I've blogged about my love of Amanda Fucking Palmer before (see
http://femikneesm.blogspot.com/2010/03/wrath-free-music.html ).
I love her independence, her unwillingness to conform, her feminism, her willingness to interact with her fans and, of course, her hairiness. I love that she can go from playing sometimes heartrending, sad songs to funny odes on the ukulele (New Zealand, for example)to a theatrical concept band (the conjoined twins Evelyn Evelyn). I love that she inspires other artists and actually goes out of her way to help them. I love her avowed bisexuality.
Anyway...you get the picture: I have a lot of respect for AFP. Her dedication to being nothing but herself is incredibly refreshing in an industry which is so often completely superficial and manufactured - especially in the representation and presentation of women musicians(surprise, surprise).
Last week, she released the video for her new song Map of Tasmania. Not only is it fun, and silly, and way too catchy, it's also a kind of feminist call to arms - a call, that is, for pubic freedom.
It was released on the Spin Magazine website, here:
http://spinmag.com/articles/amanda-palmer-fights-pubic-hair-freedom?page=1
To me, it's about pubic freedom and the recognition that we as people can have our voices heard through art and the internet ("we are the media", after all....) - but it's also about feminism. It's about questioning the beauty standard and social norms around appropriate femininity - and then DANCING. ALL. OVER. THEM.
And that is a wonderful thing.
What's not so wonderful? Check out some of the comments the video got on the Spin website. Sure, not everyone is going to get AFP, not everyone likes her style or her music. This is completely cool, of course. Diversity of opinions is what makes life interesting, and what often makes art really interesting.
What I can't get over is the criticism of her appearance.
AFP is no stranger to sexist, stupid and stereotypical reactions to the way she looks. In fact, her previous record label were so appalled at AFP's stomach in the Leeds United film clip (because she looked too fat) that they asked her to allow them to digitally 'fix' it. (AFP is clearly a hottie - she's also a healthy weight - the shame!) This ridiculous fuckery prompted what was referred to as the Rebellyon - when fans sent photos of their own bellies to the label because clealy they (the label) needed to be reminded that normal women often have curves. In the end, the video stayed as it was.
See AFP's blog about it here:
http://blog.amandapalmer.net/post/62721071/the-rebellyon-the-deal-with-roadrunner-records#
And see the 'offending' video:
Amanda Palmer "Leeds United" Music Video from Amanda Palmer on Vimeo.
It's disheartening and annoying and frustrating that people still seem to need to hate on women simply because of the way we look (and if you're a feminist - that seems to only encourage the hate). It's complete fuckery and it's completely sexist. And it needs to stop. And women like AFP are going to help that happen.
And now..the Map of Tasmania video - watch it. Love it.
And the lyrics so you can sing along...
they don’t play the song on the radio
they don’t show the tits in the video
they don’t know that we are the media
they don’t know that we start the mania
i don’t want to see but i’m making you
ass is off it’s seat and i’m shaking you
walking down the street i’m the lady - oh
showing off my map of tasmania
soft and sweet and shape like a triangle
some girls want no shape and they shave it all
that's so whack it hurts with the stubble
walking around look like an eight year old
i say grow that shit like a jungle
give ‘em something strong to hold onto
let it fly in the open wind
if it get too bushy you can trim
they don’t play the song on the radio
they don’t show the tits in the video
they don’t know that we are the media
they don’t know that we start the mania
i don’t want to see but i’m making you
ass is off it’s seat and i’m shaking you
walking down the street i’m the lady - oh
showing off my map of tasmania!!!
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8 comments:
Don't get me wrong, I ♥ AFP, but this isn't exactly a feminist call to arms. She's saying that shaving is gross, which is exactly the same as someone else saying that bushes are gross. They both criticize a woman's right to choose what style of pubic hair she'd like. I've had it both ways, and I'm equally annoyed by both criticisms. So, AFP and everyone else, quit policing my crotch, please. Thanks.
