Unveiling The Enigmatic Essence Of Lana Del Rey

Assignment Task

Originally born Elizabeth Grant Woolridge, the singer is professionally known in her career as Lana Del Rey. The debut hit from the American singer-songwriter, "Video Games," helped her become known in the music industry. She made the song's music video, which she then posted to YouTube.

As "Sparkle Jump Rope Queen" and "Lizzy Grant and the Phenomena," Lana gave her first appearances in bars and clubs all across the city. The tragic glamour and lifestyle affected by melancholy and vintage-themed romances are hallmarks of the 35-year-old singer's music. Her music is heavily influenced by her understanding of philosophy and literature. After the 2012 release of her album Born To Die, Lana's career took off.

The singer-studio songwriter's albums since Born To Die include Ultraviolence, Honeymoon, Lust For Life, Norman Fucking Rockwell, and Chemtrails Over The Country Club. Additionally, Blue Banisters, her future album, has been announced. Her albums have all found success.

In addition, Lana published a book of poems titled Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass. She also published a spoken word album based on this book. A six-time Grammy nominee, Lana Del Rey. In addition, she has received a Satellite Award, nine GAFFA Awards, two Brit Awards, and two MTV Europe Music Awards.

Lyrics And Representation Of Political Identities Through The Lyrics

Americana and the U.S. Patriarchy

Background

The American Dream: The most inventive marketing ploy ever used on a global scale. a notion that, by promising streets paved with gold and fountains overflowing with honey, enticed hundreds of thousands of people away from their deeply established homes. With the lyrics, "American dreams come true somehow/I promised I'd chase 'em until I was dead/I heard the streets were paved with gold/what That's my father said," Del Rey addresses this assumption in "Radio." Love me because I'm on the radio, baby, and how do you like me now (Del Rey & Parker, 2012, Track 8).

She acknowledges the endless promise of the American Dream for inspiring her as she sings about the popularity she has attained. Knowing this, many of her songs are about American cultural and national symbols, particularly as they relate to the male. These images recur frequently, whether she is draping herself in the American flag, embracing on top of a mustang, billowing in jeans and a crop top, or smoking cigarettes with Hell's Angels. Although the "traditional" American culture and symbols (referred to as Americana from here on) play a significant role in her identity, she is aware that not all women have access to the same privileges. She acknowledges in "Fucked My Way Up to the Top" that people frequently admire her natural beauty more than any other quality. She critiques the foundations of a capitalist society in "National Anthem," while a society ruled by male appetites is criticized in "Money, Power, and Glory." She sings about fighting these ideas in her songs.

One explanation is provided in Vigier's essay: "She is representing and speaking to a contradiction facing thousands of young women today, women who have followed mainstream society's rules for success in what has been dubbed a post-feminist world, but who find that real liberation and genuine satisfaction elude them." The song, according to Vigier, makes it apparent that for women who live in a capitalist society, happiness is impossible—it cannot be achieved by fame, wealth, or even love. Del Rey discussed her appreciation of American icons in a previous NPR interview:

All the good stuff, including myself, isn't real. Your reality is whatever you decide it to be. It doesn't matter which version of yourself emerged first because you can be everything at once. You may be the president's wife in "National Anthem" and his mistress in "Tropico," a stripper in "Tropico," and Eve in "Tropico." It isn't about me or my profession. My professional life is a reflection of journalism today. My internal process or my personal life are unrelated to my public persona or work. Actually, it's merely a reflection on where writers are in their creative processes. has nothing to do with me at all (Schlanger, 2018).

Del Rey is actually occupying two eras at once, despite the fact that her musical allusions, lavish visuals, and willingness to occasionally play the subordinate in love make it seem like she's living in the past. She is looking to the future while trying to highlight the past. This particular statement serves as the centerpiece of her ongoing criticism on modern power, riches, and America(Walters, 2014). Money is the anthem of success.”

According to Barthes (1972), the meanings of a dominating group—in this example, the male group—become accepted by society. He refers to the prevalent rhetoric, which reflects the dominant group, as "a second-order semiological system" and a "rhetoric of common sense." According to Marx, this ideology thrives below the level of consciousness and imposes systems that individuals aren't even aware of. This "normal" common sense subsequently becomes invisible since it is taken for granted, according to Hall (1977). These "common sense" objectives, according to Del Rey, are centered on the American-capitalist system for men.

