Gender, Whiteness, and Power in Rodeo by Patton Tracey Owens;Schedlock Sally M.;

Author:Patton, Tracey Owens;Schedlock, Sally M.; [Patton, Tracey Owens]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lexington Books
Published: 2012-11-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Sex Kitten Cowgirl Knows Money Is in the Mane

Sex, Status, and Salaciousness

How ’bout them cowgirlsBoys ain’t they somthin’Sure are some proud girlsAnd you can’t tell them nothin’And I tell you right now girlsMay just be seven wonders of this big, old round worldBut how ’bout them cowgirlsShe’s a ridin’ colts in Steamboat SpringsBaling hay outside AbileneShe’s trying hardTo fit in some cityBut her home is ’neath that big, blue skyAnd the Northern Plains and those other wide open spacesAnd know a days there aint as manyBoy, she don’t need you and she don’t need meShe can do just fine on her own two feetBut she wants a man who wants her to be herselfAnd she’ll never change, don’t know how to hideHer stubborn will or her fightin’ side . . . But how ’bout them cowgirls.1

Capturing the essence of a cowgirl is a seemingly impossible task. George Strait’s song “How About Them Cowgirls” paints the picture of a woman who is independent, fearless, self-reliant, and, above all else, true to herself. Strait captured the cowgirl as she perceives herself, but the question still on the table is how does the world perceive her? After all, cowgirls are real, but, nevertheless, the voyeuristic gaze and the objectification of her looks reinforce the myth of the cowgirl, rather than the historical reality. Google “cowgirl” and the images that come up are titillating and mostly scandalous, of young women wearing cowboy hats and little else, in suggestive poses, or the popular barely breast-covering tee-shirts that say, “Don’t call me a cowgirl until you’ve seen me ride.” Then contrast the above image and clothing options with the jeans cowgirls wear, called “Cruel Girl” or “Don’t Fence Me In,” made by the company called “Cowgirl Tuff,” which give the cowgirl a feeling of strength, power, and freedom. The company motto for Cruel Girl exemplifies this most clearly:

In 1998, the Cruel Girl® brand was created as a premium western brand that complemented every girl’s favorite features while maintaining a dedication to an active lifestyle. . . . Cruel Girl® denim is known as a high quality, rodeo-performance, fashion-forward brand that meets the athletic demands of any sassy cowgirl. . . . A Cruel Girl® knows who she is, where she came from and is determined to get where she is going. There’s no denying her competitive nature either in the arena or on the battlegrounds of fashion. So arm yourself and join us! Cruel Girls possess an independent spirit and a confidence that can’t be crushed.2

The aforementioned clothing options nonverbally express the dichotomous representations of popularized images of cowgirl culture. These mixed messages show the conflicted and commercialized identity of the cowgirl and cowgirl culture, as, on one hand, what culture is not commodifiable and branded to some extent? But, on the other hand, how much say do individual cultural members have in their ability to name their own experiences and control their own images? So the question arises: are these two cowgirls one and

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