“If I Were a Boy,” a post-breakup ballad, was Beyoncé’s follow-up single to 2008’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” the definitive girl power anthem of the late 00s (and, let’s face it, still one of the best). It bolstered the contrast between Beyoncé as herself and as Sasha Fierce, and displayed her range as an artist. Fans…
Music Videos that Shaped Me: P!nk’s “Stupid Girls”
“Stupid Girls” by P!nk was something of an anthem to my high school self. At the time, I had a hard luck case of special snowflake syndrome. My identity was formed in direct opposition to traditional femininity and the current trends among my peer group. “Stupid Girls” reinforced a lot of my internalized misogyny. Lyrically,…
Music Videos That Shaped Me: AFI’s “The Leaving Song, Part I”
I could not tell if the singer was a man or a woman. All I knew is that they made me feel queasy.
Music Videos That Shaped Me: Can’t Hold Us Down by Christina Aguilera
I remember seeing Christina Aguilera—after “Genie in a Bottle” was overshadowed by Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby”—break out of her shell with her album Stripped. I remember not fully understanding the lyrics to “Dirty,” loving the message behind “Beautiful,” and jamming to “Fighter.” I was ten or eleven when I first saw her music video…