I don't think she's saying a woman doesn't have a right to choose how to handle her crotch. I think it's commentary on the social obsession with young-looking bodies: shave your body hair and you look young. People love that shit. It's kind of weird, how we find "sexy" something that is only natural to our bodies when we're young.
:shrug:
If you read the Spin article it quotes her saying
"I think if I have any purpose at all, it's to stand up there and say, 'Oh, no, no, no, no, girls. You totally have a choice. You can wax it, you can shave it, you can grow it out, and this really is up to you.' That's the way that I feel about everything, that you just need to know there's a choice out there."
Okay, let's look at these lyrics:
some girls want no shape and they shave it all
that's so whack it hurts with the stubble
walking around look like an eight year old
She says that it's whack to shave it. That's criticism. Then she says that it makes grown women look like eight-year-olds. Now, I have an eight-year-old and shaved women don't look like that. So the point of that line is just like the first, simply more criticism of a different hairstyle.
@Team - Women who shave don't look like young girls and since most of them don't intend to look like young girls, this line of criticism isn't even logical.
Generally, women who shave or wax intend to give their partner a more comfortable oral experience, which is something that I appreciate when I'm on the other end of that.
Also, I don't think it's weird that we find something sexy that makes the experience more comfortable and sanitary.
@Made - If her lyrics said that, it would be a wonderful feminist song and I would like it better.
In the meantime, I will disagree with the lyrics and listen to the rockin' tune, anyway.
@Rose:
Ok. No, women who shave their pubic hair do not ACTUALLY look like 8 year olds because a) they are older and b) their bodies are more mature. Obvs.
However, the line of criticism is not illogical:
Hair is gross.
Hairless is sexy.
Mature women naturally have hair, which makes them gross.
Shaving the hair makes them sexy, but is unnatural because, as mentioned earlier, the mature woman's body produces hair there. A young girl's body does not.
Sigh.
And I think it's willfully naive to generalize about people's reasons for shaving/waxing.
Also, expressing an opinion (such as "that's so whack it hurts with the stubble") is not necessarily a criticism. I'd say she was simply sharing her own experience - how else would she know it hurts?
Hi guys - thanks heaps for visiting the blog and posting comments. I love a healthy debate :)
Ok. No, women who shave their pubic hair do not ACTUALLY look like 8 year olds because a) they are older and b) their bodies are more mature. Obvs.
I agree. That is obvious, which is why it seems far-fetched to assume that people are relating a shaved vagina with something that it obviously doesn't look like.
Hair is gross.
Hairless is sexy.
Mature women naturally have hair, which makes them gross.
Shaving the hair makes them sexy, but is unnatural because, as mentioned earlier, the mature woman's body produces hair there. A young girl's body does not.
It is illogical because you're taking it to an illogical place.
First, not everyone who prefers hairless thinks that hair is 'gross'. I mean, I prefer blondes, but I don't think that brunettes and readheads are gross. I think they're pretty hot, as well.
But I digress. For the people who do think that hair is gross, it goes more like this:
Hair is gross.
Hairless is sexy.
Mature women often have urine and other excretions caught in their public hair, which makes it gross.
Shaving the hair makes them sexy, because they stay cleaner and taste better.
And I think it's willfully naive to generalize about people's reasons for shaving/waxing.
You're calling yourself willfully naive? Or did you not realize that you yourself generalized about the reason that people like shaved/waxed vaginas?
I'd say she was simply sharing her own experience - how else would she know it hurts?
Because she's bisexual and she knows how oral feels with someone who has stubble? There are plenty of ways she could know that, if having personal experience is necc. to holding that opinion. (Which it's not.)
Again, I'm not criticizing her lyrics. I totally think she has the right to relay her opinions in her music. I just don't think it's a feminist call to arms.
That's great. Love it and thanks for posting it. It makes a great point and you can take the lyrics as seriously (or not) as you like.
OK, I don't usually share verification codes but this one is 'booti'...
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