Nicki Minaj’s body is (regrettably) the media’s sole focus whenever she’s in the spotlight, but an ABC family sitcom based on her family’s immigration from Trinidad in the early 1990s is about to change all of that. Young Nicki, written by Kate Angelo and produced by Minaj herself, will focus on Minaj’s life growing up in Queens, New York,… Continue Reading →
Bay Area: Catch ‘Alien She’ exhibit before it leaves town!
If you’re in the Bay Area, you won’t want to miss the Alien She exhibit at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (here until January 25, 2015). Curated by Astria Suparak and Ceci Moss, it is “the first exhibition to examine the lasting impact of Riot Grrrl on artists and cultural producers working today.” About-Facers sure… Continue Reading →
I’m “All About That Bass” AND Treble
Like lots of women, I’m aching for more body positivity in pop culture. Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” appears to be a great example of a body positive song with lyrics such as, “I see the magazine workin’ that Photoshop / We know that shit ain’t real” and “‘Cause every inch of you is perfect / From the… Continue Reading →
Debunking the legend of the love interest: John Legend’s “You & I”
By Caitlin Lansing John Legend’s “You & I (Nobody in the World)” John Legend’s new music video for his song “You & I (Nobody in the World)” continues a recent trend – which will hopefully become a norm – of featuring “real” women. Coming off the heels of the aerie Real campaign and coinciding with… Continue Reading →
If Lorde is the future of girl-power pop music, I’m excited.
Since I first heard her now-inescapable hit song “Royals,” I have been a fan of New Zealand-born musician Lorde. And now that I’ve seen her live and followed what she has to say, I’m even more impressed by how she’s shaping up as a young feminist role model. At a mere 17 years old, Lorde… Continue Reading →
Pink is a refreshing antithesis to the sexualized pop star
Recently, I was fortunate enough to attend a concert on Pink’s “The Truth About Love” world tour. For a few years now, listening to Pink has been my “guilty pleasure.” I never really wanted to admit that I loved her, because my musical tastes are not usually so mainstream. But, I’ve come to really enjoy… Continue Reading →
Pop artists that say I’m sexy because I’m insecure: please stop
Since I commute two hours daily to and from my high school, I spend more than my fair share of time listening to “top 40” songs on the radio. In the past, I have been relatively oblivious during the time I have spent jamming to songs during my carpool. That is, besides generic rappers declaring… Continue Reading →
Who run the (advertising) world? (Beyoncé)
A couple of weeks ago, Beyoncé debuted her new song from a forthcoming album, “Standing on the Sun” in a commercial for H&M. Earlier in the year she launched a new $50 million campaign with Pepsi, including commercials, visual ads, and limited-edition Beyoncé Pepsi cans. Of course, Beyoncé also sang at President Obama’s Inauguration and… Continue Reading →
Not asking for it: no matter what Rick Ross says
All of this news about rape is making me sick. But what makes me even more sick is the fact that media also seem to promote rape. Take these two songs that have recently been on the Billboard Top 100 charts: Lil’ Wayne’s “Love Me” and Rick Ross’s “U.O.E.N.O”. It makes me sick to… Continue Reading →