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Has anyone seen the new window seat video by Erykah Badu? (Click on the pic to play.) Watch it (it's on her website, but not on youtube) and then read this short blog post: There's also pictures here.
Is the video "Feminist Art or Shameless Publicity Stunt"? What do you make of the ending?
Although this video was rather odd, I actually really liked it. I personally thought it had a good message. Although it was a bit graphic, it really seemed to get the point across. I dont think she was doing it as a publicity stunt because if it were for publicity I think she would have been making more of a scene. Instead she walked calmly and quietly down the streets as if no one was watching.
ReplyDelete-Heather Gaulke
I believe that this video was definitely Feminist Art and not a " Shameless Publicity Stunt". Anyone that knows Badu's work would know that she is a very eccentric, artistic woman and that she would not stoop to such lows just for attention. If you watch the video and know a little about the meaning behind it, it's filmed where Kennedey was assasinated in Dallas. So the video addresses that component of how people are killed or shuned for having different thoughts. It can also be interpretated along the lines of her shedding her "superficial layers" and showing her true self to the world as noted by some. Its a very interesting video with a strong message. The video contains more than mere nudity it is also full of bits of history. I hope that people do not miss out on the strong statements/messages she is trying to convey by focusing entirely on the fact that she took off her clothes; it's really unfortunate that many people have reacted this way though as if they have never seen a naked/half naked woman.
ReplyDelete- Krystal James
I do not see this as a publicity stunt what-so-ever. See, the common thing people would argue is that she is naked, which brings the connotation that it is sexual. Also, it shows vulnerability and supposedly feminists do not want women to be seen as vulnerable ever.
ReplyDeleteBut that is not the point of the video. The video is not a direct cry against sexist theories. But it is a stand against all inequalities but it is from the perspective of us as humans, as people, as a culture. I believe the correct way to view this video is with a complete feminist view and to take it to a step that our culture is not used to taking: do not look at it and perceive gender, but see Badu as a person.
Honestly, I am not offended or questioning the video. She is representing vulnerability by being naked in public, by being completely out in the open. I didn't see any sexual references or even the viewing of her body. Notice the camera never focused directly on her ass or breasts. It didn't need to. Her sexuality, meaning her desire for sex, had nothing to do with her message, despite the showing of her genitalia.
-Kelly Keating-
Kelly pretty much hit the nail on the head with her comment. It's not a publicity stunt but perhaps just a way to get people to watch. So it could be label a "stunt" because she might have done it so other people would watch it.
ReplyDeleteHaving seen the work of Badu before, I'm sure there is a whole deeper message to her walking down the street stripping and then getting randomly shot at the end. It's not my type of music video and I don't full understand it, but these are the kinds of things that Badu likes to do.
But like Kelly said, I don't think it was sexual at all just because she was naked or stripping down.
-Cara DeMarlie
I believe it was a Feminist Act, she knows what sells today like nudity and she does what she has to, to get peoples attention and then she puts a very good point at the end of the song. I really liked the whole thing. The way I interpreted it, was that she was showing that if people are going to just shut down the idea of a new thing and women speaking out like that, then women will never evolve. Nothing new and different will be accepted and becasuse people won't know what to do or say about it so they just shoot down the idea and we never evolve into a better society.
ReplyDelete-Kristin Frondal
I to also believe that the video was Feminist Art and not a Shameless Publicity stunt like others have said if you have followed the work of Erykah Badu over her musical career has work has always and I repeat have always been "outside the box of societal norms". Meaning her videos are made primarily to make you think and to spark emotion. When first watching the video I didn't quite understand the concept or where exactly the direction of the video was going but the end tied in everything. She discusses the issue of "Group Think" and how we as individuals need to be individuals and not be affected by the mindsets of our "Group".
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure in the weeks to come there will be banns of such on this video and it will be if not already the talk of everyone's conversation but this is simply because of other's non-ability to accept something new and frest. Everything is so concrete but with this video it takes alittle bit more thought process. I <3 it!
::::Monica Mickel::::
I agree with the other posts that Erykah Badu's video is a feminist act and not a shameless publicity stunt. Before I read this post, I had never heard of Erykah Badu. As I watched the video I was a bit confused as to what she was trying to do, but as the video went on I saw she was trying to make a point. When she started taking off her clothes by layers all the people did was stare at her like she was crazy. As someone stated earlier, the camera never zoomed in on her butt or breasts and the way the video was filmed showed that it wasn't a publicity stunt. She may have wanted to get their attention, but only so they would listen to her.
