During the second CAT I think something that I struggled to do was to remember to connect it to the ideas we’ve learned in class such as identity, representation and culture as well as use the correct terminology i.e. collective identity and dominant discourse.

In what ways does Mrs Potato Head express ideas about identity, culture and/or language?

“If you want a little more confidence

Potatoes turn to french fries, yeah it’s common sense

All you need’s a couple more condiments

And a hundred thousand dollars for some compliments, ha-ha

It’s such a waste

When little girls grow into their mother’s faces

But little girls are learning how to cut and paste

And pucker up their lips until they suffocate, ha-ha

 

Kids forever, kids forever

Baby soft skin turns into leather

Don’t be dramatic, it’s only some plastic

No one will love you if you’re unattractive

 

Oh Mrs Potato Head, tell me

Is it true that pain is beauty?

Does a new face come with a warranty?

Will a pretty face make it better?

Oh Mr Potato Head, tell me

How did you afford her surgery?

Do you swear you’ll stay forever?

Even if her face don’t stay together”

 

Melanie Martinez’s song Mrs Potato Head expresses the idea about how the toxic culture in our society influences other girls to want to change themselves to fit society’s expectations, resulting in a loss of identity. The song addresses several points to do with plastic surgery and the extreme lengths females go to just to receive society’s approval.

Our culture which is heavily influenced by social media has a drastic impact on the young girls and what they’re supposed to look like. The name of the song Mrs Potato Head is highly symbolic of this as it is comparing the concept of the kids toy to the reality of plastic surgery. Mrs Potato Head is a plastic toy most commonly known for being able to pull off and rearrange her features, it is similar to plastic surgery as people seek it out to “rearrange” their faces just like how Mrs Potato Head is able to. Melanie Martinez also uses the diction of “condiments” to represent the idea of how society promotes makeup to young females as another way of becoming more beautiful. The word condiments is mostly used when talking about food, such as ketchup or mustard and therefore shows the belief of how Melanie Martinez believes that society does not view females as humans. It believes them to be similar to food as in that their faces and bodies can be easily changed to fit someone else’s taste. An example she uses in the song to show this belief is the line “potatoes turn to french fries”. The word choices “potatoes” and “french fries” are used to infer the values of society. Potatoes are more round in shape and are chubby whilst french fries are thinner and more preferred in society. This is connected back to the idea of how society prefers attractive thinner women.

Due to society’s high expectations of female’s appearance, young girls start to lose their innocence and childhood. The line “when little girls grow into their mother’s faces, but little girls are learning how to cut and paste” is used to represent the idea that before young girls are given a chance to grow up, they are already being influenced by what they see on social media to alter their appearance to fit what society expects of them. The word choices of “cut and paste” are used as they are copying what they see and pasting it onto their faces, again linking back to the idea of plastic surgery and how women are not viewed as humans. Secondly, the line “kids forever, kids forever” is shown that no matter how mature females become, they will always be a small child playing dress up with their mom’s makeup. The idea of a small girl dressing up is compared to the way older females act as they are also “dressing up” and playing another role in order to fit society’s expectations. Lastly, the line “baby soft skin turns into leather” talks about the consequences of plastic surgery. As more and more women pay for the surgery, not only is their skin turned to plastic or leather they also lose the childhood/softness related to baby soft skin and become hardened by society.

As young girls lose their innocence and childhood, this then results in a loss of identity and therefore leaves them suffocated and trapped. The line “and pucker up their lips until they suffocate” talks about the idea of how being forced to play another role can lead to suffocation as it can be damaging to the identity they are forced to play. This then leads to a toxic mental state as they will seek attention or approval from society.

Wiley’s version of the original ‘Napoleon leading his army over the alps’ challenges the historic values and stereotypes that the painting represented back in 1801 by taking a modern twist and changing the figure sitting on the horse. Wiley is known for incorporating pieces of black culture into his paintings and contrasting the masculine energy with a feminine background. In the original painting, stereotypes that society believed or held are shown through the use of iconography, composition and colour, many of which Wiley contradicts in his version. Napoleon is seen dressed in a luxurious officer uniform and is covered head to toe in the French flag colours, symbolising the nationalisation and pride he held towards his country. Not only that, but it is also a symbol of power and dominance that all males back then had to have. A widely held societal belief that to be masculine was to be dominant and powerful, which is why he is draped in the colour red, indicating violence and danger. Yet in Wiley’s recreation, he chooses the colour gold instead to embody the masculinity of the black male but to also express the feminine and softer side of him. 

The figure in the painting is dressed in modern military clothes and has several pieces of accessories with a noticeable brand, contrasting the regal traditional uniform Napoleon is seen in. By doing this, Wiley fuses the two periods of time together to conclude the wars that they used to face two hundred years ago and the wars that the black society has to face two hundred years later are more or less similar and that as a society we are still struggling to accept each other. As mentioned before, Wiley is known for representing black culture in his paintings and this is evident in the way that the male sitter is dressed in. These clothes that the black male has is not only symbolic of the fights that black society stands against but is also a literal representation of black identity and how black males are dressed in the 21st century. This is important as in the past, paintings and portraits have usually consisted of white males, allowing black identity to be suppressed and by adding black culture into his paintings, Wiley is choosing who to represent, effectively giving black society power to speak up. 

Lastly, Wiley chooses to remain the position of the sitter the same as Napoleon’s, exhibiting the traditional masculine form that is seen as powerful from a long time ago, but changes the background of his painting, which in return changes his meaning of power and masculinity. The background of the painting resembles a kind of interior design wallpaper that is expertly blended into the foreground which also contains sperm in it, expressing Wiley’s belief of masculinity that it has to be balanced between dominant (which is traditional) between soft and gentle (representing more modern times). He once again fuses the beliefs that society held two hundred years about males to the more modernised thinking that society is moving to accept now.