Alright, so I like this song. At heart, the message is that I should be confident in my beauty, and I've seen pretty girls of all ages rock to the song, but some of the lines can get a bit interesting. Let's see.
"My name is Keri, I'm so very fly oh my, it's a little bit scary. Boys wanna marry, looking at my derriere. You can stare but if you touch it Imma bury. Pretty as a picture, sweeter than a swisher, mad 'cause I'm cuter than the girl that's with you. I don't gotta talk about it – baby, you can see it, but if you want I'll be happy to repeat it." Our friend, Keri, speaks about her beauty and awesome appeal as so awesome that’s it borders on fear-inducing. Men are so captivated by her butt that they want to marry her (imagine if they looked at the rest of her). And she makes it clear that, though they may be tempted to touch her because she is so breath-taking, they will be in for a world of hurt if they do. I don’t have a problem with her extolling her own beauty – you have to recognize and respect your beauty before others will. My issue is her feeling the need to compare herself to other females and insult them at the same time. If you’re attractive, then be attractive. You don’t need to address a man – presumably a stranger – and let him know that the woman he’s with is not as attractive as you (in your opinion). And it’s true that when you’re beautiful or confident or whatever, you don’t have to talk about it – it should just be evident. Yet, we have a song about it….
“I don’t gotta talk about it – baby, you can see it. And if you know it too then ladies, sing it with me.” After repeating the first verse, as she said she’d do, she changes the last line to invite other women to join in the celebration of beauty and the affirmation of their own “pretty girl” status. I’m a fan of this, because we as women should do more to affirm the beauty of ourselves and other women instead of competing like we tend to have a habit of doing.
“All eyes on me when I walk in. No question that this girl's a 10. Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful. Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful. My walk, my talk, the way I drip - it's not my fault, so please don't trip. Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful. Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful.” The chorus seems to be that of a beautiful woman who is confident in who she is, but she’s noticed that she has “haters.” So, while she addressed the male in the first verse, she appears to be talking to other females who might hate on her because of her beauty. Everything about her is on point, but it's not her fault, so there's no need to hate on her.
“(Now where you at?) If you’re looking for me, you can catch me - cameras flashing. Bet he turn his head just as soon as I passed him. Girls think I'm conceited 'cause I know I'm attractive. Don't worry about what I think, why don't you ask him? Get yourself together, don't hate (never do it). Jealousy's the ugliest trait (don't, never do it). I can talk about it 'cause I know that I'm pretty, and if you know it too then ladies sing it with me." As a celebrity, Keri no doubt runs into paparazzi all the time, but as a beautiful woman, she can just expect that cameras will follow her, trying to get a glimpse and a shot of her. And, of course, all the men will be checking her out when she walks into the place - not just the casual glance, but the wait and watch her walk by. When she says, "girls think I'm conceited cuz I know I'm attractive," I can appreciate that. I've seen many a confident person talked negatively about by less confident women and men who saw normal confidence as arrogance. But then she takes it a step further and says, " Don't worry about what I think, why don't you ask him?" Really? She essentially says that it's fine if I think I'm attractive, but if don't believe me, ask your man if I'm attractive. For some reason, this rubs me the wrong way. I guess my concern is the need for a man to affirm this opinion. While she thinks herself attractive, when this opinion is brought into question, a man must be asked to make the ruling. I don't dislike men at all, but this just seems a bit problematic for me. Can't it be enough that I think myself attractive? Does everyone (or even just this particular someone) else have to agree? And if they don't, why does it matter what the random man thinks? He might not think I'm attractive, but that shouldn't change my opinion, and it really doesn't have to change your opinion. I'm attractive because I am, not because a certain number of people (especially men) said so. [If it sounds like I'm being hard on the men, it's just because I've seen many women do many things for the approval of men to the detriment of themselves, myself included, and I think it's time we are liberated from needing the approval and affirmation of a man.]
So while I love the idea of being a confident woman, and I love the video that shows beautiful black women of music through the ages, I don't agree with her entire lyrical content. And can I just ask what Kanye's verse in the remix has to do with "Pretty Girl Rock" aside from him trying to get into their panties?
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