Money is the anthem of success, so what's your address before you go out?, she sings in the song "National Anthem." (Del Rey, Nexus, & Parker, 2012, Track 6). The zip code phenomenology, according to which a person's value is based on where they reside and how much money they have, is criticized in this. Men place such significance on such trivial things because they decide where and when to spend money, even though women "manage the purse strings". Although he "speak much about God" and true "freedom comes from [His] call," she says in "Money, Power, and Glory" that she wants to take the man "for all that he got" since she cannot indulge in God because she is only trying to survive; "That's not what this bitch wants. Not at all what she desires because her true values are "money, power, and glory" (Del Rey & Kurstin, 2014, Track 8).

In the music video for "National Anthem," Lana Del Rey impersonates Jackie Kennedy in a presidential pair in which JFK is replaced by a black president before mimicking Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" in the song. In a replica of the ideal family, Lana is paired with A$AP Rocky. The couple's mixed-race children play on the White House lawn, and it appears that a multicultural society is a top priority. However, this video demonstrates the gap between the discourse of the mainstream media and how individuals actually conduct their daily lives (Vigier, 2012).

“Be young, be dope, be proud – Like an American.”

Over the course of her career, Del Rey has connected with a lot of women thanks to her use of Americana and feminist philosophy. She gives the impression that this culture, despite being oppressive, has a carefree attitude toward it. Despite the fact that it is clearly not in their advantage, women can nevertheless find some peace in it. She uses a lot of carefree young people living the American Dream in the imagery for many of her songs and music videos. Del Rey's willingness to cover herself in the American Flag and declare a belief in "the way America used to be" best captures the paradoxes in her work: the constant pursuit of achievement, a crucial component of the American Dream. On the other hand, she contends that most people—especially women—can strive and still fall short of their goals.

The "Lucky Ones" are those who succeed in realizing the American Dream. Could it be that you and I are the fortunate ones, she wonders, or does she deserve to be at "the top" right now? Does luck play a role in the American economic system, and is there such a thing as hard work? She is attempting to establish an idea of authenticity with this. This American Dream is one continuous cycle where realities are frequently not sought after, where social license, sexual adventure, alcohol, and drugs establish communal musical events as a vital and enjoyable aspect of existence (Stokes, 1997). Americans are "young and dope," "play house," and "drive fast," yet they never see the systems at work in their daily lives (Del Rey & Nowels, 2012, Track 15). She is attempting to explain these systems.

She assumes that such systems were created by men. The title of "God Bless America - And All of the Beautiful Women In It" carries weight. Lana's interpretation of the idea inverts that notion: "God Bless America" in this context is a sincere plea to an unknown divinity who might have mercy on a state that is becoming more unfriendly and unstable as well as the women who live there. The album's next song, "When The World Was At War We Just Kept Dancing," foreshadows the themes of this song by being filled with angst and confusion rather than patriotism. But she begs in her song, "Take me as I am, Baby, take me in stride. You are my only hope for tonight. Inversion of the lyric by Lana could be interpreted as a call to action for the listener to actively protect and fight for women's and human rights rather than merely passively listening to the song's message of optimism and liberation for women in America.

She debates whether this existence is righteous and fair for everyone because the United States is the Land of the Free during the course of these distinctly American songs. She repeatedly asks this question in the song "Is This Happiness." She believes that men are "fucking wild all day, heart to heart, man to man." Although I adore you, you make me so angry. Good luck to you on that star (Del Rey and Nowels, 2014, Track 15). She shares the sentiments expressed by O'Flynn (2007) because both national identity and music are undergoing change. Although it is common to think that national identity, a natural way for a state to function, is "fixed," in actuality, it actually consists of a number of identifications that come from a variety of social settings and subject positions.

