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Riley Barker

Professor Granillo

English 103

24 October, 2019

A Man’s World

Many women have spent their entire lives living in a man’s world. Women have always

been trapped in this male dominated society, also known as patriarchy. Women have internalized

these misogynistic societal roles, meaning they have unconsciously formed a prejudice against

their own selves. This patriarchal propaganda has brought about so many different feminists or

those who advocate for women’s rights. Feminism comes in many different forms, the art of

which is most notably seen is music today. While many American men believe that feminism is

just an excuse for women to “defeat” men, the song “July” by Noah Cyrus, shows a clear need

for feminism in this patriarchal society. The actions spoken of and the language used in “July”

represent the internalized misogyny women endure and the way that the patriarchy views them.

Noah Cyrus tells the battered love story between herself and her former boyfriend in the

song “July.” The story is told from the viewpoint of her still being in a relationship and is trying

to leave. Cyrus sings about a love that is no longer there, however neither person wants to end

the relationship. Cyrus is constantly being put down by her boyfriend, but she stays because she

is afraid of change. Cyrus acknowledges that she is being treated terribly, however her actions

and the languages she uses are still being catered to the man’s best interest.

Cyrus’ actions being catered to the man, resonates with the beliefs of feminist Simone de

Beauvoir. In a patriarchal society, Beauvoir believes, “Men are considered essential subjects
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(independent selves with free will), while women are considered contingent beings (dependent

beings controlled by circumstances)” (Tyson 92). This is evident in the lyrics, “So tell me to

leave, I’ll pack my bags, get on the road.” Cyrus is aware that she is in a very toxic relationship,

however, she will not leave unless the man with power tells her to go. Cyrus, the woman, is

being controlled by the man without even realizing it. Noah Cyrus did an interview with the

company Genius. Genius is a company that interviews musicians singing their songs and then

breaking down the lyrics. In the interview, Cyrus states after singing this lyric that the home they

were living in was actually hers. Cyrus was going to leave not only the relationship, but also her

home if the man told her to do so. Cyrus, like many other women, believes that she is nothing

without a man, that if a man does not want her then she should not have anything. Cyrus has

become marginalized, treated to be insignificant, by the patriarchal man in her life. She

persistently puts herself down in reference to the man that she loves. As “July” progresses, she

continues to view herself as the man’s “other.”

Another belief that Beauvoir holds is that a woman is held to be a man’s other in the

patriarchy. Beauvoir states that, “A woman is not a person in her own right. She is man’s Other:

she is less than a man; she is a kind of alien in a man’s world; she is not a fully developed human

being the way a man is” (Tyson 92). Cyrus expresses this in the lyrics, “Find someone that loves

you better than I do, darling, I know.” Cyrus is seeing herself through the eyes of the patriarchy,

which is less than man. Cyrus explains in the Genius interview that she would give all the love

that she had and it would still never be enough for the man. Cyrus gave every once of love that

she had to this man and he still considered her to be unworthy of him. Even if Cyrus gives her

everything to this man, it will not be enough because the patriarchy have made women to be
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underdeveloped in the eyes of men. Cyrus continues to refer to the man using terms of

endearment, such as darling, yet the man can only tell her that she is not good enough for him.

Cyrus has internalized this idea that if she continues to love this man and give him everything

that she has, that he will eventually love her. Cyrus is attempting the impossible task of

convincing a misogynistic man that she, a woman, is worthy of his love. Cyrus is remaining in

the same situation because she has been taught that she needs a man to ever be worth something.

Cyrus remains in the relationship because the patriarchy has taught her that she is

essentially nothing without a man. In the literary criticism, “The Girl and Simone de Beauvoir’s

the Second Sex: Feminine Becomings” by Mitchell Elspeth, Elspeth states in regards to women

that, “Her urge to freedom is curtailed by the vocation of feminity.” While much of the work is

in reference to a woman’s inability to walk down the street without being seen and that being a

woman is what halts freedom in a patriarchal society, it also fits into the situation that Cyrus had

found herself in with her former boyfriend. Cyrus sings the lyrics, “‘Cause you remind me every

day, I’m not enough, but I still stay.” Cyrus is always being told that she is not enough, but she

stays because as a woman, she has been taught that the worst thing possible for her is to be

without a man. The simple thought of being a manless woman keeps her in an abusive

relationship. This traces back to Beauvoir’s belief of women being seen as the “other.” Cyrus

believes that since she is lesser than men, that it will be better for her to stay in an unhappy

relationship than to be on her own. Cyrus has clearly been abused by the patriarchy through

man’s actions, however much of the language that she uses is just as detrimental.

