Whilst writing my (ever multiplying… gosh, I’m easily perturbed, aint I?) blog postsaboutmusic videos, I’ve started to notice another little trend. This time, however, it’s not content of the videos that’s getting to me but the lyrics of the songs, instead. (more…)
What is it with women in cages? Seriously. Is this supposed to be sexy? Clearly it is, otherwise the media wouldn’t keep doing it. But why is it supposed to be sexy? What’s wrong with people!?
Two of my very favourite female pop musicians right now have come together to create (okay, okay remix) a dirty great slice of harsh, nasty, catchy hip-pop. Cause for celebration? Yes… and no. (Oh, come on! As if I could leave well alone!)
The song, Video Phone, has been around for a while on Beyonce’s I Am… Sasha Fierce album (of which I am a proud owner!) but it has had a re-vamp with new vocals from Lady Gaga for the album’s re-released Deluxe edition. Now, much as I LOVE Beyonce (and much as the song is sexy and catchy and all that), I’d always found the lyrics of this song hard to swallow.
The lyrics all point to a woman allowing a sexual partner to film her whilst they have sex – “What, you want me naked? If you liking this position you can tape it on your video phone” – so that he can remember her later whenever he watches it.
Beyonce is often portrayed as a powerful woman, which is probably the main reason I like her. But this song feels devoid of power… I mean, as Paris Hilton knows only too well, once you create amateur porn for a boyfriend (and the ‘male character’ in this song seems a lot less long-term, and trust-worthy, than that), your lack of control with the output leaves you in a rather powerless position.
With this song Beyonce (who is always said to have buckets of class) was basically saying that she would pull out some amateur dramatics in the bedroom for any old Tom, Dick or Harry to film on their phone and then wank over later. Before showing it to their friends, probably. And then leaking it onto the internet. Oh, Beyonce… that’s disappointing. (more…)
But maybe I’m becoming desensitised to the ’sexy dead woman’ images (oh what a world we live in when I can type that sentence!) because, even though I found this element of the video deeply problematic, what I found most disturbing whilst watching Paparazzi was the eroticised treatment of the Gaga character’s pain and discomfort… (more…)
Beauty is in the post production, as this video from Room demonstrates. Here are some stills, just in case you have trouble viewing it…
Room are (or were, since the link to their original site no longer works) a Californian post-production company. This show-reel of their work on music videos might act as a bit of a revelation to some (it was to me when I first saw it!) since, whilst we are becoming increasingly aware of the ‘Photoshopping’ of still images, the re-touching of film is still a bit of a mystery.
Warning: this video will lodge ‘So Fresh, So Clean‘ into your head, where it will play on repeat over and over for hours. Not necessarily a bad thing, and how appropriate a pairing is that song with this video? Look at all those ‘fresh’, pore-less faces! And, is it just me, or does thos video tarnish Pharrell’s mystique a teensy bit…?
Stephanie Phillips, of Don’t Dance Her Down Boys blog, went along to the launch event for UK Feminista to see what prospects the site might hold for the advancement UK women’s movement.
Women-only Hip Hop Festival b.supreme kicks off this Friday. Roshni Goyate speaks to festival co-founder Holly McCartney and finds out what we can expect this year.
