The 5 Meanings of Lorde's Feminism
Lorde got in a feud with 5 artists (and counting) because she calls herself a Feminist. While headlines focus on "who Lorde dissed", we ignored who she
talked about, and focused on what she
actually said.
What does it really mean to be a woman... according to Lorde? Here's 5 of her thoughts:
1. What did she mean by “I’m never going to be like Taylor Swift – why can’t I
be as pretty as Lorde?”
She’s not at odds with Taylor (they made up). She’s saying a girl
needs to know she is pretty just the way she is. Being super skinny or wearing
tight clothes is OK, but is that what beauty is all about?
“There’s a lot of importance placed on physical perfection in this industry, and I wish my favorite stars didn’t look perfect because I think fans (me included) have these feelings of worthlessness.”
4. And
when she called most rap “irrelevant”? She said that only when it’s about showing off money. (Every song's like gold
teeth, Grey Goose, tripping in the bathroom) The beauty of being a woman (or
anyone, for that matter) comes from within, from who she is, and not from what
she has. It sounds cliché, but values
and integrity weigh more than pretty clothes and glittery jewels.
5. And how do girls learn this if their role
models do and say the opposite? This is the message in her last comment about
role models “There are a lot of shock tactics these days. People trying to outdo each other…” She talked about obscene action
at the Grammys (Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke called on here, then said “I try to
keep my blinkers on and focus on making music.” That´s today´s challenge. Learning
to be a woman is not easy. It takes courage to be a true woman and to lead
girls in that path. But keep your "blinkers on" when the wrong images of
womanhood are being shouted at you.
What does it really mean to be a woman... according to Lorde? Here's 5 of her thoughts:
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| She may be perfect... but that doesn't mean you aren't! |
“There’s a lot of importance placed on physical perfection in this industry, and I wish my favorite stars didn’t look perfect because I think fans (me included) have these feelings of worthlessness.”
2. But what about commenting on Come And Get It
saying, “the theme of her song is, 'When you're ready come and get it from me.' I'm sick of women being portrayed this way…"? Where does almost-nude
pictures or showing off your well-shaped body lead? Every girl should know that
her body is not something to be used by others. It is obviously not something
to “come and get”. Intimacy and self-respect are one of the greatest treasures
a girl has. Something to take care of until the right person and the right time
comes.
3. The same thing applies to her critiquing the
party-lifestyle of We Can’t Stop (amongst other songs) “I grew up completely
normally and went to parties and had that experience. I am way less inclined to
be like, ‘Look! I’m f-cking mental!” If you have to act “mental” to get a boy’s
attention, then he’s not worth it.
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| We can't stop... but do we want to? |
Ignore any media-generated "feelings of worthlessness" about yourself. Let each girl believe in herself and grow into the woman she is meant to be!
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| "Let every girl believe in herself!" Minerva (and friends) |
