So, are we talking about Lana Del Rey's new video yet?

The feminist blog world has been largely silent over Lana Del Rey's latest video "Ride ." She dons a war bonnet. Need I say more?

The headdress is only part of the problem (granted a pretty ominous one that needs to be addressed because obviously hipster racism is still alive and well in 2012). While I've been blandly supportive of her -- or at least her right to exist in the music industry --   the blogospehere's championing of her work has always puzzled me, with criticism routinely shut down or blamed on "haters." Even some bloggers whom I respect refuse to see anything negative about her "brand." Because that's what it really means when we like an artist: we like the brand behind the person, the thing they are selling. Of course we like their music, too, but in today's visual culture, it's nearly impossible to divorce the image from the product. And if they're selling an outmoded, and at times harmful, brand of femininity, why is it so anathema to say so?

This post is a good example. By the time the link was reblogged to a larger celebrity gossip site, the discussion unraveled and became more a volley of "yes she is," and "no she isn't." The original post isn't perfect by any standards, but what it does is add a much needed critique of this woman's work, why her image is so appealing, and we're hesitant to call out the problematic aspects of it:

"What’s more, it bothers me that there’s very little conversation surrounding such sinister portrayals of women by women. Of course,everyone was up in arms when Kanye West publicly called his girlfriend Kim Kardashian a “bitch”, and rightly so. The discourse surrounding the gaffe even prompted Kanye to (predictably) take to his Twitter to (unpredictably) philosophize that maybe he was wrong using such anachronistic vernacular to describe a woman. When Lana shows an equally sexist outpouring however, by comparison, there’s relative silence. And this is more dangerous; the assumption that just because a woman does it, it can’t actually be detrimental to women."

Part of me feels like a huge hypocrite. I know what it's like to be a fan of someone who's work is more often than not problematic, and  how hard it is to parse that while still being a fan. I also know well enough that there are those who are always going to get a pass. Still, I wonder if the reluctance to find fault with any part of Lana Del Rey is, however subconscious, rooted in popular music's ability to too easily find fault in its female performers.

Indie and Authenticity: Yes, Another Lana Del Rey Post

Sasha Frere Jones has a great piece  about Lana Del Rey and her long-awaited album, Born To Die, in the New York Times this week. I think he makes some pretty salient points about indie music, authenticity, and marketing, and why so many people continue to feel "duped" by this woman:

"The weirder strain of criticism concerns authenticity. People seem to feel that Del Rey is trying to trick us, though it’s impossible to figure out exactly what that trick would be, as we are dealing with an entertainer and her audience, not a naturally fractious relationship. Detractors cite a variety of presumed conspiracies, some involving the influence of her father, Rob Grant, who is a successful Internet entrepreneur; the rumor of manipulative managers guiding her; the reality of professional songwriters working with her; the question of who paid for the cartoons and the paparazzi footage of the actress Paz de la Huerta that appear in the “Video Games” clip; and how Grant’s top lip got so big so fast. (Grant says she’s undergone no surgical procedures.) Surely no equivalent male star would be subject to the same level of examination." (bolded by me)

This is what I find so frustrating about her critics. Not that I think any artist is above criticism, or that summarily denouncing a female artist is bad for the sisterhood or something, but because I can't think of an example where a male performer has had to undergo the same kind of scrutiny or had his authenticity questioned.  There are a handful of stars who still managed to maintain some shred of "realness" while basically transforming into a cartoon character. I'm 150-years-old remember? Let's say Marilyn Manson -- or hell, Alice Cooper. (Or Bowie, mentioned here .) Granted, comparing the two is like comparing apples to...  a tire fire, but women's authenticity so often comes under review that it's almost a given.

Further Reading:
Why Do You Hate Lana Del Rey? I Do Not Know Why I Hate Lana Del Rey (Jezebel)

On Lana Del Rey's Now Infamous SNL Performance

I don't usually follow internet phenoms, but if Lana Del Rey's name has been unavoidable the past few months, her performance on Saturday Night Live made her infamous.

I'm not going to lie. It was... not good. I don't think it was the worst SNL performance ever (if anything, it reminded me of Marianne Faithfull's narcoleptic Saturday Night Live appearance more than thirty years ago), but critics really want it to be THE WORST.

I think lookuplookup  had one of the most nuanced takes on the whole mess, and especially the aftermath:

[...] the whole critical gaze on Lana is much heavier than it would be if she were a straight-up pop singer and I agree. It’s interesting to me that people who are usually so into “real women don’t have to be” rhetoric (WHICH IS GARBAGE ANYWAY) are really eager to police someone like Lana Del Rey & critique her for being “inauthentic” (which, like that even means anything, like being “authentic” is some category that you just get to assign to someone’s art/performance/public persona/whatever.)

Lana Del Rey has been marketed as a singer-songwriter replete with highly stylized videos and a "gangster Nancy Sinatra" image (I didn't make that up, I swear). As in all things indie, a term that''s been divorced from its original meaning for at least a decade now, she's supposed to be genuine, "the real thing," and possess "real talent." And I'm not saying she doesn't have those things even if her image is heavily manufactured --  these things aren't as mutually exclusive as some music fans would like to believe -- but I think her lackluster performance says more about pushing artists into the spotlight before they're ready, and that making a pretty good youtube video doesn't mean it can be reproduced at will. The sheen simply wore off and what we're left with is a young artist not yet ready for prime time.

That women in the music industry are under more scrutiny than men is a given. Because I am approximately 150-years-old, and having this reference at my disposal, I'm also reminded of the Replacements SNL performance in 1986, which was pretty stinky as well. Now I am a huge fan of the Replacements, but with enough historical distance, it's become part of the band's legendary pathos. I still don't image a female artists being granted the same. (See Marianne Faithfull.)