The song “Beautiful Disaster” by Jon McLaughlin has become a new found favorite of mine. It has such a strong message and the lyrics are pretty powerful and realistic for some stereotypes on women.
To begin, the opening lyrics are such: “And every magazine tells her she’s not good enough, The pictures that she sees make her cry.” This is especially true with women. The models that are portrayed in magazines and commercials are the societal standard that women are expected to meet. The skinny white female body is one in which women should strive to meet-is what the media has established in our society. This in turn leaves some girls upset because they do not look like the skinny model on the cover of the magazine or commercial on TV. Then women feel as though in order to be the popular one, even liked, accepted, or in order to be successful in life, they need to pursue methods in order to become this standard. This is done through dieting and exercise although eating disorders can develop as a result.
Another lyric excerpt is this: “She’s giving boys what they want, tries to act so nonchalant, Afraid they’ll see that she’s lost her direction. She never stays the same for long, Assuming that she’ll get it wrong. Perfect only in her imperfection.”
This is basically stating the fact that women give in to what men want in order to be loved/liked or be wanted/needed. Women are constantly changing themselves in order to be liked by that man. To me, women shouldn’t change who they are in order to gain the trust or love of a man. Women need to be themselves and not lose sight of who they are at heart as an individual.
A final lyric excerpt is this: “She would change everything for happy ever after.
Caught in the in between of beautiful disaster, But she just needs someone to take her home. Cuz she’s just the way she is, but no ones told her that’s ok.”
McLaughlin hits the nail on the head with this. Women are constantly torn between what is expected of them and what they want to be in life. It is said that women want that “happily ever after” moment, a sentimental aspect we are stereotyped with because we are naturally nurturing. I’d say we all want to be happy in life, both men and women. But as McLaughlin says, “no one’s told her that’s ok…” is referring to the fact that, and I am inferring, that women are not told enough that they are perfect the way that they are and shouldn’t feel like they need society’s approval to be beautiful. Everyone is beautiful in their own way.
My friends love this song because we can relate to it so well. We love singing it it and putting it on replay. The message is so strong and we can all relate to it from events in our own lives.