My 3 sisters and I sit around my kitchen/work table as we gaze at Janelle Monae’s new music video, “Django Jane” in awe. In prep for her visual album Digital Computer, Monae released back to back music videos filled with fun, visually appealing, colorful, and symbolic imagery. In addition to complex messages, Monae's new videos celebrate black queer women of color. Despite interruptions from my nieces and nephew in the back room, my sisters and I were zoomed into the powerful lyrics and costumes of Django Jane. You can hear a pin drop in my spacious dining room as it had our undivided attention. It’s difficult to quiet my sisters and I long enough to focus on one thing. But the lyricist in Monae spoke grabbing our attention. She spits;
Our return to these music videos parallel the four themes I address in my analysis:
1. Public Vs. Private 2. Being Yourself 3. Reputation 4. Digital Sisterhood You Tube's auto play was in sync with us as it automatically played Monae’s next video “Make Me Feel”, she sings; “It's like I'm powerful with a little bit of tender An emotional, sexual bender” In a Prince inspired, bisexual rendition, and chromatic touch, Make Me Feel is the ultimate female black queer anthem. My sisters and I are in a trance. Then following our Monae take over, we craved for more black girl magic musical visuals. I search You Tube for Drake’s new video “Nice for What” , which is directed by a black female Karena Evans. The video includes some of our favorite celebrities; Yara Shahidi, Tiffany Haddish, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Issa Rae. The lyrics are secondary to the cameos from the Black women we admire. Following Nice for What, I transitioned to our Beyoncé favorites. I searched, “Formation” whose southern black culture and black ASF lyrics fill us with black pride. We ended our journey at Beyoncé's “711” whose lyrics and visuals represented our current sister circle. Our return to these music videos parallel the four themes I address in my analysis: 1. Public Vs. Private 2. Being Yourself 3. Reputation 4. Digital Sisterhood |
Our connection to Make Me Feel relates to the mystery around Monae's sexuality. In a way, Monae gave us a glimpse into her private life through her music. Similarly, artists like Monae and black feminists like Kimberly Foster look at the nuances which blur the public and private domain. In the first theme, I discuss Public vs. Private in digital media. .
It's no secret that Beyoncé's music and celebrity image has evolved from Destiny's Child. Her once universal pop lyrics have narrowed to exclusively speak to Black women. In an era where white people finally realize that Beyoncé is black, artists alike and black female focused organizations like Around The Way Girl (ATWG) are reclaiming their narrative. In the second theme, I discuss Being Yourself authentically on social media with integrity.
The way Monae and Beyoncé express themselves relates to the way their black female audience idolizes them. These artists inspire Black women to not compromise who they are to make a living. Rapper Cardi B's unfiltered personality is not here for respectability politics. Politician Maxine Water's fierceness does not care for white people's feelings. It is because of who they are, their reputation collects coins for them. In the third theme, I discuss Reputation for black women making a living utilizing social media sites. Organizations like ATWG use their Instagram to inspire black girls from Camden, NJ. They share uplifting images, videos, stories, and educate black girls from the hood who may not be exposed to positive imagery and messages about blackness. Similar to ATWG's mission dedicated to girls in the hood, there are a plethora of online communities who gather black women across cities, time zones, and devices. In the fourth theme, I discuss Digital Sisterhood for black women who find community on social media.
My study is a part of larger research project where I'm interviewing my 4 blood sisters. For the sake of time of completing my senior capstone, I only interviewed Magdaline. Magdaline is 24 years old, a fraternal twin, stylist, conceptual artist, and lives in the Philadelphia area. My sister Magdaline says that I have a lot of influence on her individual style, but today she inspires me much more. She's the type of woman who knows trends but creates her own. Magdaline is what would happen if Erykah Badu and Betye Saar had a baby. She’s creative and fly ASF. |
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