Lana Del Rey is in the middle of a controversy, first going on the attack and then being attacked. It began with the singer going after critics of her music, critics who she says have accused her of "glamorizing abuse” in her songs. The 34-year-old took to social media to vent, stating that she was "fed up" with pop culture and its artists.
"Now that Doja Cat, Ariana, Camila, Cardi B, Kehlani and Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé have had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, f------, cheating, etc — can I please go back to singing about being embodied, feeling beautiful by being in love even if the relationship is not perfect, or dancing for money — or whatever I want — without being crucified or saying that I’m glamorizing abuse?" Del Rey asked in a lengthy Instagram post.
"I am fed up with female writers and alt singers saying that I glamorize abuse when in reality I'm just a glamorous person singing about the realities of what we are all now seeing are very prevalent emotionally abusive relationships all over the world," she continued.
The "Doin’ Time" hitmaker added: "Let's be clear, I'm not not a feminist — but there has to be a place in feminism for women who look and act like me — the kind of woman who says no but men hear yes. The kind of women who are slated mercilessly for being their authentic, delicate selves, the kind of women who get their own stories and voices taken away from them by stronger women or by men who hate women."
Del Rey's response drew widespread criticism from social media users, who took issue with the fact that she named mostly women of color in her statement.
"Even if you didn’t intend for this to be about race, the fact that you didn’t recognize that it is demonstrates your privilege. You are a rich, white, cishet woman. Like many people here have said, you have the upper hand in many ways," one Instagram follower wrote.
"You need to just apologize and not make excuses. No need to mention or step on black women in your white feminist essay," another user wrote.
"I don't know who was giving Lana Del Rey a hard time but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Black women. Girl, sing your little cocaine carols and leave us alone," writer and podcaster Jamilah Lemieux tweeted.
In her statement, Del Rey concluded by saying she would be detailing her thoughts and feelings in her next two books of poetry.
"And I'm sure there will be tinges of what I've been pondering in my new album that comes out September 5th," she added. "Thanks for reading. Happy quarantining."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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