Medusa Triumphant: A Study of Ashlee Simpson's Autobiography

When Helen Cixious wrote "Laugh of the Medusa," I'm quite certain she didn't anticipate followers such as Ashlee Simpson but on October 24, 2004, Simpson proved to the world that she had indeed kept up with her readings of feminist theorists. On that fateful Saturday Night Live episode, the MTV darling was stumped when her voice was heard throughout the studio but *gasp* she herself was not singing.

Of course, as soon as the incident occurred theories were being thrown around concerning Simpson. Could she sing? Does she really have acid reflux? I would like to propose that all of these theories introduced so far are actually false and instead suggest that Ashlee Simpson herself, as well as her albums, are her own reworking of Cixious' suggestion that women must reclaim the female body by using that which has been used against them for so long.

Many believed that the SNL incident was proof that Simpson could not sing but this is largely incorrect. In a desire to awaken the Western psyche to Cixious' writing, Simpson began a recording career using digitalized systems, air brushing techniques and a ironic MTV slot to create the embodiment of a 21st century female pop star. Ashlee Simpson's view of female pop stars was so dire, so disgusting in her eyes, that she clearly decided to create the shell of a MTV woman and release it to the world.

The SNL spoof was not so nearly isolated as many believe though. Simpson had been preparing the public for it in the lyrics to her songs on Autobiography. The ironic album title implies that she will reveal herself in depth through the songs but actually never scratches below, "Got stains on my t-shirt and I'm the biggest flirt," on the title track. By lacking any kind of real depth, the album title points to the pop industry's tendency to produce seemingly genuine artists when, in actuality, it's about as fulfilling as a Stephen King novel.

Further investigation of Autobiography allows the listener to experience Simpson at her best. The chorus of "La La," one of her largest MTV hits, reveals a woman angered with the sexual stereotypes to which she is asked to conform:

You make me wanna la la, in the kitchen on the floor
I'll be a French maid where I'll meet you at the door,
I'm like an alleycat, drink the milk up, I want more,
You make me wanna, you make me wanna scream.

By suggesting that she be a french maid, or an alleycat to her (presumably) male lover, Simpson is taking control of these sexual expectations, no longer allowing men to determine who (or what) the woman should be but instead deciding for herself. Not only does this song have a substantial message but its combined with a killer melody in order to lure in all women, in hopes of teaching them who they can be.

"La La," may be Simpson's time to have fun and let loose with her 1970's feminist credo but she gets serious on the bonus tracks of Autobiography. "I threw away the phone, I thought that you should know," she practically whispers in "Sorry," letting the men in her life know that she won't be a slave to stereotypes of women any longer. Women talk on the phone all day? Not Ashlee Simpson. Simpson goes on to admit she would "throw away [her] home if she had somewhere to go," expressing her immense despair and sense of imprisonment within domesticity.

She seems to plead with the men in her life, asking "Why should I be sorry...all my life I've been sorry for something, sorry gets you nothing and nothing's such a waste. All this time I've been saying I'm sorry but why should I be sorry for all your mistakes." Simpson does not see men as fellow victims of patriarchy but rather, wishes to emerge as a new Lady Lazarus, hungry for the heads of men everywhere.

Her lack of sympathy sees the tables turn near the end of the album. Though she laments her place in life in "Sorry," she points out that it's now the man's turn to suffer, the man's turn to

know what it feels like to bite your tongue.
Now you'll know what it feels like to be the one
who walks around with knots in your stomach
I've been there, and I've done it
And now you'll know what it feels like
To always be afraid
of everything you wanted to say
Who's sorry now
Who's sorry now
Who's sorry now.

Simpson clearly wants men to experience the pain she as a woman has endured and only then can there be sexual equality for her. No longer will she adhere to others' expectations and rules and, despite her ode to her sister Jessica, "Shadow," she'll no longer live in the shadow of anyone's dreams, MTV and SNL be damned.