She Tried (2022) by Charlotte Dumont
She Tried (2022)
“She Tried is about the pressure and encouragement women are given as they grow older to stay young. In our society we give great validation to women who look younger than they are. In Taylor Swift’s new album, she sings, “Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby / And I’m a monster on the hill.” This perfectly explains the “sexy baby” culture. To be sexy, or attractive you need to look young (like a baby). She Tried portrays a woman named Louise. Louise has succumbed to the pressures of youthfulness and has tried to self-manipulate her appearance. However, her manipulations have gone to extremes and she has grown addicted to it. She has failed and because of the wounds she has created, is dying, giving the piece the title She Tried.”