Showing posts with label Rihanna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rihanna. Show all posts

Thursday, 17 June 2010

*frown*

So, I recognise it's possible that I'll do a one-eighty turn and not believe a word of this at some point in the future, but I'm going to say it anyway: I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable about a couple of songs that several of my friends see as awesome lesbian icon flagships but I kind of see as ... like name-dropping, but the name is 'I might be a bit queer but not really LOL money.' Then they get money.

Obviously the first example is Rihanna's 'Te Amo.' I mean, it's a nice video, it's an alright song - but it isn't about queer affirmation: it's about getting into a misunderstanding with a queer woman (maybe leading her on?) and then being sad/gyrating about it. That isn't positivity to me. That's just kind of a mention and then a bit of objectifying/convenient examples. And it isn't balls-out saying 'LOOK AT ME KISSIN' LAYDEEZ' but there is a lot of laydee-on-laydee action (that lots of people I know like watching) but I just ... don't feel it.

Then there's Xtina's 'Not Myself Tonight.' I'm only just listening to Bionic now - I did mean to a long time ago because obv I am really excited about JD Samson and Sia and Peaches being on it, but then Lady GaGa happened and I suppose anyone reading this blog knows how that affected my every breath. ANYWAY, I actually find that song a bit boring - admittedly I have only listened to it a few times, but I'm finding it difficult to motivate myself to get to know it or really understanding why I should. And the whole 'I'm kissing all the boys and the girls' alongside 'I'm not myself tonight' feels insincere and appropriating. Like, this is fun and I'm doing it, but I'm not going to take any responsibility for it. And that just reminds me of Katy Perry. I mean, maybe this is just evidence of some normalisation of homosexuality and queerness - that it gets brought up, and maybe this is somewhere on the way to actually being represented without specifically and crucially heterosexist frames - but I don't really feel like I have time for it even if it is. I just feel like I've sat through this before.

On the plus side, though, Elastic Love is awesome.