ReplyDeleteThe ending really connected all the dots for me. Erykah did something way outside of normal activity, and people didn't like that idea. So somebody shot her down and she portrayed just what our society does perfectly. Our society doesn't listen to what people's new ideas are, they just judge them by their actions, because people think all together and not as an individual.
-Mary Buss
Well that was definitley one of the most interesting videos I have ever seen. I think it sends a messages of change and freedom. As American's we are supposed to be "free people". So she walked down the street with no clothes on. I didn't see it as a publicity stunt at all. She didn't seem to care about the people around her, just herself. The shooting I thought was a metaphor for what society does to its people. They don't literally shoot us down when we're different, but they do it verbally and psychologically as if it's a bad thing to be different. All of the bystanders all looked at her funny because that is what they have been trained to do, but does every individual think that way? I didn't see this video as the least bit sexual.
ReplyDelete-Jackie Hund
-Jackie Hund
I think the video was feminist art. I am a fan of Erykah Badu and I kno0w for a fact she does not need to undress for attention. Badu has a weird way of getting her messages across,that most people are not aware of unless they are true followers.She is a waoman who believes in uplifting women and fighting for the cause. With people focusing on the nudity, they can miss the whole meaning behind it. this video has a deep meaning behind it that goes beyond getting nude for attention. this has nothing to do with being sexual in any kind of way. Her style is very unique and the vidoe shows we need change, and is promoting freedom. She
ReplyDeleteI think the ending of video is to show how women literally get shot down fighting for what they believe in. She shows the consequences for standing up for your rights. this video is a very good representation of feminisim. (Erica Jones)
This video was very interesting and rather shocking.I think that Badu did this music video in such a way to prove a point. I think this video was very feminist in the sense that people do not accept what they are not used to. The moment that someone does something out of the ordinary that we are not used to in our society, they automatically get punished or put down for it,and that is very sad. People should be able to express themselves without getting judged for it but that is just life. I think Badu was rather daring with her video and it shows in a way how strong woman can be. I think she wants to get across the point that you should do what you want without worrying about the consequences but unfortunately,in our society, people will always get judged for what they do. This video represents feminism very well. -Taylor McDonald
ReplyDeleteI really did not think much of this video. When I watched it, I was more focused on the people around, rather than her. I think this was because she is trying to show how people just stare at womens bodies when we're naked. They don't find them art, yet a sexual object. I believe this video was art because of the narrating in the beginning and end, and the tattoo on her back saying, "evolve." That particular tattoo had great significance to rhis video, as she stated at the end. I REALLY did not expect her to get shot. I am not very good at messages when it comes to videos or writing, so I was a bit confused why she chose to get shot.
ReplyDelete-Brianna Hund
I agree with Heather I thought the video was odd, but good. I don't believe it was a publicity stunt. She walked down the street very cool, calm, and collected. It also didn't show people staring at her anymore than they would if she were fully dressed. She wasn't out for attention to herself, but to make a statment about women. I have never heard of Erykah Badu so I am not used to her work, but from gathering information off of other peoples comments it was definatly a work of art, not a publicity stunt!! Ashley Kimbro
ReplyDeleteWhen I watched this video my first reaction was "wow", it was very shocking but I believe that the video did get the message across. I believe the video is feminist art and not a shameless publicity stunt. I agree with Brianna that this video is illustrating how people will just stare at womens bodies and they sometimes treat us like objects. I believe the ending of the video was about kennedy's assasination and how there might be consequences, major consequences like death for standing up for what you believe in. Eventhough I have never seen a video quite like this one, I do believe that it does have a very powerful message.
ReplyDelete-Alexa Stel
When I first watched the video, I didn't understand the words, only the chorus, so I was viewing the video based off what I was seeing. When I first viewed the entire video, I thought it was a women who just wanted to be seen or noticed. After watching the video from beginning to end, I was right. She isn't getting the attention from her spouse so she is just letting herself go. I really like this video and based off what I saw I think it was more of feminist art. I'm basing my facts off the "evolving" tattoo and the words from the chorus. I highly doubt it was a publicity stunt because she had a purpose of being naked in the beginning. Besides,everything was uncensored. The camera wasn't focusing on her butt, breast, or vagina. Badu's message was that she wants to get away and be free. She wants time to rewind. The rewinding theme,I thought, was cool. I love this video and when I looked up the lyrics it all came together. This is art and I like how she told a story starting from being naked on the ground to being covered with clothes and driving off. Sometimes to understand art it has to grab you attention and be seen from every direction.
