bossymarmalade | what a brave corporate logo!

This article in Feministe about the Telephone video is really pissing me off. In general because of the smug, insistent pedantry of it (look, just because the song's called "Telephone" it doesn't mean EVERY SINGLE EVENT must then revolve around the telephone; also, that is a honey bun and not a sandwich, idiot; also you are a fucking feminist writer and should know why it's not on to refer to the vulva as a "vagina"; also if you did the minimum of goddamn research you could refer to Gaga's partner in the prison yard as trainer Heather Cassils instead of "Very Friendly Smoking-Hot Butch Lady"), but in particular because of this:

And was it really necessary to subtitle the Asian woman's thoughts in a different language than everybody else's? No. No, it was not! I am not so cool with the ways that this video deals with race, I think. I mean, Beyonce's there, and presented as an equal and partner. Sure. But I am thinking like, this Asian girl and her special "hey, have you noticed this chick's Asian? Just thought I'd point that one out to you" subtitle ....

Hey there, did it ever occur to you that Asian women sometimes think and speak IN ASIAN LANGUAGES?!? Maybe she's thinking "a different language than everybody else's" (nice) because, hmmm, she has access to a "different language than everybody else". What's so wrong with her using it, or -- horror of horrors! -- reflexively reacting with it in her own mind? Is this a fucking performance sport?

This is a discourse that especially pisses me off as a diasporado, because as you all well know there are a TON of issues about many of us being systematically denied access to our source-tongues. I would *love* to be able to bust out cusswords or whatever in Hindi, even for my private unspoken reactions. Sometimes I feel like among Western white society, being an Anglophone when your source-language is a non-Romance one is taken as a sign of "goodness", like you're safer, more model of a minority, more assimilated; the reaction from Canadian white folks when I tell them, "no, I only speak English", is always one of surprise and approval. (It's a different story with Canadian brown people, but I'm not getting into that right now.)

So yes, maybe it *was* necessary to subtitle the Japanese woman's thoughts in Japanese in this context. Or did you assume that nobody watching the video would be able to understand those characters, so it was purely an exercise in exotification? Was her sudden Japanese subtitle making her Asianness a little too visible? Don't translate your own discomfort over the inscrutability (yes, I went there) of those characters into some generalizing "NO FOREIGN LANGUAGES PLZ" declaration for all of Western media, thank you.

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Okay, I finally watched it. My internet sucks, okay. I can say that I still don't understand the deal with the "One Piece" thing, it was probably a reference to the manga (as you, I would totally use it as an expletive). And I loved the girl on girl action and subtext, and all the weirdness. Sure, lesbian action is popular, but not so much with bunch women, or the "let's get rid of men" thing (the subtext on Beyonce and Gagas wasn't lesbian fanservice, but it was emotional/relationship thing).

But it was cissexist, Girl Power = Pussy Wagon, and the penis comment made me cringe.

The feministe review is just ridiculous though. *now she can go and read reviews*

Ridiculous and uber-insulting also. In so many levels. Just to leave it clear.

(And I so didn't want to derail the conversation from your point here about white ladies being all patronizing towards Asian people and their languages. And everyone else, because that review was painful.

Oh shit, I should learn to write all I want to say in a comment also.)

"or the "let's get rid of men" thing"

Not to say that that trope isn't problematic at all, "man hater lesbian." But it sure is rare for a pop star to use it and not center the lesbian action on straight men and their desires.

This is basically how I feel!

Fwiw, after learning that there is apparently a rumor that Lady Gaga has a penis (link via

bookshop on LJ), I read the penis comment in the video as a response to the rumor (and the people spreading it?).

But I literally became aware of Lady Gaga two weeks ago, so other people probably could comment better on whether my interpretation is valid.

Yes, it was a response to the rumor. (Boy, with the way I have heard about it, it surprises me someone out there still hasn't. XD) But still made me cringe, plus the "too bad" comment and all. Okay, I'm not an intersex person or a trans woman, but I think that, coming from a cis woman in a media/video about cis people for cis people (I don't held any illusions about that), it was objectifying, sensationalizing and kinda mocking.

*nods* That makes sense to me.

(Confession: I have only watched the video once. I don't know where my time goes.)

Well, look at this: http://blogout.justout.com/?p=15691

The officers are trans women. And Gaga says "we aren't born this way" in reference to being gay. Which is awesome. But seriously, the cis privilege makes me uncomfortable. I don't want to talk about trans issues as if were my experience, and there is the whole Pussy Wagon thing...

And okay, I did with trans issues as that Feministe blogger did about race, criticizing trans women talking about having or not having a penis, without even researching. That was stupid and cissexist from me.

There's so many layers to unpack in this video, it's amazing. I think

bookshop said up-thread that there are some parts that are A+++ and some that are FFF, which seems right on to me.

OMG, the Pussy Wagon. I think I understand what you're getting at. Also I thought immediately of Kill Bill, and then the whole video is very Tarantino-esque, which is a very interesting movie and a very interesting creator to be referencing so directly. Layers! Like cake!

Yeah, my sister also said it was a Kill Bill reference. But that's one movie I hate with its amazing racism. And well, to me, "Pussy Wagon" is still for "Women Power" (because we saw those words everywhere when B and Gaga are running) and that's definitely something I can say ignores the trans experience.

Yeah, I think Tarantino (particularly Kill Bill) has a similar mixture of aesthetics and problems--it's racist as the same time as it's at least superficially about female empowerment, but being performed for the (male) gaze of wider society (and directed by a man, no less). The fact that the video references the movie so explicitly makes me suspect that either Gaga or Akelund or both are knowingly acknowledging that.

"Pussy Wagon" is still for "Women Power" (because we saw those words everywhere when B and Gaga are running) and that's definitely something I can say ignores the trans experience.

…Because the trans women were left behind in the prison? I think you're right, regardless.

No. Pussy = Women. Some women don't have a pussy definitely. (Of course some trans women do, heck, but some don't)

Well, Kill Bill is about White women empowerment. Even at the cost of women of color and emasculation of Asian men (very typical), and it's about white dominance, Orientalism and Asian erasure (White people who excels and kills Asian in Martial Arts).

Yes, I just realized that the way I phrased that comment makes it sound like I think that the white female empowerment excuses the racism, which I do not. I apologize.

Yeah, I think Tarantino (particularly Kill Bill) has a similar mixture of aesthetics and problems--it's racist as the same time as it's at least superficially about white female empowerment, but being performed for the (male) gaze of wider society (and directed by a man, no less). And it's not possible to separate those aspects; they're intrinsically part of the story. But I think Tarantino wanted people to embrace the (white) woman out for revenge part of the story and either ignore or accept the racism as part of the movie's "homage to 70s schlockfests" feel (if he even noticed the racism in the story as such at all).

And given what you linked, I think Gaga similarly wants people to embrace or to get riled up about certain aspects of the video while disregarding other problematic ones.

what a brave corporate logo!

My thoughs on Yuri. I mean, Gaga.

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Re: My thoughs on Yuri. I mean, Gaga.

Re: My thoughs on Yuri. I mean, Gaga.

Re: My thoughs on Yuri. I mean, Gaga.

Re: My thoughs on Yuri. I mean, Gaga.

Re: My thoughs on Yuri. I mean, Gaga.

Re: My thoughs on Yuri. I mean, Gaga.

Re: My thoughs on Yuri. I mean, Gaga.

Re: My thoughs on Yuri. I mean, Gaga.

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