Much of the language that Cyrus uses throughout the song, embodies the beliefs of other

feminist women as well. The first of which being Helene Cixous and her patriarchal binary
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thought. Patriarchal binary thought is defined as, “seeing the world in terms of polar opposites,

one of which is considered superior to the other” (Tyson 95). One of the examples that is given is

father/mother. These two things are seen as polar opposites, however the inferior of the two is

always placed onto the right side. Thus indicating that the woman is lesser in comparison to the

man. Cyrus does this consistently throughout her song “July.” In almost every lyric that is

referencing both herself and her former boyfriend, she puts herself second to him. Cyrus writes

the lyrics, “You know I, I’m afraid of change.” Cyrus puts the man before herself showing that

she believes herself to be inferior to him. This also shows the love that she has for him, that she

is always putting him before herself. The patriarchy has taught women to always put man before

themselves. It can be viewed in the same way as adjectives are used when describing something.

If one is describing a cat that happens to be large and orange, the correct way to phrase it would

be the large orange cat, rather than stating the orange large cat. It goes the same for language in

reference to men and women. The patriarchy has taught that men come before women, not only

in language but in importance. These internalized thoughts have made their way into the

everyday language that is used, it has become proper grammar to place the man before the

woman. This patriarchal binary language not only makes Cyrus feel inferior, it also entirely

disregards any of her own feelings.

Cyrus disregards her own feelings in place of the man’s feelings. Cyrus sings the lyrics, “

I’ve done a lot of things wrong, loving you being one, but I can’t move on.” Many argue that

Cyrus is only stating that she regrets the relationship and ever loving the man. While this is

partially true, thinking that this is the only meaning behind the lyrics is quite shallow. It is

obvious that Cyrus is stating that she regrets the relationship, however the words also show her
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internalized prejudice that she has against herself, a woman. Cyrus is saying that one of the

mistakes that she has made is that she did not love her man properly, even though she gave

everything that she had, she still was doing it wrong. Cyrus also once again states that she is

unable to move on. Cyrus has an internalized prejudice against herself that is so deep that she

cannot escape an extremely toxic and volatile relationship because of it. Cyrus has consistently

used language that shows the misogynistic values that have been ingrained in her. Cyrus has

been taught to either avoid her own emotions or feel the emotions that she is told to have by a

man.

Cyrus is speaking on behalf of herself, however in many of the situations she stating what

she has been told to say. This act aligns closest with the beliefs of the feminist Luce Irigaray.

Irigaray states that, “Women live in a world in which virtually all meaning has been defined by

patriarchal language. Therefore, though they may not realize it, women don’t speak as active

originators of their own thoughts. Rather, they passively imitate previously spoken ideas” (Tyson

97). When Cyrus sings the lyrics “You know I, I’m afraid of change. Guess that’s why we stay

the same.” She is being told that she is afraid of change. She is told that the reason why they

cannot have a happy relationship is because she is afraid of changing. Women have been taught

that they are the ones that need to change, not the man. If there is ever a problem in the

relationship, that it cannot be the man’s fault, that it must be the fault of the women. Throughout

the song, Cyrus keeps mainly the same tone. However, when singing the line, “I’m afraid of

change,” there is a sudden drop in her tone. When listening, it sounds as if a sudden wave of

sadness has taken control over her, it sounds like she is not singing her own words. Rather she is

singing what she has been brought to believe, but is slowly coming to the realization that it is not
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her fault that the relationship is deteriorating. Throughout the song, Cyrus is either speaking on

feelings that are not truly hers, or she is refraining from showing her true feelings.

The need for Cyrus to begin to express her true feelings, hold closest to Luce Irigaray’s

notion of womenspeak. In the article, “Organizing Love - Thoughts on the Transformative and

Activist Potential of Feminine Writing,” by Sheena Vachhani, Vachhani states in regards to

womenspeak that is a “way of realizing a feminine language that breaks patriarchal language

structures.” One of the key aspects to womenspeak is for women to rise against together and to

share their emotions. Irigaray believes that women have much more complex emotions,

compared to their male counterparts. Cyrus sings the lyrics, “I’ve been holding my breath. I’ve

been counting to ten. Over something you said. I’ve been holding back tears. While you’re

throwing back beers. I’m alone in bed.” Cyrus is trying to process her emotions by herself

because her man does not have these complex emotions in the way that she does. If Cyrus had a

strong support of women, who can all speak about their emotions together, then it would be

much easier for them to get through it. However, she instead has to suppress her true emotions,

in fear of the man. The man only needs to drink and does not have any true emotions that he

needs to face, Cyrus inturn finds herself feeling even more worthless because the man is not even

upset regarding the situation. Cyrus has continued to stay in a very toxic relationship due to the

patriarchal society.

“July” is one of the many examples of the toxicity of patriarchy. Women stay in abusive

relationships because they have been taught that they are not worthy of better. The patriarchy has

engraved in women that they are nothing without a man and that their feelings are irrelevant.

Feminists have begun the daunting task of paving the road towards a better life for all women.
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Work Cited

​Mitchell, ​ ep2017, Vol. 32 Issue 93, p259-275. 17p.

Elspeth. ​Australian Feminist Studies. S

Tyson, Lois. “Feminist Criticism.” ​Critical Theory Today.​ Third Edition. Routledge. 2015, pp.

92-97.

​ ar2015, Vol. 22 Issue 2, p148-162. 15p

Vachhani, Sheena J. ​Gender, Work & Organization. M