ReplyDelete-Katherine Hallmon
I did not view the video as a publicity stunt at all. I feel that the video was aimed to be a feminist piece of art. The video is very unique and although the main theme may not jump out right away, there was definately an underlying message. Women's bodies should be respected and almost treated as art, not a sex object. In society, sex sells and businesses and more take advantage of this by using womens bodies. This video shows that there is more to women. I agree with Ashley in that the woman in the video walked so calm as to not call attention to herself. If this was a publicity stunt, a lot more attention would be focused on body parts and she would walk more "sexy" and haver her hair and makeup all done up.
ReplyDelete-Victoria Wilkin
I believe that this video was a feminist work of art. It wasn't sexual because they never focused on her breast or butt. She wasn't doing anything sexually provocative. She is showing that we need to not look at women for their breasts or anything sexual but to look at them as a person. We need to evolve and see that a person is more than just the breast and butts. Our society tells women that if we want to be successful we need to be sexy and businesses are taking advantage of that more and more. Women need to be treat with respect and not as just a sex object. Badu wasn't using this as a publicity stunt because there would be more attention to her breasts and the fact that see was naked. This video was definitely interesting and gave a different perspective on things.
ReplyDeleteSamantha Cale
This piece was most deff a work of art and a new take on being a feminist. In the video she is not concerned about how she looks, shes wearing sweats,hairs not done etc, so i no that shes trying to push the sex factor past that. In this video she gives the story of how being diffrent can lead to negative outcomes, i think that its amazing that she went that far to make the meaning of that message possible. It takes a strong women to do a act like that and still have respect. I feel that it was a very great take on the situation,and i have so much more respect and intrest in her as an artist and a women now.
ReplyDeleteAshley Merchant
I really don't know much about Badu. I did however, enjoy the video.
ReplyDeleteEvolving: back into the naked, pure self maybe? Into who she wants to be?
JFK: this I can't understand.
Public Nudity: I'm perfectly fine with public nudity. However, Badu even states at one point that she is worried about "traumatizing" the children with this nudity and guerilla filming. It was obviously a risk she was willing to take.
Feminist Art: I'm not sure it is completely there for me. The lyrics, JFK, and the nudity don't flow together for me. There's almost too much for me to understand and too much attempted. Yes, it is feminist art. Yet, it is not the ideal, I feel.
Like above, I agree she has to be strong and have self respect to pull off the act she did. In return, I respect her and her perspective.
-Kelsey Yoder
I thought this video was weird. I've never seen a music video like this before. Most music videos are about sex and drugs and half naked women, but I think this video was feminist art. Simply because she is slowly undressing and then still casually walking. Shes not waving her arms around, screaming, or trying to gather everyones attention like you would if it was a publicity stunt. This video definetley out of the ordinary and might open the door to more unique feminist art.
ReplyDelete-Rachel Sitter
I thought this video was interesting because of the comparisson to JFK assasination, and she ends up dying in the same spot as he was killed. I found this video very interesting because I have visited and stood on that exact spot. When I listened to the music I didnt think her calm music matched her daring personality. I do think this video was art and had a deeper meaning, but it is hard for something people to understand (like Lady Gaga's videos). I think the fact that her body was covered and they were focusing on her surroundings is important because it shows its shows that the video is not focusing on the nudity aspect of the video. Without a statement it is hard for people to understand the meaning of a video like this one, but once you figure it out, it means a lot more.
ReplyDeleteJesica Perrone
After watching the video for the first time I was confused and didn't know what to make of it.I felt that she was using her body in a sexual manner to get that attention on her video that she wanted. Yet, after watching a second time i realized more the point she was trying to get across. It seems to me that by Badu taking off her clothes she is trying to send the message of peeling off the layers of superficiality to become who she truly feels inside. She feels that in our society a person who expresses themselves is put down or in the videos case, gunned down.I feel that the video is clever and although she could have gotten the message across without using nudity, the video was effective.I like the song, and like that she is keeping issues of the public brought up.
ReplyDelete~Alyssa Hansen~
Erykah Badu’s “Window Seat” video was far from a shameless publicity stunt. I definitely believe the video was feminist art. The video was not overly sexual as most of today’s videos seem to be. Even though Erykah Badu is nude, she is not flailing around and bringing attention to herself. She is casually strolling down the street. Erykah Badu is known for being eccentric and over all different and all of her videos express this. With this video, I feel she took a historical moment and put it in a modern day scenario. She starts the video by saying “They play it safe. Are quick to assassinate what they do not understand,” I feel this is the definition of “groupthink.” I believe Badu’s goal was to show that you need to be an individual and that it is okay to stray away from the group. I agree with the other bloggers when they say the message was powerful.
