Pink Ribbon

In my World Literature class, we just finished reading A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen.  The story consists of a husband and a wife named Helmer and Nora who, in the beginning, seem to be living in a fairytale land where all their needs and wants are taken care of.  In the story, Nora wants to please Helmer and the people around her.  However, in the end, Nora realizes her bondage to Helmer and the fact that she has been living a lie under his control.  To me it seemed like Nora blew up in Helmer’s face, letting out everything that was bottled up inside of her for many years.  Right away I thought about the singer Gwen Stefani because she’s rebellious and not afraid to let the world know about how she feels, no matter how extreme it may seem.  One song that immediately came to my mind was “Just a Girl” by No Doubt (where Gwen Stefani was a main vocalist).  The song goes straight to the facts about being oppressed:

“Take this pink ribbon off my eyes
I'm exposed
And it's no big surprise
Don't you think I know
Exactly where I stand
This world is forcing me
To hold your hand”

I take the pink ribbon as being a metaphor for everything that represents a girl in a sexist way, like being pretty and unaware about reality.  Almost like being blind, Nora has the “pink ribbon” on her eyes while being married to Helmer.  She thinks she loves him and it seems that everything about her life is perfect; a beautiful house, healthy children, and an eventual surplus of money.  In the end though, Nora takes the “pink ribbon” off her eyes by speaking the truth to Helmer and leaving him; she takes a stand for herself for the first time.  When Stefani sings, “this world is forcing me to hold your hand”, it reminds me of how Helmer cares too much about other people’s opinions.  For example, he worries so much about how other people would react to Nora’s tarantella dance; he wants it to be perfect so that they would look like a perfect couple.

I really love the next lines that Stefani sings in a funny, sarcastic way:
“'Cause I'm just a girl, little 'ol me
Don't let me out of your sight
I'm just a girl, all pretty and petite
So don't let me have any rights”

This description of a girl reminds me of how women, in a sexist way, are controlled by men and have nothing important to say.  They are constantly being watched by their husbands and are told what to do.  It reminds me of how Helmer expects Nora to do whatever he wishes and that she cannot argue; she is only there to be his obedient, pretty lark.