Hanging out with friends one day, I was exposed to a long stretch of music videos I don’t usually watch. The videos featured Rap and Hip Hop artists that I might have heard occasionally on the radio. A full afternoon exposure was a cultural experience.
The Nicki Minaj Anaconda caught my eye. Here was a woman blatantly pointing out and celebrating her ample size and sexuality. Repeated imagery of Minaj’s one-third covered ass were featured along with simulated sexual writhing. Lyrics of “oh my god, look at her butt” and “my anaconda don’t want none unless you got buns, hun” further showcased the overt theme.
This then reminded me of the Meghan Trainor All About That Bass song that’s been flooding the air waves. I suggested that this video be played after the Minaj video. I had really liked the Trainor song but I was almost embarrassed by its watered down message in contrast to Minaj. The theme is still celebration of size and sexuality, but feels almost apologetic in comparison to Minaj. Reminiscent of Hairspray, the body image concept was candy-coated and more reserved. It’s still a good beat and you can sing or dance to it, but I saw it in a completely different light.
Is it a black vs white issue? A culture issue? I do think Trainor’s lyrics of “yea it’s pretty clear, I ain’t no size 2, but I can shake it shake it, like I’m supposed to do” is spot on for both videos.
P.S.: Then there’s the Latina version with Jennifer Lopez featuring that girl-on-girl action. All cultures need to be represented 🙂