In the music video for "National Anthem" by Lana Del Rey, John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie Kennedy are portrayed as an interracial marriage, giving a contemporary spin on the Kennedy family's history. African-American rapper A$AP Rocky portrays the character of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, while actress Lana Del Rey plays First Lady Jackie Kennedy (Makarechi par. 1). However, this representation of the Kennedys is controversial because interracial marriage was illegal under American law until 1967 and was only made legal after Kennedy's death. As a result, according to author Marcel Salas, the Kennedys' multiracial interpretation "poses the ultimate threat to the institution of racism itself... [especially] [in] a nation premised on a racist, anti-black super structure," as it diminishes the severe color line between black and white America (Salas par. 16). A social constructivist perspective on race as a social construct is adopted in such critical reading (Spickard 18). In light of this, author Paul R. Spickard expands on the idea of race as a concept that may be used to categorize and label individuals into a wider group of people (19). According to him, "[such] racial disparities are a vital weapon of supremacy from the point of view of the dominating group... [as] [they] serve to separate the subordinate people as Other" (19). Further stating that "[the] origins of racial distinctions are to be found in culture and social systems, not in biology," Paul R. Spickard comes to the following conclusion (18). Therefore, the evident racial hierarchy of the past is destroyed by Lana Del Rey's portrayal of the Kennedys as an interracial couple and welcomes racial equality. In fact, according to Marcel Salas, interracial unions in the United States "are becoming more of the rule than the exception," and "'National Anthem' [is] reflecting the overall trend in the United States of an increase in interracial marriages" (Salas par. 22). In order to accept racial diversity, the producer of Lana Del Rey's "National Anthem" music video is attempting to challenge the rigid binary race thinking.

As a result, the children of Jackie and John F. Kennedy are portrayed as being multiracial and embodying the idea of "mestiza consciousness" (Anzalda 99). The children's multiracial portrayal further deconstructs the idea of race as a binary, obscuring the color line in America. The children "break down the subject-object duality" and embrace a new awareness, the so-called mestiza consciousness, instead of being forced to choose between two cultures (Anzaldúa 102 - 103). According to (Anzaldúa 102 - 103), this "mestiza [consciousness] is [therefore] a consequence of crossbreeding... and [symbolizes] a stride towards emancipation from cultural control." This new consciousness not only mixes elements from several cultures, but also brings a new element into play. Consequently, this "third element" is "a new consciousness... [that] derives from [a] perpetual creative motion," which cultivates "a tolerance for ambiguity" and aims to deconstruct racial binary (Anzalda 101–102). In order to encourage racial diversity, the music video's creator plays with the idea of race as an abstract term by portraying the Kennedy children as multiracial. However, it is also proof of post-racialism that there is a rise in acceptance of multiracialism. The music video illustrates that the United States has moved into a period of post-racialism by portraying John F. Kennedy as a contemporary black president, which strongly shows that race is a social construct. Critics contend that John F. Kennedy's portrayal as black is owing to his steadfast support for the African-American community and his forward-thinking civil rights programs during the 1960s; yet, the producer chose to portray Kennedy as black rather than white. Similar debates are also taking place over multiracial U.S. President Barack Obama, who is frequently attacked for being too white. This does in fact imply that race must be a less fixed or stable theoretical abstraction. If race was fundamentally set, then how could the music video's creator identify John F. Kennedy as African-American or how can critics accuse Barack Obama of being too white? Such discourse indicates both a change in binary racial thinking and the idea of racial flexibility.

Kia Makarechi complains that "[t]here are references to a handsome and wealthy man, but not much else," which has led some music video critics to assert that the song and its interpretation have more to do with class than race (Makarechi par. 6). However, given that "race demographies of the socioeconomic groups in [U.S.] society" largely overlap, this is not surprising. The lines "Money is the anthem of success" do indeed imply materialism (Apollon 11). The fact that Kennedy is depicted as black, however, emphasizes the racial transition in contemporary American society because "race is not like class that can neither happen or made to be unhappen" (Michaels 125). The music video ends with Kennedy being assassinated. The reason for this, according to Lana Del Rey, is that "Kennedy was like a hybrid, this mix of a man who couldn't contain himself" ("National Anthem"). Since Kenney's ethnicity and lifestyle were not considered acceptable by society, author Marcia Dawkins suggests that "the president's killing [is] owing to the difficult [position] in which society [puts] him" (par. 5). His assassination, however, neither signals the end of racism nor its revival. The truth remains that her music video uses race to show that race is still a contentious issue in modern American society rather than as a "essential tool of dominance," as Paul R. Spickard writes. As a result, and as a result of Kennedy being depicted as African-American, the music video frequently carries the term controversial. The Kennedy framework, however, is utilized to "create this new Camelot, this racially varied Camelot, this perhaps socially diverse Camelot... bringing it into the present period, but yet preserving that classic framework," music video director Anthony Mandler stressed in an interview (qtd. in Montgomery par. 6). Although "National Anthem" by Lana Del Rey doesn't fundamentally end racism in the United States at a structural level it does make a statement. is proof of the current fascination with multiculturalism, multiracialism, and other related concepts (Dawkins par. 6). In the end, Marcel Salas claims that "changing times" may be seen in "the reception of Del Rey and Rocky's digital marriage" (Salas par. 20).

