Affective and social burdens of urban femininity: Reading the lyrics and digital reception of Paris Paloma’s Labour

Journal of Language, Literature, Social, and Cultural Studies, Volume 3 Number 3 (Nov 2025), p. 261-272 e-ISSN: 2986-4461 DOI: https://doi.org/10.58881/jllscs.v2i2 https://ympn.co.id/index.php/JLLSCS Affective and social burdens of urban femininity: Reading the lyrics and digital reception of Paris Paloma’s Labour Bilqis Tirtakayana1, Rima Firdaus2, Nayda Afdholy3 Universitas Airlangga INDONESIA1,2,3 2Email: Abstract – This study explores the emotional and social burdens experienced by women within the context of urban culture, as represented in Paris Paloma’s song “Labour” and its reception on YouTube. The objective is to explore how feminist themes, particularly those related to gendered labor and emotional inequality, are articulated in digital music and audience responses. As digital platforms increasingly become sites of socio-cultural discourse, music consumption— especially songs with strong narrative lyrics—offers a space for expressing and recognizing shared gender-based experiences. The research employs a descriptive qualitative method, combining Sara Mills’ discourse analysis with Wolfgang Iser’s reader reception theory to explore both the textual and interpretive dimensions of meaning-making. The primary data includes the lyrics of “Labour” sourced from Genius.com and the three most liked YouTube comments within the last ten months. These comments were selected for their popularity and engagement, offering insight into how listeners emotionally and cognitively interact with the song. The analysis identifies “Labour” as a critique of patriarchal expectations in domestic relationships, symbolizing the unequal emotional and physical labor often assigned to women. The song's lyrical structure and metaphorical language frame the domestic sphere as a site of exploitation. Meanwhile, YouTube comments reveal a strong affective connection among female listeners, who share personal stories and expressions of solidarity, thereby reinforcing the song’s feminist message. In conclusion, “Labour” functions not only as a cultural artifact but also as a catalyst for digital feminist discourse, where music and social media together foster communal awareness and emotional validation. Keywords: social burdens, song lyrics, digital reception, urban femininity, affective 1. Introduction In the context of urban culture, music consumption has become an important medium for people to express their identity, emotions, views and aspirations on various social issues. Music is a form of audio communication that is able to open up individual horizons because of its connection to personal memory, aspirations, daily experiences, and its connection to certain social communities (Dijck, 2006; Boer and Fischer, 2012). This phenomenon is further reinforced by the increasing access and ease of accessing music through various digital platforms such as Spotify, iTunes, Joox, YouTube, and YouTube Music (Habibi & Irwansyah, 2020; Ramnandan & Mbhle, 2023). In the midst of massive music consumption, musical works do not only act as entertainment, but also as an important instrument in shaping public opinion and raising social awareness. One form of social expression that often emerges through music is the feminism movement (Lahdji, 2015; Firdaus et al, 2023; Singarimbun, 2024). Music is used as a platform to voice women's experiences, reject structural injustice, and criticise the patriarchal social system This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) 261 Journal of Language, Literature, Social, and Cultural Studies, Volume 3 Number 3 (Nov 2025), p. 261-272 e-ISSN: 2986-4461 DOI: https://doi.org/10.58881/jllscs.v2i2 https://ympn.co.id/index.php/JLLSCS that places women in a subordinate position (Mcfarland, 2003; Sari, 2024). The main ideas of liberal feminism emphasize the recognition of gender equality, rejection of structural injustice, and resistance to discrimination and social inequality (Deveaux, 2006; Tong, 2009; Gray, Agllias & Davies, 2014; Mudzakkir, 2022). Through music, these ideas find a wider space for articulation, both personally and collectively, especially in the digital era that facilitates the distribution and exchange of meaning across borders. One concrete example of how feminism manifests through music can be seen in Paris Paloma's ‘Labour’. The song caught the attention of the public, especially women, even before it was officially released in 2023 through the TikTok platform. ‘Labour’ is considered a contemporary feminist anthem because it raises issues about the often invisible emotional and social burdens experienced by women in everyday life. According to Michelle (2023) on glassefactory.com, the song's popularity is reflected in its achievements on various charts, such as 30th place on the UK Single Chart and 8th place on Spotify's Top Songs Debut USA Chart, as well as the acquisition of more than one million plays in less than 24 hours and nearly one million views on YouTube. ‘Labour’’s presence has sparked widespread discussion in digital spaces, particularly on YouTube, where listeners actively share their interpretations and personal experiences through the comments section. Ayuni (2021) emphasises that the expressions used by citizens on digital platforms often reflect specific ideological goals and affiliations. The comments on ‘Labour’’s song not only reflect the audience's understanding of the lyrical narrative, but also demonstrate the strong emotional and affective resonance between the song's message and the listener's lived experience, particularly in relation to issues of feminism and gender inequality. In contemporary academic studies, the emergence of a new wave of feminism has spawned a variety of approaches to analysing gender representation in popular culture. A number of previous studies are important references in this research because they offer similarities in terms of approach, theory, and object of study. First, the article ‘A Study of Feminist Stylistic Analysis of Language Issues of Gender Representation in Selected Literary Text’ by Gheni (2021) examines gender representation through feminist stylistic theory. This study highlights the pattern of transitivity as developed by Sara Mills, with the finding that the representation of women in language tends to be passive, while men are placed as active subjects. This article emphasises the importance of context and reader assumptions in the process of interpreting gender meanings in texts. Second, the article ‘Feminist Stylistic Analysis of Ava Max's Song “Not Your Barbie Girl”’ by Manurung et al. (2023) shows how feminist stylistics can explore the perspective of women's empowerment in song lyrics. The song is interpreted as a form of rejection of gender stereotypes and a call for women's independence. Third, the article ‘A Feminist Stylistic Analysis in Ta (...truncated)