The other day I was
looking for new summer jams, when I stumbled across a new hit by Meghan
Trainor. All About that Bass, with
its sugary sweet music video, had the internet buzzing. In the video, Trainor sings about her curvy
body, telling others that “every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the
top.” She also attacks the Barbie beauty standard of today, telling men who
don’t appreciate her to move along. The music felt like exactly what the
country has been waiting to see from mainstream music. A critique of society, a
body-positive anthem, and catchy tune all rolled into one.
Still, it’s not hard
to hear the cracks in the summer hit. A later verse can raise eyebrows, even on
the first listen.
“I’m bringing booty back / Go ahead and
tell them skinny bitches that / Nah I’m just playing / I know y’all think you’re
fat / But I’m here to tell you, every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to
the top”
In the same way that
many feminists have questioned the skinny-shaming statements of Jennifer
Lawrence, I was left to wonder what All About That Bass really offers. It seems
that the song opts for empowering one group of women by disempowering others. The
question I read from a clutch analysis of J Law rang in my ears, “I want to know, Internet: at what percentage of body fat does a woman earn the right to be a person?”
And may I also add, every inch of you
can be perfect if you’re fat. The “but” is not really wanted, since those two
ideas are not mutually exclusive.
Then
there’s the chorus…
Even bigger than any
one verse, however, is what Trainor chooses to repeat over and over. In the
chorus she says “my momma always told me don’t worry about your size / she said
boys like a little more booty to hold at
night.”
By validating a
woman’s body in the context of a man, Trainor reinforces the oppression that
she attempts to challenge. It’s as if she said “yes, your body is all that
matters. You are here to serve the men after all. But hey don’t worry he’s,
like, really into you.” In addition,
she continues to promote the idea that some body types are better than others, further
putting down women who don’t have sufficient “booty.”
With a wink and a nod, the pastel-washed
video comes to a close, leaving me to wonder, what should I be listening to?
Let’s
rewind two years…
The song I turned to
wasn’t exactly current, but it delivered nonetheless. After giving a second
angry-listen to Trainor’s track, I gave fresh ears to one of my favorite songs
by Marina and the Diamonds, Sex, Yeah.
As sang by Marina
Diamandis, the song confronts many of the conflicting standards of women. It
comes with a more sour tone, though it matches Trainor’s pop beats point for
point. The beat kicks up the pace, as Diamandis slides into an analysis of the
media’s treatment of women.
“Question what the TV tells you /
Question what a pop star sells you / Question mom and question dad / Question
good and question bad / If history could set you free…from who you were
supposed to be / If sex in our society…didn’t tell a girl who she would be /
Cause all my life I’ve tried to find what history has given me”
Perhaps one of the
things that I appreciate most about this song is that it includes
self-criticism. Diamindis insists on the deconstruction of pop music and pop
stars, recognizing the negative impact the industry can have. She goes on to
acknowledge how her own presentation can be insincere, returning to the point
of how sex is used to define a person.
If you’re looking
for upbeat content, don’t look here. The song portrays the underbelly of an
industry that too often drives women down with a smile on its face. Sex, Yeah articulates some of the
confusion and sadness that comes with a woman who is entrenched in misogynistic
media. For that it wins my vote for this August’s summer jam, even if it is two
years overdue.
PS: if you enjoy
Spanish jams, Ana Tijoux’s song Antipatriarca
is also a winner.
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