Lyrics And Representation Of Cultural Identities Through The Lyrics

Understanding Lana Del Rey as a feminist existensialist

Through memes, idols, and pop music, outh has built a subculture to define a generation while providing a means of communication. Western culture, in particular, has impacted and originated pop music (er). The majority of songs we listen to today on our phones, ipods, and radios are in English or a mix of English, Korean, Japanese, and Indonesian. We are celebrating the idol who had blonde hair coloured with Eastern and Western elements.

Only women define themselves according to their gender. Every time she is introduced to new people or environments, everyone must recognize her as a "woman" rather than a male who is capable of withstanding being a man. Women are now permitted to participate in the economy, politics, and social life of men, but men still built the world. Women are frequently asked if they are "woman." When women entered politics, they had to change who they were and how they behaved to fit into the world of males. If a woman was assassinated, journalists would report that she was a beautiful woman who had been murdered. Because women aren't allowed to be in politics, when a woman is implicated in a corruption case, her innocence will be tarnished. Women are restricted by sex norms like virginity and sacredness to prevent them from becoming "woman."

Even a woman is an idea of second sex that was created by a man through biology, myth, and historical materialism. Rather than seeing a woman for the biological roles of mother and wife that she is, people tend to view her as a reproductive machine.

Through memes, idols, and pop music, youth have formed a subculture to differentiate a generation while also providing a means of communication. Western culture, in particular, has impacted and originated pop music (er). The majority of songs we listen to today on our phones, ipods, and radios are in English or a mix of English, Korean, Japanese, and Indonesian. We are celebrating the idol who had blonde hair coloured with Eastern and Western influences.

Women live dispersed among the men, connected by place of residence, location, socioeconomic status, and social standing. Women will never be in the minority since they are a diverse population. Never will the relationship between a woman and a man be comparable to that of a borguise and the proletariat, or a master and slaves. If the master and the slaves come to share a common consciousness because their needs are dependent upon the master, then emancipating one group may result in equality. Men, however, cannot be ignored when it comes to liberating women because some women view men as The Other.

Only women define themselves according to their gender. Every time she is introduced to new people or environments, everyone must recognize her as a "woman" rather than a male who is capable of withstanding being a man. Women are now permitted to take part in the economy, politics, and social life of men, but men still built the world. Women are frequently asked if they are "woman." When women entered politics, they had to change who they were and how they behaved to fit into the world of males. If a woman was assassinated, journalists would report that she was a beautiful woman who had been murdered. Because women aren't allowed to be in politics, when a woman is implicated in a corruption case, her innocence will be tarnished. Women are restricted by sex norms like virginity and sacredness to prevent them from becoming "woman."

Even a woman is an idea of second sex that was created by a man through biology, myth, and historical materialism. Rather than seeing a woman for the biological roles of mother and wife that she is, people tend to view her as a reproductive machine.

Elizabeth Woolricht Grant goes by the name Lana Del Rey as a stage name. Lana's songs are darker and more melancholy, celebrating feminity, dependence on a man, mentioning a woman's position in the state and nationalism, but criticizing moralist. This contrasts with other female singers in western pop culture who use the third wave of feminism and the theme of "empowering woman" in their songs.

The album by Lana Del Rey as well as a number of singles, including as the Big Eyes and Maleficent soundtracks, Serial Killer, Queen of Disaster, and her leaked EP, No Kung Fu and Sirens. Her second album, Born To Die, contains songs about suicide and falling in love with a handsome boy. This album is my favorite because it also includes a song about wanting an older man. The majority of the songs on Lana Del Rey, a.k.a. Lizzy Grant's first album, were developed from her demo for the Kill Kill and No Kungfu EP.

The third album by Lana, Ultraviolence, which most of my friends rated as her best, has a darker topic and gloomier atmosphere throughout. This is perhaps where she created her greatest work. The fourth album, Honeymoon, which the critics claimed focused more on architectural style and criticized moralists as well as the way religion tells a story about a woman and her dependence on a man, came next. The final album, Lust for Life, was the first time Lana had a duet with another singer, including The Weeknd, Stevie Nicks, and others.

Her songs celebrate herself as a woman and question the very nature of femininity when it comes to romantic relationships. They also express her dependence on men and her vulnerabilities as a woman.

