A lot of you have probably witnessed the video for Katy Perry's part of me in which she discovers her boyfriend cheating, does a Britney and joins the armed forces in a bid to get over her turmoil and shoot little Afghan children in the face.
At first sights, this is a immaculate example of feminism in the works: A young, pretty girl finds the strength to defy her boyfriend's infidelities and find her own way in life without him. It's hard imagining Perry doing anything apart from mess around with wigs and giggle as she shows off her lycra-covered cleavage, but surprise, surprise- she has.
Gone are the days where the highlights of her video is squirting cream out her bra and sending half the human population the message that woman are sex toys. Right? WRONG!
My first qualm with the new video consists of the bumper-sticker she sees promoting woman in the marines. All woman are born equel, then some join the marines.
My main issue with that advertisement was the terminology they used: All WOMAN are born equel. This implies that while one gender is equel to one-another, they are inferior to the other. That said, the producers probably decided on that to reinforce that KP is not in fact a ditzy, airheaded patriarchist. However, that backfired tremendously. I'll much rather hear a all HUMANS are born equel, then some join the marines. Perhaps then I'll retain some respect for this piece.
Secondly, I do find the overall message of the video a little unsettling. While i suppose in some ways the prospects of woman destroying Islamic cities is revoluntionary (I've always supported woman serving on the front-lines, even though i'd rather have NO ONE, but thats another debate for another time), I do find her reaction counterproductive in other ways.
I think it's great we finally see the former miss.Brand make like the barbie she is and have an actual JOB in her videos, but i'm not sure i like the message it conveys: "If you have a break-up, don't worry. It's not the end of the world. Just join the army." As a eco-feminist, i find that a dangerous moral, one which is very much being used in the wrong hands.
Also, is it just me, or was the whole new haircut thing a subliminal message?
Alright, i can accept she was angry and cut her hair on a wimb, but (and I am now, after writing this, doubting this theory), but is it saying "Ok, i look more like a tom-boy, that makes me a strong woman?"
Granted, everyone looks a little rough in the army, but think of BEFORE she even saw that questionable flyer.
At the beginning of the video when everyone's favourite plastic dolly is still in her relationship, she is in feminine attire with long, luscious hair (cough, wig, cough cough), and she is very much ladylike in appearance. At this point, she is pre-"feminism".
Straight after she ends her warped relationship, she cuts her hair into a masculine-style, and wears a lot more tom-boyish outfit. The storyline implies by this point she is a stronger, more independent woman.
But any woman can be a feminist regardless of what they look like. If someone wants to wear baby-doll dresses, they are still free to believe in what they want, just as much as someone in a jumper and jeans.
Of course, this is just an analysis for THIS video, I could go on to critise Perry's music for hours on it's failed attempts at both feminism and gay-rights. Like for example the notorious I kissed a girl , in which Katy Perry demonstrates how Bisexual-flings are dirty experiments and only a sexual thing, rather than someone being able to truely love and adore one of the same gender. Remember these ludacrious lines?:
No i don't even know your name, IT DOESN'T MATTER. Your my experimental game.
Sexuality is NOT a game, it's something which has been the roots of prejudice and misery in our society for decades, and you stereotyping lesbians as promiscious sluts is not helping the cause.
It's not what good girls do...Not how they should behave.
Are you kidding me? Sexually speaking, there is no right or wrong way to behave, so long as you do not pressure of violate someone. If girls want to kiss girls- they are not any better or worse people for it.
Or how about ur so gay which highlights homosexual stereotypes and labels gays even more than a cheesy, sitcom:
I hope you hang yourself with your H&M scarf
While off listening to mozart
You bitch and moan about LA
Wishing you were in the rain reading Hemingway
You don’t eat meat
And drive electrical cars
You’re so indie rock it’s almost an art
You need SPF 45 just to stay alive
You’re so sad maybe you should buy a happy meal
You’re so skinny you should really Super Size the deal
Secretly you’re so amused
That nobody understands you
I’m so mean cause I cannot get you outta your head
I’m so angry cause you’d rather MySpace instead
I can’t believe I fell in love with someone that wears more make up than...
All feeding the stereotype machine.
And yeah, incase you haven't guessed by now, i'm not the biggest Kittykat in the world.
