Lily Allen: It’s Hard Out Here for Women

By FELICIA CZOCHANSKI

British pop superstar Lily Allen is back from maternity leave and has come out with a new feminist single. Rolling Stone critically acclaimed her song “Hard Out Here,” a sarcastic response to the encumbering sexism in the music industry, as a “feminist anthem through and through.” The song tackles subjects that people would rather ignore: Tired gender roles and double standards regarding sex and appearance for men and women. The song’s look at misogyny prevalent in the music industry has garnered a lot of negative criticism. However, the true meaning of the song’s lyrics has been somewhat lost in the criticism that the music video attracted.

The music video begins with Allen lying on a hospital bed and undergoing liposuction in full makeup. Her male manager is also in the room, telling her that many talk show hosts have refused to invite her on their shows because of her current appearance. To this she replies, “But I just had two babies.” The song’s sarcastic lyrics portray the pressure that the media puts on women to be perfect:

“You should probably lose some weight ‘cause we can’t see your bones/You should probably fix your face or you’ll end up on your own”

Her music exposes the unfair expectations that women in media are held to. She shows this in her music video, which is a parody of Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus’ performance of “Blurred Lines” at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards and of Cyrus’ music video for her song “We Can’t Stop.”

In Dec., Robin Thicke was named “Sexist of the Year” in a poll conducted by the End Violence Against Women Coalition, which is comprised of more than 60 women’s rights groups. The song, though undeniably catchy, promotes masochistic behavior and implies that consent and rejection are usually in line with the man’s desires. Thicke sings repetitively, “I know you want it,” but what he does not acknowledge is that when a woman says “no,” that means no. His music video enhanced the controversy of the song since it showed almost naked, dancing women surrounding a group of men. The media’s portrayal of women is not new, but the song is definitely one of the most exaggerated examples. Many groups spoke out against this disgusting portrayal of women, and some even created their own parodies of Thicke’s video, flipping the roles so that the men on the screen and in the lyrics were the ones being objectified.

The music video for “Hard Out Here” sends a similar feminist message. However, many have perceived the video as racist since more than half of the dancers surrounding Allen in the video are black. However, one of Allen’s dancers, Jameela Jamil, defends the video, arguing that people who disregard the races of the other dancers in Allen’s video “are almost racist” themselves. She says that the video just features “a bunch of women from all backgrounds dancing provocatively as they have for years.” The fact that this particular video is a parody makes the obvious point that women are indeed exploited in music videos and that it is not OK.

I give Lily Allen a lot of credit for coming out with this single and taking a stand on the sexist way that media has been portraying women for years. It is unfortunate that the song lyrics are not getting as much attention as the supposed “controversial” music video, but at least there are some people who understand her message.

Media portrayals of women have not only had a negative impact on those directly involved in the industry but also on our society as a whole. Women around the world see these women who have undergone hours of work on hair and makeup and even surgical procedures to fit the media’s definition of “perfection”— and still have their images Photoshopped. In a society already filled with misogyny and masochism, it is quite easy to see that Allen is more than right. It is hard out here for women.

Felicia Czochanski, FCRH ’17, is an undeclared major from Metuchen, N.J., and the Assistant Opinion Editor for The Fordham Ram.