Women are solely recognized as a sex in this world that was built by men, from religion to the music industry. Her being is merely represented by the flesh on her legs, breasts, and features. She is here because of the necessity of man; her function is located in her womb. Every researcher, filsuf, and priest in this world of males creates a woman as a notion to establish himself as the essential. Accepting The Other as his definition of himself helped him discover his consciousness. Simone De Beavoir used the example of a native who views other cultures as neighbors while maintaining his identity as the central character, The One.

Women are never treated like humans. She acts as a sex symbol by using her face or body. Women are compelled to be attractive in order to satisfy men's demand for beauty since they are shaped by the image of a man. This is what Lana Del Rey mentions in her songs:

A man world require woman to be pretty. No less, yet that pretty face will again categorized into manic pixie dream girl or female fatale. A biological fact that man’s chhose to legitimate the idealisation of woman that they are the passive, a natural being and care being. This romanticism strengthed by philosophy and a history that put woman, again, aside.

She uses the word "pussy" at the song's opening. Opening WITH A SONG. Additionally, the cherry is a symbol of fragile femininity. She helps me understand what it is to be a woman. Your body's vagina, your mythical virginity, and the taste of older males (power). Because being a feminist involves thinking about what it means to be a woman and how to break all the myths and sexualities that have oppressed you as well as empowering yourself. You should practice thinking before acting and recognize that you are in danger of developing into a human being, not the idealized image of a woman in a man's mind.

Lana also made note of the vulnerability that comes with being a woman. Lana frequently talks about how being a woman makes you dependent on a man. Particularly wealthy, powerful and famous men. because only a man, who is The One, can do all, while a woman just acts as a complementing receiver. However, because she is a woman, she still creates dependency on (older) men who already have their power and wealth. Deep inside, however, the woman also desired the independence that can only be attained via power.

Religion, which was developed by men to determine their power, is utilized to claim women as the object of their desire for sex. A woman is only starting to infiltrate a man's world as a result of the feminism wave. Wand how are they getting in here? Why is Megawati eligible to run for president and become Indonesia's first female leader? Why is Hillary Clinton eligible to run for president if her father is President Soekarno? due of her marriage to Bill Clinton. Why might it be said that I am a researcher? since my partner is a researcher who studies Indonesia. Unfortunately, but true, a woman requires a guy or spouse to obtain privileges. This is also sung by Lana in her songs.

Woman as and Idea in Lana Del Rey

Since Lana's songs have themes that are very different from those of other pop singers, she is an existentialist feminist. Her songs, which are featured in the magnum opus Born To Die albums, celebrate and inquire about what it means to be a woman. What causes a person to develop into a woman, and why can't a woman be independent and not be dependent on her male boss? Why women are attracted to a particular notion.

Simone de Beavoir's book The Second Sex, which studied how women are concepts manufactured by men's minds, has altered feminism. We taught women how to be every day. To carry out, prevent, or wear this. The majority of women are content with who they are even though they are aware of the threat of becoming women. According to that, feminism is something that makes you a liberated human being rather than something that makes you happy. There is no such thing as progress in the struggle of women; life itself is a struggle, and establishing a standard to measure the success of women's movements has the unintended consequence of idealizing woman(ness) in and of herself.

Songs by Lana Del Rey only discuss about "beautiful people with beautiful problems" and lives as middle-class white women in first-world countries (also songs by Lana Del Rey in her fifth album). a relationship between you and the man you love. Identify yourself as a person.

What is makes you woman? a man, a opposite sex. A love that you have to the oppressor, an oppressor idea of you. As long as women never try to reveal their body trough biology, history, and technology the long woman still become a woman, not a human being.

Love and Moralist

Things that makes me Lana Del Rey the most beside her glooomy songs and feminity is how she hates moralist. Women are determined by religion and new teachings about the myth and human creation. Myths have religious roots as well. to understand the difference between good and evil and how women's bodies and sex reflect hell, lust, and the negative. Here is how mysoginists first came to be while we sought to believe in myths and how those myths helped to shape what it meant to be a woman. Eve should not be viewed as an improved version of the human creature because she was created to complete Adam's life. Additionally, her body and menstrual period

They shaped a myth about what it takes to be a good girl, an angel, or a woman. maintaining your virginity while being bound to a vulnerability by your body. Because there are only two types of women accepted in this world - whores or angels and because you cannot be both like a human - society pushes you and judges you. Woman must be willing to accept herself as a human who does both good and bad things in this world in order to become a human being and not an angel or bitch.

