Liquid Smooth and the Demonization of Aging Women in Hollywood
“I’m beautiful, I know cause it’s the season
But what am I to do with all this beauty?
Biology, I am an organism, I’m chemical
That’s all, that is all”
Introduction
Mitski is a Japanese-American Artist singer-songwriter and musician. Mitski’s music is
characterized by its introspective and often raw lyrics, which explore themes of identity, love, loneliness, and the complexities of human emotions. Her genre-defying sound incorporates elements of indie rock, folk, pop, and experimental music. I chose to write an essay about Mitski because she is one of my favorite artists. Her music resonates with me as I find myself connecting to her lyrics and emotions. Her songs provide us with a glimpse into our most private thoughts and emotions, which we tend to keep hidden. I relate to Mitski’s music in various ways. Her songs often delve into the feelings of longing, displacement, and the struggle to find one’s place in the world, themes that have resonated with me at different points in my life. This includes her song, Liquid Smooth; Liquid Smooth was in her debut studio album that she self-released on January 31, 2012, as her junior year project at SUNY Purchase.
“I’m liquid smooth, come touch me, too
And feel my skin is plump and full of life
I’m in my prime
I’m liquid smooth, come touch me, too
I’m at my highest peak, I’m ripe
About to fall, capture me”
Liquid Smooth
The song, Liquid Smooth, by Mitski, reflects on being a woman who lives in a patriarchal
society, where women are seen as worthless once they are past the age where they are considered attractive to men. Liquid Smooth is a melancholic and haunting song that embodies the essence of Mitski’s distinctive style. A woman’s value is solely based on beauty, and society rewards youth. When women no longer have their youthful beauty, men no longer compete for her attention, and thus, their worth plummets. Throughout the song, the speaker compares herself to a fruit, saying things like,”ripe”, “plump” “prime” and “season”. This represents the idea that like fruit, women can become rotten and undesirable. That women will lose their worth and can only be touched in their prime This puts pressure on women to soak up the attention they get when they’re young, as once their youth and “prime” has passed, they’ll be forgotten and ignored
by society. The speaker uses an angry and accusatory tone throughout her song. She’s angry that men will only “touch”, “feel”, and “capture” a woman when she’s young. She’s angry that men will never see value in her life once she passes a certain age. She says angrily, “come touch me too” but, there is also a hint of desperation there. She feels incredibly validated by men’s attention and focus, even though she knows it’s fleeting. The speaker wants everyone to get a taste of her beauty and youth before it’s gone.
“Or at least take my picture
Kuzurete yuku maeni
I’m pulsing, my blood is red and unafraid of living
Beginning to end”
Demonization of Aging Women in Hollywood
Hollywood has a long history of upholding unrealistic beauty standards and
marginalizing women as they age. The industry’s obsession with youth has led to the
demonization of aging women, often forcing them to undergo invasive procedures and conform to a limited definition of beauty. Mitski’s Liquid Smooth confronts this issue head-on, highlighting the pressure on women to appear liquid smooth, and youthful to remain relevant in the industry. Hollywood actors have become increasingly verbal about ageism in the industry. On turning 40, Cameron Diaz, famous for her roles in Charlie’s Angels and The Mask, said in an interview that, even though she was actually looking forward to it, she knew what it meant for her career: “I was not 25 anymore and everybody knew that. So I was no longer valuable.” “It’s a cruel thing our society does to women,” “To tell them they’ve failed for a process that’s totally normal and natural.” A 2021 report from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media concluded that characters 50+ were “less than a quarter of all characters in top-grossing domestic films and most-popular television shows from 2010 to 2020.” And they skewed male: men represented four out of five 50+ characters in film, three out of four in broadcast television, and two of three in streaming TV.
“I’m liquid smooth, come touch me, too
And feel my skin is plump and full of life
I’m in my prime
I’m liquid smooth, come touch me, too
I’m at my highest peak, I’m ripe
About to fall”
Male Gaze
The “man gaze” is a sexualized way of seeing women that empowers men while
objectifying women. The speaker of Liquid Smooth internalizes this view of women as it is common in movies she saw growing up. She falls into a trap of seeing herself as an object that needs to be admired but she feels she could only do this when she looked a certain way. Women are seen as “objects” of heterosexual male desire and, in movies, are restricted to serving the male protagonists’ purposes. An example of this is the Disney movie Aladdin. Although the princess in this story stands up for herself at times, she is still objectified by the story and every man in it. To her father, Jasmine is a precious artifact locked away for safekeeping. To the villain Jafar, Jasmine is a valuable commodity to be obtained for greater power and influence. And to Aladdin, the hero, Jasmine is a prize to be won. Another popular example of this is Michael Bay’s Transformers, or more specifically, Meghan Fox’s character in that film. Her role was just the love interest of Shia Labeuof’s character and her backstory was never really
developed. Her character was boiled down to being a pretty girl who was tough but only when it served to further the plot of the male lead. Women in media are often used as supporting roles for the male lead and as a visual fantasy for the male viewers. The women in these roles are simply young and beautiful. The Bechdel test is a way for people to measure how well-represented women are in
different forms of media. In order to pass the test, the media must follow three rules:
- The movie must have at least two women in it.
- The women must talk to each other.
- Their discussion must be about something other than a man.
The test aims to draw attention to the depressing situation of women’s representation in the media. In a study from 2022 that was published in the scientific journal Psychology of Popular Media, Bechdel test results of the 1200 most popular movies worldwide from 1980 to 2019 were presented. The authors found that less than half of the movies (49.6%) pass the Bechdel test. This includes movies like The Avengers (2012), The entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, and even the highest-grossing film of all time: Avatar. While the Bechdel test is flawed and should not be the end all be all, I think it can still be used as a baseline of what is considered good female representation
“How I feel this river rushing through my veins
With nowhere else to go, it circles ’round”
Conclusion
Mitski’s Liquid Smooth is a powerful critique of the demonization of aging women in
Hollywood and a call for change. In an industry that often prioritizes youth over talent and perpetuates harmful beauty standards, Mitski’s music serves as a reminder of the importance of valuing women for their abilities, experiences, and unique perspectives. These unrealistic standards cause women to lose track of who they truly are. If people only see her for her looks, are they really seeing her? The speaker of Liquid Smooth thinks the most important thing is that her face, her skin, and her body are all perfect and liquid smooth. But, she wonders, when all of that is gone, will anyone value her?
“I’m liquid smooth, come touch me, too
And feel my skin is plump and full of life
I’m in my prime
I’m liquid smooth, come touch me, too
I’m at my highest peak, I’m ripe
About to fall, capture me”