ReplyDelete-Brittney Sallis-
I don't think the video was very provocative at all. That may be because it was played in reverse. Had the video been played from beginning (where she has clothes on)to end I think her point may have been more compelling. I saw it is more artistic then making a statement about feminism. I am not sure as to why she chose Dealy Plaza, or used the clip from President Kennedy's assassination. Seeing as how I believe it was an artistic piece, it didn't have to make sense. I think her motive may have been more about expressing her individuality, then about making a statement about feminism. The video is about groupthink, and for everyone to see/believe the same thing goes against the nature of the theme.
ReplyDeleteAngie Petersen
It was a very interesting music video, I am not sure I fully understood her meaning behind it though. By the end I did enjoy the song it became catchy. I appreciate her expressing herself and making a bold statement how ever I am not sure taking her cloths off was completely necessary.
ReplyDeleteKara Flower
I think that this was not a good choice for the video. I understand that she is trying to make a statement, but I think the same statement could have been made in another way. Personally I think laying in the street naked where President Kennedy was shoot & killed steps beyond the line of art to just a publicity stunt. Like I said if she wanted to make a statement and to have it heard and understood she could have done many other things. I think the majority of people who watch this video now are just going to see this as a stunt and not the meaning behind it that she was trying to express.
ReplyDelete~Rebecca Dudzinski
At first I didn't know what to think of the video because it sends off two different messages. Some people react with disapproval while others react with acceptance and awe. After watching the video three times I came to a conclusion. Erykah Badu was not trying to pull a publicity stunt; she's expressing herself through two different types of art: music and tangilble art. Her body is a symbol of beauty. She did this because most see womens naked bodies as sex objects, but she wants to change that. Its sort of inspiring; not that I'll do the same while walking down a street but :)
ReplyDelete-Courtney Dennis
I have heard many things about this video, but this was the first time I have seen it. I thought that it is extremely feminist, and also shows an artistic side to music. Badu's video was not overly sexual, but some may perceive this video in that way because of her nudity. I believe that Badu is trying to make a point by being naked in this video. In todays society people spend so much time looking and judging people rather than try to listen to them. I thought that it was interesting that Badu was shot and killed in the same spot JFK was. This video contains a lot of meaning for the viewers. I actually watched the video twice to help me get a deeper meaning of it. Badu stepped outside of what is considered "normal" and made a daring move. The message that I got from the video was that people just "shoot" down womens ideas and if we all do not take a stand now our world will not see any changes in feminism. Everyone above made excellent points, and I agree that this music video was very powerful.
ReplyDelete- Christine Lowe
First off, I found Badu's video to be inspiring. I'm not sure if it's just our generation who finds stuff like this inspiring or it would be all women. I'm sure American women would find this inspiring but maybe someone from a different culture would not. At first, I was confused and taken aback but I believe this is a work of feminist art. She wasn't trying to look sexy she was just taking a walk in the middle of the street butt-naked. Although the video was effective, I think she could have used another form instead of nudity for this. I think she was showing off her true self and it was inspiring. I liked this video a lot but I wouldn't watch it again.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Leonard
I find it interesting that people are making a big deal out of this video when women are always exploited in music videos. Although she is completely naked in the video, women in rap videos are always exploited and shown in a derogatory way. She is not showing her body in the same gross way other women are in certain music videos, she is using her body to make a empowering point.
ReplyDelete-Lindsay Hummel
I really liked the video eventhough there is alot of nudity. I would have to say that this video is art and not a publicity stunt. The point in this video was great. Also, she made her point in a nice calm manner and she didnt make go around flaunting her body all over town in crazy was. So I think that this video is powerful.
ReplyDeleteI just commented but forgot my name
ReplyDeleteJaleesa Burton
From looking at the video I feel that all Erykah Badu was just trying to create a very inspirational video for women. I don't know how and why society is trying to twist up what she is trying to do. Her purpose was not to just try and "sell" her album, her talent is what's going to sell albums. I feel that this is an artistic and feminist video that has probably really touched women around the world. I can see why some people would think that she is trying to sell her body but then again i don't understand why they would think that. Erykah was just stepping out of the norm and being unique. Overall, I enjoyed the video and it inspired me on several levels.
ReplyDelete-----> Denisha L. Price
When looking at this video I to belive that is was more of a femisnist act than anything else, I think she was trying to make a point in her video and not just doing for publicity. I think its ridicoulos that people are making a big deal about it because if you look at other vidoes they are very close to having no clothes on what so ever. In my point of view I think its very inspiring and that she is expressing herself and trying to make a point.
ReplyDelete-Jennifer Nicol ^^^^^^
ReplyDelete