There’s eight puppets in the chorus, so we know that these ladies took on multiple characters. The chorus is made up of Marilyn Sokol (Ma Otter from Emmet Otter), Carol Hall (the song’s co-writer), Jane Henson, and – believe it or not! – Rita Moreno. It’s amazing that, for being so early in Sesame’s run, all of the vocals in this song are actually performed by women. The critique I have on this song has a bit to do with the ToughPigs article from yesterday how there have always been wonderful women collaborators in the Muppet franchise but, at the end of the day, it’s a boys’ club. It’s also a significant message for young boys: to not pigeonhole those of the opposite gender and assume they’d only be interested in stereotypically feminine careers. It’s a song that tells them, “Hey! Be a surgeon! Be an alligator hunter! Be a roller skater! You can do it!” This is such a vital message, considering this song was released in the 70’s, but even to this day it’s still important. That said, this is an incredibly important song for girls. The beauty of this song is that it’s not just directed towards young women, but children of all genders (or non-genders). Pottle was also the musical director from season six to nine. “Women Can Be” was written by Carol Hall and Sam Pottle, two consistent contributors to Sesame’s music. Ignoring the powerful message for a moment, the song is a delightful sounding one. The chorus members all have various aspirations – with a showcase on the lion tamer, the surgeon, and the rocket scientist – and at the end come out wearing hats of many of the professions they’ve sung about. Otherwise the rest are various Whatnots (though two are addressed as Margaret and Teresa). The only known Muppet in the chorus is Betty Lou. It’s very straightforward you can’t get more direct than the lyric: “ There’s nothing we women can’t be.” I think we can all get behind that, right? Obviously, the message behind this song is wonderful. This song was released all the way back in 1974 during season nine, and there’s a lot to love about it and a little to critique. Speaking of women in the work force! One can’t help but think of the Sesame Street song “Women Can Be”! On top of being expected to do more emotional labor and clean up around the house, women are a huge asset to the work force and are still, to this day, underpaid in comparison to men. It’s no mistake that this protest is happening on International Women’s Day – it’s intended to raise awareness about civil liberties, reproductive rights, violence towards women, and, the big reason behind this strike, economic inequality. Some of us, like yours truly, can’t take the day off work because money (blah), but we’re showing solidarity in other ways.Ī Day Without A Woman, as the protest today is being called, is to show the power, necessity, and importance of women. Much like with the Women’s Marches in January, women are taking a stand against a government that seeks to set them back a couple of decades. Today, across the country (at least for our US readers!), women are staying home from work.
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