Comparing Loesser's The Coexistence Of Producers And Consumers

It is impossible to deduce if whether or not the producers or the consumers have a greater influence in providing meaning to a piece of art. On one hand, the producers are the people who are actually creating the piece of art along with its intended message. On the other hand, the consumers are the final step in the process of creating art, because they are the people who receive and interpret the art in their own ways. The method of constructing meaning to art is not as black and white as it seems, in reality the roles that the producers and consumers have are much more complex. In her essay “The Coexistence of Producers and Consumers,” Leah Loudermilk explores exactly what the title implies: the coexistence of producers and consumers. She does this by explaining the roles producers and consumers have in constructing meaning through the two opposing interpretations of Frank Loesser’s “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” One interpretation is that the song is sexist, and glorifies a predatory man attempting to rape a woman who repeatedly voices her refusal. Another interpretation, and perhaps the producer’s intended message, is that the woman actually wants to stay, but has societal pressures that makes her think of excuses to leave. The driving idea behind Loudermilk’s essay is that “Neither producers nor consumers have ultimate power in constructing meaning of pieces of popular culture” (Loudermilk 1-2). …show more content…
Loudermilk took a similar stance as I did in my essay “The Morality of a Sexually Loose Woman,” that there is a balance between producers and consumers that allows them to coexist with their own