Christina Aguilera’s hit song, “Beautiful” is amazingly powerful; it fights against several narrowly defined cultural norms.
She sings, “We are beautiful no matter what they say / Yes, words can't bring us down / Don't you bring me down today.” Though the lyrics themselves are empowering, they are even more so when combined with compelling images in the “Beautiful” music video. This video completely stunned me because of its controversial, progressive, un-mainstream attitude.
You should DEFINITELY watch it.
In the video, the camera flashes between shots of Christina and various marginalized individuals. It shows a gay man dressing up in a bra and putting on makeup, jewelry and a dress; an anorexic girl in her underwear, critically examining her painfully thin body in the mirror; two gay men making out on a park bench, with passerbys looking at them disapprovingly; a teenage girl being beaten up by “popular girls” because of her braces; an African American girl staring at magazine pictures of thin girls; a boy on a bus, dressed in black with spiked hair, with all the seats empty around him; a skinny boy trying to lift weights to get big. Amazing, powerful images in a quick sequence.
In the end, with Christina singing “Don’t you bring me down today,” these individuals arrive at personal strength. The anorexic girl smashes the mirror; the African American girl throws magazine pictures in the fire with a satisfied smile; the transgender man, gay couple, girl with the braces, boy dressed in black and skinny boy all smile, despite the efforts of others to degrade them and convince them that they are not “normal.”
Christina skillfully addresses a variety of cultural norms--body image, fashion, homosexuality, popularity--in a single video.
I hope other artists follow her example in the future. She has shown that music is power.
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