The relation beetwen women and men are much complicated than a relation between master-slaves or patron-client because they know they will find each other dependency and the object dependent to the subject which has power more than the other. But the relation between women and men are more complicated than the depedency .

Lana Del Rey’s Use Of Delusional Love And Religious Delinquency: A Response To The Oppressive American Christian Patriarchy

Oh, my heart it breaks every step I take, but I'm hoping at the gates they'll tell me that you're mine. Feet don't fail me now. Take me to your finish line (Del Rey & Parker, 2012, Track 1). Three central themes of Lana Del Rey's identity are expressed in the chart-topping 2012 single "Born to Die," the first track from her debut album. These themes include irrational love, using drugs, sex, and violence as her own religion, as well as the male companion's tyrannical yet alluring personality. She is notable due to the lyrical and melodic quality of her songs as well as the size of her audience, which has increased dramatically in recent years. Thanks to her popularity, which illustrates the amazing courage with which she conquered "the shadows of her male rivals," she is a contender for one of the most significant Indie pop performers of her generation (Kornhaber, 2012, p. 10). When it was initially released, her debut album, Born to Die, debuted in the secondary spot on Billboard before earning a platinum certification two weeks later (U.S. Sales Database - RIAA, 2013). Del Rey is one of only three female artists in Billboard history to have albums that have topped the Billboard 200 charts for more than 300 weeks in addition to receiving the first credit on each of her songs ("Lana del Rey," 2018).

Description of the topic

Lev Vygotsky – the post-revolutionary Soviet psychologist and founder for what we now call social constructivism – argued that all cognitive functions originate in, and must therefore be explained as products of, social interactions; learning did not simply comprise the assimilation and accommodation of new knowledge by learners; it is the process by which learners were integrated into a knowledge community ("Social Constructivism", 2000). Lana Del Rey is socially constructed. She is a persona; a symbol represented by a living human being. She was conceived and assembled over the course of a privileged 22 years and now works to epitomize the burdens that women in the United States face on a daily basis. The “domesticated worker” and “housewife,” responsible for smiling proudly at their husband’s side and taking care of the children, is exactly who Lana Del Rey seems to portray from an outsider’s perspective. However, who she is and the message she personifies, is quite the opposite…even if it may not originally seem that way.

Elizabeth Grant, Lana Del Rey’s given name, grew up in a small-town in upstate New York called Lake Placid (Fetveit, 2015). She had two parents who worked ordinary jobs, her father an engineer and her mother in advertising, making sure that she and her younger siblings had all they ever needed. As devout Catholics, the Grant’s prayed regularly and sent their children to Catholic school for the entirety of their education (Heaf, 2012). In interviews, Del Rey often references the role of God and His effect of religion in the maintenance and reinforcement of “the way things should be” (Jonze, 2014, p.10). In the same songs about liberation, she sings of loneliness and an irreplaceable desire for a man’s love. She uses this to express a commonly-held stereotype of women in America – that all women need in their individual lives is a man. Del Rey pushed the limits of her self-created reality with lyrics about seduction, drugs, sex, and violence which have continually jeopardized her fleeting states of love and lust. “The persona she’s developed over the last decade has been defined by sad, nihilistic songs that revolve in one way or another around death, bad boyfriends, and Americana—sometimes all three at once” (Aronoff, 2017, p. 2).

However, as she got older and began exploring illicit substances and sex, she became critical of her mother’s identity as the prescribed ‘American woman’.” Del Rey saw her as a working woman but still “not free.” This is when her ironic-feminism was born; the belief that women are trying too hard to separate themselves from the man and not focusing on an innate independence. “Lana has experienced that being in relationships and falling in love is what makes herself, and the people she loves, happy. She is, however, critical of the man’s use of the woman in their own lives. This is what she is fighting against and why her lyrics are almost extreme.” (Heaf, 2012, p. 20). Del Rey is not the classic champion of the feminist movement. At first glance, she seems to argue that female submissiveness and self-destruction is natural and desirable. She acknowledges, in literally every song over the course of her four albums, that her purpose in life is to find the love of a man and if she cannot, then she will die. “It’s you, it’s you/It’s all for you/ Everything I do/I tell you all the time/Heaven is a place on earth with you/Tell me all the things you want to do” (Del Rey & Parker, 2012, Track 4) she croons in “Video Games.”

