I want a red dress.
I want it flimsy and cheap, I want it too tight, I want to wear it until someone tears it off me. I want it sleeveless and backless, this dress, so no one has to guess what’s underneath. I want to walk down the street past Thrifty’s and the hardware store with all those keys glittering in the window, past Mr. and Mrs. Wong selling day-old donuts in their café, past the Guerra brothers slinging pigs from the truck and onto the dolly, hoisting the slick snouts over their shoulders. I want to walk like I’m the only woman on earth and I can have my pick. I want that red dress bad. I want it to confirm your worst fears about me, to show you how little I care about you or anything except what I want. When I find it, I’ll pull that garment from its hanger like I’m choosing a body to carry me into this world, through the birth-cries and the love-cries too, and I’ll wear it like bones, like skin, it’ll be the goddamned dress they bury me in. Kim Addonizio’s poem, “What Do Women Want?”, is centered around a red dress. At first, she appears to be writing superficially about her want for an attractive red dress. The poem opens up with her saying, “I want a red dress. I want it flimsy and cheap.” I believe that this stands for her childish wants and dreams. Addonizio thinks the dress is pretty and she wants it only because of its outward appearance. As she grows up and matures, she desires the red dress because of the fact that it stands for the sexual freedom of a desirable woman. Being a woman means to her that, “I want to walk like I’m the only woman on earth and I can have my pick.” She believes that the cheap, backless, sleeveless, red dress will give her that power. This expectation of hers cements the belief that a dress will make her into a woman. Once she realizes the dress will give her this power, she says, “I want that red dress bad. I want it to confirm your worst fears about me, to show you how little I care about you or anything except what I want.” Addonizio views the dress as a way for her to become a desirable woman who doesn’t conform to the 1950’s housewife standards. She wants to be wanted by everyone around her. I bet that it’s an invigorating experience to turn heads every which way when you walk down the street. I know that the vain part of me would enjoy that. To me, the red dress stands for so much more in the poem. If a dress brings a woman confidence, then bring it on. If Addonizio wants to live her life with a “red dress” mentality, I say more power to her.
13 Comments
Kristian from Chapmanville
10/6/2016 08:33:04 am
When I read the poem I got the same meaning as you. Could you explain more about your poem?
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Sarah
10/6/2016 09:05:15 am
I mean the poem was basically about her wanting a red dress and all the things she thought she would gain from having it.
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Emili
10/7/2016 07:30:35 am
I enjoyed your analysis of this poem and the facts about the history during which time period this poem was written. I agree with you that the red dress gave her power that she so badly desired because red is a symbolic color that actually means power. The fact that she is wearing a dress of full red color means that she has power and feels powerful. I would, however, liked to have heard more about your personal opinion on this poem. How did it affect you as a woman?
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Sarah
10/9/2016 03:28:23 pm
I think it just made me realize that we all grow and mature into women who want to feel good about ourselves for personal reasons. Great analysis of the poem Sarah! I liked how you related the changing of the red dress as the maturing process of a woman. When I read the poem, I could tell the author had a very bold personality and wanted to stand out when she wrote that she wanted to walk down an ordinary street with a hardware store and a cafe that sells day old donuts in her eye catching red dress.
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I really enjoyed your analysis of this poem. I felt it was progressive as well and was not as superficial as it first seemed. I also liked that you admitted your vain side would like the attention. I agree that empowerment is never a bad and "more power to" whomever is empowered.
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Sarah Marlow
10/7/2016 10:40:53 am
I love your analysis! I think it is very important how the meaning of the red dress changes. As children, we are focused on impressing others, looking good on the outside. However, as we grow, there is an increasing importance on how we are personally affected. We realize that life is about more than just looking good on the outside, we have to focus on the inside for true happiness.
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Niki Vemulapalli
10/8/2016 11:39:24 am
I like how you brought in the time frame this poem was written in to justify your analysis. The red dress speaks to the idea of empowerment. The speaker doesn't want to be regular person on the street but someone who turns heads. Do you think this is something that can be applied in today's age for women?
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Sarah
10/9/2016 03:27:26 pm
I think it can apply to today's world because even if woman don't covet a red dress, there is still something out there that makes us feel more secure in our appearance, be it no makeup, lipstick, the right jeans.
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Kirstie
10/9/2016 06:33:47 am
You did a great job analyzing the poem! Through the use of the red dress, this poem captures what many girls think. Through reading your analysis, it seems as if Addonizio thinks by wearing the dress she'll have more confidence; however, I don't believe that is where true confidence comes from. You shouldn't need clothes or anything to feel more confident. You should be confident in yourself and your abilities.
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Heather
10/9/2016 03:00:01 pm
Women seek power and confidence, and the red dress seems to be a symbol for this desire. Especially in the 1950s, when there was not as much equality. I like that you picked a poem from such a different time period, because we get a new perspective on women. Their circumstances were much different back then, yet they still seemed to have similar thoughts and feelings. I loved your analysis and relate to your personal opinion of the poem.
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Tanvee Wakankar
10/9/2016 04:45:36 pm
I really enjoyed your analysis of this poem! I also love the symbol of the red dress as well. At first I was skeptical because of how superficial the red dress seemed, but my outlook changed towards the end of the poem. The symbol became so powerful, profound, and definitely inspirational to me.
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Kylie
10/10/2016 07:53:04 am
I really enjoyed your analysis of this poem. I think it made an interesting statement about the sexual empowerment of women through means that others may judge or demean. To describe the dress as "cheap" and "flimsy," to some has negative connotations of 'being easy.' But by taking ownership of such a dress and such a mind set is a form of empowerment in and of itself. It takes the typical sexual objectification of women and puts the ball back in her court. Great analysis !
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SarahI'm an AP English student and high school senior who loves everything about lemons and Grey's Anatomy. This is my blog to talk about literature and everything English. Archives
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