience and anyone can make any meaning out of that line based on their views and as long as they privide argument those apparently "far-fetched" interpretations are valid. That's usually how we read art nowadays. Especially since the 20th cenrury. 

[Wet Fire 5,676]

10 minutes ago, Akiki said:

90% sure It's what she meant. But let's pretend that Gaga was high and decided to add some obscure meaning to a pretty ordinary and obvious lyric. 

by the time we finish maybe we get a new single

 

I don't think it's obscure though!!

[Gagaloo911 12,959]

She's reaching your honor

[HausOfAntonio 7,821]

1 hour ago, Wet Fire said:

I agree with you here. This is the reason I never really liked French feminist thought when it comes to questioning phallocentrism. They are rightly criticized by those who are struggling with the imposition of binary. And it does surprise me how Cixous sees the figurative vagina in a male body as a metaphor of androgynous literature. Even though we have equated creativity with femininity since time immemorial. Even the Greek poets had female muses because they thought being a woman brings one closer to the act of creating something out of oneself and creating art was seen as giving birth and conceiving a child.

The whole feminine muse thing is so cringey  Like, literally dehumanising. I do love the idea of androgyny and incongruous genitalia in a kind of genderf*ck way though! I hadn’t really seen it that way tbf. 

[Wet Fire 5,676]

22 minutes ago, HausOfAntonio said:

The whole feminine muse thing is so cringey  Like, literally dehumanising. I do love the idea of androgyny and incongruous genitalia in a kind of genderf*ck way though! I hadn’t really seen it that way tbf. 

Actually, not totally. It's easy to think of the idea of the Muse to be sexist and dehumanizing from a 21st century perspective (since it limited women to the role of passive inspiring entities instead of giving them freedom to write themselves). However, in ancient Greece, where the idea of the muse first originated, the muse was the most powerful agent in a writer's career. Because at that time, literature was based on a oral tradition. The poet was seen only as a mediator who had the skill to pen it down. No male author could claim that he created something. Originality or the poet's agency didn't really matter. If a poet said he did it himself, he would suffer public infamy because of his arrogance and pride (what Greeks called hubris). So, each poet had to acknowledge that the Muse was the one who helped him write it. So much so that the Muse was thought to be the one without whose influence no man can write anything. The poets had to declare that female muses are the ones behind his creation and the public considered the muse to be the omnipotent being in art. Now, it is a pedestal and raising women to a pedestal does limit their freedom. But overall, the femine side of creation had to be acknowledged.

[HermioneT 1,895]

This is the kind of content I signed up for on this site.  thanks for sharing your interpretation and knowledge.on the topic.