http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/12/lily-allen-explains-how-i_n_4261914.html?utm_hp_ref=women&ir=Women
You hip-kids have probably seen this new music video, but I thought it was worth posting on here anyway. Here are some thoughts I have after watching this for the second time:
1) Lily Allen is one BAMF
2) I love that she is reclaiming the word "bitch," reminiscent of the post Amelia had on here. My friends and I exclusively use this term as a compliment when a woman is being a badass/ tough/ strong/ hard-working, etc. I love seeing this reflected in pop-culture. Let's not let this term be a way of tearing each other down, but rather turn its implications on their head and use it as a compliment.
3) I love that she mocks Miley and Thicke- I particularly loved the "Lily Allen has a baggy pussy" .... bringing a sense of humor into the fight!
4) While I totally understand and appreciate the use of satire in this music video, I was a little thrown by the extent that she traveled into the belly of the beast. That is, she did not shy away from displaying all the twerking, champagne bottle dowsing, and sexualization of the female body that her mockee's embrace... not sure how I felt about this.
What did you all think?
I get that she was trying to mock Miley and Robin Thicke but she did the exact thing that both Miley and Robin Thicke did and objectified the black women that she had in her video. Now I could of gotten behind the satire had she had actually been dressed the same as the dancers, danced the same as them, and had some one slap her butt or pour chamagne on her but she didn't so instead of her message being seen as satirical and mocking of the objectifed women it became a message of superior and privileged feminism. It was such a confusing feminist message that said "women shouldn't be treated like this (except for some, its okay to treat some this way.) These are the same feminist messages that causes people of color to not call themselves feminist. If I hadn't of seen this video I would of loved the song but I can't accept this as good feminism.
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing this up Ebony. Today while surfing the web I saw an explosion in the prominence of this argument... .unfortunately I was not immediately sensitive to the racist tones in this (as I initially just saw these tones as a part of the satire). Prior to hearing any analysis of this video I was left uncomfortable with, as I said above, the extent to which she displayed the trends she was "mocking." I totally agree with you though, that a satire needs to avoid exploitation of the things that it claims to fight against. The dynamics of a privileged feminist holding a stance of power and exploitation above a black woman is definitely disturbing.
ReplyDeleteYeah, can't say I enjoyed this or would use this to promote my womanist values. I didn't see her mocking Miley, more just giving in to the fad of using black female bodies as a way for you to look "in" with hip hop culture. This video is another good example of that "cultural appropriation" article I posted..
ReplyDeletehttp://noisey.vice.com/blog/lily-allen-hard-out-here-ayesha-a-siddiqi
ReplyDeleteInteresting article on the video... "Allen’s ability to ignore race doesn’t dissolve her song’s major racial connotations. The video uses black bodies as the aggressors of Allen’s insecurities, juxtaposing them as physicalities Allen can’t replicate and thus finds worthy of ridicule. The song claims to be a feminist jab and has been cosigned by Lena Dunham as such, who accurately interpreted it “as pure rap-game parody.” By making rap music and its most visible participants the lightening rod for America’s social ills Allen acquits institutional patriarchy."
At first I loved the song! The lyrics are on point, and I thought that Allen was purposefully exploiting the black women in the video to prove a point that black women are the main group of women exploited by the music industry. But then I read a quote by Allen saying that the video had nothing to do with race. So, by her saying that, the video becomes completely about race. I think the video could have been justified if the message was that black women are used and abused by this industry, but without that message, the video is so racist. I am really just shocked that the her lyrics are so great, but then she exploits black women. I'm really disappointed.
ReplyDelete