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i feel like everyone severely misinterpreted lana’s message and it just doesn’t sit right with me so time for some clarification
for the record before anyone drags me i ADMIT the namedropping was uncalled for and definitely overshadowed her message but that doesn’t invalidate every other point she made in her post and here’s why:
she never claimed those women haven’t experiences criticism and struggles in the industry, including racism. she never claimed they’re free from repression in every work that they produce. yes it was tacky to group them together like that, but claiming that lana said they don’t..
...receive any hate whatsoever is blatantly twisting lana’s words into something they were not. what she said was that in TODAY’s culture, feminism and it’s effect has very much increased dramatically over the last several years. today, it is rightfully normalized to sing about..
...sex and be as confident and empowering as you wish. YES there are still critics that will work to dismantle feminism’s progress and tear women down for being “too sexual” but compared to even 5 or 10 years ago, the industry has progressed heavily.
when nicki released anaconda, she was attacked across so many demographics because barely anybody at that time had been been as openly sexual in a music video before. HOWEVER, are we going to forget miley cyrus? and how she was brutally ridiculed for her being sexual? i’m not...
...saying that race was not a factor in nicki’s hate because it OBVIOUSLY was, and that’s terrible. of course racism has affected bey, nicki, etc but to claim that ONLY woc have been attacked for being sexual is such a reach. what i’m getting that in the last decade, people...
...have become far more open to the idea of being sexual and body-confident in their work. that is not to say the industry won’t work to bring women down for it, but FEMINISM as a movement learned to embrace the idea of empowerment and loving your body.
what lana was saying however is that feminism exists on a spectrum. not all women like being confident and as outgoing as the other women she mentioned are. of course it’s a beautiful thing that they portray themselves in such a way but lana’s image is much more subdued and...
less sugar-coated. i’m not trying to generalize all those artists as solely singing abt sex so don’t accuse me of that, but when you compare lana’s music to others in the industry she obviously discusses much darker topic matter.
the problem with feminism today is that it only focuses on the big and the beautiful, but not the ugly side of things. while most people today can agree that sex isn’t something to be ashamed of, singing about abuse and toxic situations that lana has experienced is still...
considered taboo and “backwards” for many people. it’s as if anything that isn’t inherently “progressive” or empowering is labeled as “glamorizing toxic subjects” even though lana just wants to give an uncensored view into her past experiences.
to say that she “glamorizes” these subjects is a reach. she doesn’t purposely twist her experiences into being perfect, she speaks from what she was feeling at the time. do you think ppl in manipulative relationships are aware that they’re being manipulated?
the reason that lana’s songs may feel like they’re glamorizing these situations is because that’s exactly what she was feeling at the time. when you’re not aware you’re in a toxic environment it may feel like you’re on the top of your world. that doesn’t make it right or...
ideal, it just puts you in the mindset of someone in that scenario.
lana’s issue is that feminism today seems exclusive of anything that isn’t empowering or perfect. she’s lived through imperfect situations that she wants to sing abt in a raw light, but she’s been torn down for it since the beginning of the career.
what people aren’t understanding is that lana WANTS to make feminism more inclusive. she wants to help women in similar situations find the confidence they need to speak out about their own toxic experiences.
take billie eilish. at just 18 years old, she’s been hated and ridiculed by so many people for being too “dark” for someone her age and people have even gone as far as telling her she isn’t sexual ENOUGH. the environment we live in prioritizes empowerment, but sweeps raw...
unfiltered emotions under the rug. THAT is lana point. she never claimed those women haven’t gone through hate, and she never said she’s been the most out of anyone. she is fighting for the silent minority that struggles to find their voice.
there is a reason lana’s music speaks to so many. it touches upon subjects and experiences many are too afraid to address, but she does so at the cost of being labeled as backwards and antifeminist.
