Ryan Morris

Monday 3:35-4:25
Veronica Guimaraes
November 17, 2014
Little Richards and Aretha Franklins Impact on Gender Role Stereotypes during
the 1950s and the 1960s
During the time of the 1950s and the 1960s, Little Richard and Aretha
Franklin were surrounded by sexism in society; both of these artists chose to
push the gender norms. Little Richard was known for his ambiguous or translike sexuality while Aretha Franklin was a dedicated advocate for gender
equality and female empowerment. While these issues influenced both Little
Richard and Aretha Franklin, these artists were also able to use their fame to
leave an impact on the issues in return.
During Little Richards time, the 1950s, there was little room in society for
any type of man, other than a straight, masculine one. During this time, men
were still viewed as the head of the household: strong, courageous and
protective. There were popular action figures such as GI Joe, the image of the
war hero, portraying all men to be this way. This shows that even in early
childhood, all boys were expected to act a certain way to portray this image.
Also, gay, lesbian, and trans organizations were just beginning to form in the
early 1950s; any sort of gay pride movements did not really begin until the
1960s. (Bonnie Morris). This led to boys, such as Little Richard, growing up in a
very confused judgmental environment; he knew that there was something
different about him and this caused a confusing personal struggle. Little Richard
grew up feeling more feminine than the other normal boys, and he said, the
kids would call me faggot, sissy, freak punk. They called me everything. (David

Kirby). Little Richard began singing in a Pentecostal church as a young boy,

which had a strong influence on his RocknRoll style; the gospel music helped
him learn to express himself in anyway he wanted, regardless of his sexual
orientation. (Brackett, 104). Charles White writes,
Richards visual appearance added to the sense of his outrageousness: with his
large pompadour, liberal use of makeup, and gaudy clothing, he raised the
spectre of cross-dressing and ambiguous sexuality at a time when such issues
were strictly taboo. (Brackett 104).
Clearly, Little Richards flamboyant nature made it hard for him to gain
recognition be taken seriously in the music industry, however but RocknRolls
new promiscuous attitude made it easier for him. His first song to hit the charts
was Tutti-Frutti; this song definitely pushed the male gender norms with its
many falsetto whoops and his shouting style. He also again pushed the
boundaries when he performed the song on the piano while standing and
gyrating. (Starr, 260). Little Richards ambiguous sexual identity also helped to
even influence future performers, such as David Bowie, Elton John, and Prince.
(Starr, 261). Clearly, Little Richard had a huge impact on the male gender norms
with his effeminate personality, portrayed in his songs and live performances
because he refused to give in to the pressure that society placed on him to act
in a traditionally masculine way.
Much in the same way that Little Richard was leading the way for men
who did not conform to societys standards, Aretha Franklin began to have a
large impact on women gender roles in the 1960s. Aretha Franklin or the
Queen of Soul became one of the first women to fight for female power and
equality through her music. First off One example of this can be seen during
the time between the 1960s, and 1980s. Second-wave feminism was occurring

due to the fact women still were viewed as inferior to men in many ways.
Women were portrayed in mainstream culture as stay-at-home mothers, and
they were highly discriminated against in any career field because their career
was supposed to be in the home. They also were judged mainly on looks, not
their intelligence. (Martha Rampton). This occurring occurrence provided a basis
for Arethas work. ArethasHer background can help explain why she poured so
much of her soul and ideals into her music. She, like Little Richard, grew up
surrounded by gospel music: her father was a reverend, singing in the choir at
his church. This taught her to sing with unrivaled power and emotion, and this
vocal style can clearly be heard in her song Respect. The song undoubtedly
portrayed Aretha as being a woman with much authority and strength. In one
part of the song she sings, When you come home/Or you might walk in/And
find out Im gone/I got to have/A little respect (46-50). Clearly, there are no
excuses for being disrespectful; if she is treated wrong, she will be gone. This
song is a prime example of her advocating for promotion of equal rights
between men and women and how her music embraced political and social
issues. (Brackett, 335) (I changed the location of this sentence.).

This It

exemplifies the dominance and authority Aretha portrayed in her music. Due to
the success of Respect and other songs with a similar message, Aretha was
the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, clearly
signifying symbolic of her impact on women female empowerment.
The mindset that Aretha had around regarding writing and performing her
music helped lead her to her widespread popularity, especially among women.
In his article, Aretha FranklinSister Soul: Eclipsed Singer Gains New Heights,

Phyl Garland mentions how Arethras soul was pure; she was not pretentious
at all. He writes one of her quotes in which she said quotes her saying,
Everybody whos living has problems and desires just as I doWhen the fellow
on the corner has somethin boetherin him, he feels the same way I dowhen
we laugh, we all have to smile. (Brackett, 198). Her ability to relate to
everyones problems and desires allowed people to connect with her music at
on a very personal and emotional level. This ability to connect with her
audience gave both herself her and her audience a feeling of power to make
changes to traditional gender roles for women during her that time.
It is evident that Both Little Richard and Aretha Franklin had a lot of
influence on the musical, political, and social societies aspects of society during
the 50s and 60s. Their successes can undoubtedly be seen demonstrated by
how popular they their music and the messages of that music continue to be
today. This success and popularity of their music signifies their success in
making positive changes to gender role boundaries during their times. Their
lasting fame signifies the impact that they have had on society not only because
of the creation of popular songs but because of their influence on gender roles
and stereotypes.

Works Cited
Arethra Franklin Lyrics-Respect. (2014, January 1). Retrieved November 10,
2014, from http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/arethafranklin/respect.html
Garland, Phyl. Aretha FranklinSister Soul: Eclipsed Singer Gains New
Heights. Ebony Magazine, 1967. Reprinted in The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader:
Histories and Debates, 3rd Edition, edited by David Brackett, 195-199. New York
and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
Kirby, D. (2009, January 1). Little Richard. Retrieved December 5, 2014, from
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Morris, B. (2014, January 1). History of Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Social
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Rampton, M. (2008, January 1). The Three Waves of Feminism. Retrieved
November 10, 2014, from http://www.pacificu.edu/about-us/news-events/threewaves-feminism
Star, Larry, and Christopher Waterman. Blowin in the Wind. In American
Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MP3, 4th Edition, 334-336. New York and
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Star, Larry, and Christopher Waterman. Rock Around the Clock. In American
Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MP3, 4th Edition, 259-261. New York and
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White, Charles. from The Life and Times of Little Richard. The Life and Times of
Little Richard, 1985. Reprinted in The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader: Histories and
Debates, 3rd Edition, edited by David Brackett, 104-110. New York and Oxford:
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