However, once the listener begins to analyze her lyrics they begin to see that this performance identity is simply a way to attract attention so she may maximize the reach of her message. Lana del Rey practically begs people to critique her. She knows that is the only way in which she can explore the true meaning of feminism. Her intimate lyrics include: seeing herself as a seductress so she can get what she wants when the man leaves her or ignores her, escaping reality to find her own identity through the means of sex, drugs, and violence, and using God as the ultimate male figure who patronizes her, yet also forces her to continue pushing forward. The polarizing debate around Lana del Rey today is not about her performances, nor her political thoughts, but her unique outlook regarding the feminist perspective and subsequent use of religion and men to enforce that.

Description of Theory

Social constructivism should be used to analyze the lyrics of Lana Del Rey, specifically the lyrics about gender and identity (delusional love), national identity (Americana), and religion and identity (religious delinquency). It will be argued through an analysis of her songs that her created persona is less of an accurate representation of herself in her songs – given her safe and comfortable childhood as well as the enormous wealth and status she maintains – but a vessel in response to contradictions facing women today. The epitome of a woman who lacks financial security, freedom, attention, and support is Lana Del Rey. She contends that fighting the oppressive male patriarchy, which is the root of a woman's position in society, and "combating the force of God" through God are sufficient means of achieving true fulfilment and self-liberation. Lana's most extreme tool for igniting a revolutionary transformation is delusional love, the kind of feminism that many of her critics see as detrimental to the social advancement of the modern woman. Are you in touch with all of your deepest fantasies? Have you made a life for yourself where you can experience them? I have. I'm fucking crazy, but at least I'm free, she asks in "Ride's" monologue (Del Rey & and Parker, 2012, Track 1 – Disc 2). With the lyrics "I've been out on that open road/You may be my full-time daddy, white and gold," the monologue stops and the music begins.

Lana is giving herself to a male figure in "Ride" and numerous other songs, but she ultimately declares that the man is a figure that cannot dominate her because she has already discovered personal independence. Despite how oppressive her position may appear to be, she has discovered who she is and is now searching for a partner with whom she can continue to live her life as she pleases. It is clear that her critics may be right if the audience interprets her songs literally or out of context: "To witness a woman recast herself as an old-fashioned male fantasy and to appear embrace submissiveness. This disproves the idea that women can be strong without using a man's influence (Vigier, 2014, p. 4).

Religion and identity are the second theme. When anti-religious behaviors like drug use, sexual assault, and violence are combined with religious symbols, motifs, and teachings that have already been assigned in the superstructure, this behavior is referred to as "religious delinquency." Del Rey's songs do this by locating these ideas within the original religious framework. She sings, for instance, "In the country of gods and monsters/I was an angel living in the garden of evil/Screwed up, sacred, doing anything that I required" in the song "Gods and Monsters" (Del Rey & Larcombe, 2012, Track 6 – Disc 2). She presents herself as an angel by singing this, yet the Garden of Eden generates a negative mood that is utterly at odds with Christian doctrine instead of the Garden of Eden being good. Additionally, even if good Christians, especially angels, are fully selfless, "doing anything needed" suggests taking advantage of a circumstance.

The oppression of the feminine identity is finally explained using national cultural identity, or Americana, which refers to the materialistic and perceived foundation of American society. Adorno (1941) drew attention to the ways in which corporate interests defined and controlled the creation of music and other popular arts, giving people of all classes, genders, and races distinct identities. Max Horkheimer, a colleague of his, proposed in 1944 that culture took over religion's function of fostering social cohesiveness. Lana reveals the oppression of female identity in the workplace, social contexts, careers, and in America as a whole in each of her songs while criticizing the core tenets of American culture. According to Catherine Vigier (2012), this concept is as follows:

Further considerations are raised regarding the influence corporate media has over cultural products and conventions, as well as the options available to young women, including whether to use their sexual assets for career advancement or to defy these pressures and run the risk of going unnoticed. Young women attempting to find employment or develop careers in other areas also experience these pressures. At a time when both men and women demand relief from the intense competitiveness of the marketplace, personal connections are also pressured and strained, and fulfilling relationships are challenging to maintain (p. 1). This national identity, according to Del Rey, was created by men and for men. The position of the woman in American society began low, but through a variety of strategies—including seducing the male to do her bidding, finding ways to take advantage of the male in everyday situations, acting submissive in order to then emerge "on top," and using inherent female advantage—the woman will find herself on par with the male.

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