I CAN BUY MYSELF FLOWERS”: A Gender Performativity Analysis of Women's Empowerment in Miley Cyrus's Flowers

Abstract

This study analyzes the representation of women's empowerment in Miley Cyrus's song "Flowers"
(2023) and its contribution to the discourse of self-love and female independence from a feminist
perspective. Employing an exploratory-interpretive qualitative research design, the study uses Judith
Butler's theory of gender performativity as the analytical framework. The primary data consist of the
complete song lyrics, which were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles et al. (2014) and
Creswell's (2014) qualitative analysis procedures. The findings reveal that women's empowerment
is represented through repeated self-directed actions expressed in the phrase "I can," which
emphasizes agency, emotional self-reliance, and personal autonomy. The lyrics further portray selflove
through acts of self-care, self-acceptance, and forgiveness, while also representing female
independence through the speaker's ability to define herself beyond romantic relationships. From
Butler's perspective, these repeated actions function as performative acts through which the female
persona continuously reconstructs her identity. Furthermore, the song contributes to contemporary
discussions of self-love and women's empowerment by promoting emotional resilience and
independence following a romantic breakup. The values represented in the song also support the
broader objectives of Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality) by encouraging women's
autonomy, self-determination, and empowerment. This study contributes to feminist literary studies
by demonstrating how popular song lyrics can function as cultural texts that foster gender awareness
and empowerment in contemporary society.
Keywords: feminism, women's empowerment, song lyrics, self-love, gender performativity,popular music