pop culture and philosophy from a critical-race feminist perspective.
06 April 2012
Video of my talk "If you hate Justin Bieber, patriarchy wins"
The wonderful crew at Ignite Charlotte have made videos of all our talks. Here's mine. It's only 5 minutes, so you really ought to watch it! I welcome your thoughts in the comments.
I love this! I'm sharing it around facebook! "if you respect girls, if you think girls aren't idiots, then, maybe perhaps you should reassess your view of teen idol music." cue Beyonce. Preach. so glad this is online!!
I have one comment and some questions.
-I'd love to see some more analysis around the theory of teen idol music and the quality of teen idols' performances.
-Does this analysis work with other lenses, like, could you use a critical race lens and come to a similar conclusion about the devaluing of music that has been racialized non-white? Also! does it work with non-music? When you talk about fan-cultures I think of Twilight, Hunger Games, Harry Potter. Also what happens to these fan-cultures when girls/women get older?
Thanks for your questions! In response to your first one, I don't know of any specific references to send you on this (e.g., articles or blog posts). But do think about this: many, many people want to be pop stars, at any cost. And many, many people are trying every day to write a best-selling record. But most people fail. The performances and songs that do rise to the top, become popular, and often become "classic" must be great performances of great songs. Or, contrast Beyonce as a performer with Lana Del Ray (whose SNL 'scandal' shows, in part, how much more than singing is involved in a performance).
I think you can definitely use the gender lens for other genres, like chick lit or chick cinema...but I do think each genre/medium has its own historical and material specificities, so that the general phenomenon will manifest differently in each genre.
The race question is different: in teh US and UK, we often explicitly VALUE music that has been racialized as non-white, and de-value music that has been racialized as white. This is specific to the history of pop music in the US and UK--race and pop music are intertwined in ways that differ from other media.
I’m really enjoying your blog! I’m interested in what you think about twerking?
Lady - Twerk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPhYRtK0fBU
Twerk Team http://www.youtube.com/user/TheOfficialtwerkteam
Twerk Team - Behind the Music (4.15 – 5.02 is really interesting!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmtsfZ5Pg_4
I think in many ways it clearly embodies the complex nature of feminism within the capitalist, patriarchal consumer culture we live in today. I’d love to discuss with you!
I love this! I'm sharing it around facebook! "if you respect girls, if you think girls aren't idiots, then, maybe perhaps you should reassess your view of teen idol music." cue Beyonce. Preach. so glad this is online!!
ReplyDeleteI have one comment and some questions.
-I'd love to see some more analysis around the theory of teen idol music and the quality of teen idols' performances.
-Does this analysis work with other lenses, like, could you use a critical race lens and come to a similar conclusion about the devaluing of music that has been racialized non-white? Also! does it work with non-music? When you talk about fan-cultures I think of Twilight, Hunger Games, Harry Potter. Also what happens to these fan-cultures when girls/women get older?
thanks!
Hi William,
DeleteThanks for your questions! In response to your first one, I don't know of any specific references to send you on this (e.g., articles or blog posts). But do think about this: many, many people want to be pop stars, at any cost. And many, many people are trying every day to write a best-selling record. But most people fail. The performances and songs that do rise to the top, become popular, and often become "classic" must be great performances of great songs. Or, contrast Beyonce as a performer with Lana Del Ray (whose SNL 'scandal' shows, in part, how much more than singing is involved in a performance).
I think you can definitely use the gender lens for other genres, like chick lit or chick cinema...but I do think each genre/medium has its own historical and material specificities, so that the general phenomenon will manifest differently in each genre.
The race question is different: in teh US and UK, we often explicitly VALUE music that has been racialized as non-white, and de-value music that has been racialized as white. This is specific to the history of pop music in the US and UK--race and pop music are intertwined in ways that differ from other media.
http://vimeo.com/18617670
ReplyDeleteHey Robin,
ReplyDeleteI’m really enjoying your blog! I’m interested in what you think about twerking?
Lady - Twerk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPhYRtK0fBU
Twerk Team
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheOfficialtwerkteam
Twerk Team - Behind the Music (4.15 – 5.02 is really interesting!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmtsfZ5Pg_4
I think in many ways it clearly embodies the complex nature of feminism within the capitalist, patriarchal consumer culture we live in today. I’d love to discuss with you!
Thanks,
Athena
athenathebus@gmail.com