Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee

The speaker presents herself as a wholesome, modest girl who refuses sex before marriage and rejects drinking, swearing, smoking, and sexual attention. Her tone is playful and exaggerated: she sounds proud of her reputation, but also sharp and defensive. As the lyrics progress, her refusals become more direct, especially when she tells famous male figures to keep their distance.

The names Sandra Dee and Doris Day stand for clean-cut, respectable images, while the references to Rock Hudson, Annette, Troy Donahue, and Elvis turn that image into a joke-filled performance. “Keep your filthy paws off” is a forceful way to say “don’t touch me”; “paws” makes the unwanted advance sound animal-like. “I’m no object of lust” means she does not want to be treated merely as someone to desire. The contrast between “silky drawers” and the stern warning adds comic emphasis.

The lyrics can be heard as celebrating the speaker’s boundaries, but their teasing, showy style also makes her purity seem like a public persona she is acting out. She may be genuinely uncomfortable with sexual attention, or she may be mocking the expectation that a respectable girl must always behave this way. The humor leaves room for both readings.