Monday, November 16, 2009

How Many Licks

From previous class discussions, especially when we read Andi Zeisler's piece, we've talked about how more and more female entertainers have chosen the route of exploiting their sexuality in order to gain more fame and popularity. However, singer/rapper, Lil' Kim, was able to take this to a whole new level, making Hannah Montana's pole slide look like a polite curtsey. With her explicit lyrics, racy music videos, and near-to-nothing wardrobe, Lil' Kim appeared to be inviting all the guys for a sampling of what she had to offer sexually.

"Since black female sexuality has been represented in racist/sexist iconography as more free and liberated, many black women singers, irrespective of the quality of their voices, have cultivated an image which suggests they are sexually available and licentious.....the black female gody gais attention only when it is synonymous with accessibility, availability, when it is sexually deviant" (Hooks, 65-66).

Let's be honest, we probably wouldn't even know who Lil' Kim was if she hadn't presented herself as the sexual seductress that she is. Do you think she would have been able to get away with her sexually charged lyrics if she were white?

Below is Lil' Kim's video for "How Many Licks." No lie, the immature 6th grader within me came out and I started to blush upon watching this.

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4 comments:

  1. Jessica TirschwellNovember 16, 2009 at 10:46 PM

    Lil Kim definitely takes this song to a whole new level with her sexuality.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glenngelina JolieNovember 17, 2009 at 5:34 PM

    There are so many songs that refer sex and/or sexualized body parts. It's ridiculous how most music can't be more different.

    Just to name a few

    "Ego" Beyonce
    "3" Britney Spears
    "She Wolf" Shakira
    "My Neck, My Back"
    Dirrty" Christina Aguilera

    Notice these are all by female singers as well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. StiltsNovember 18, 2009 at 10:50 AM

    How can we leave out "Put It In Your Mouth?"

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5QLwk5QnP0&feature=related

    ReplyDelete
  4. StiltsNovember 18, 2009 at 11:04 AM

    Also, am I wrong in that this song is actually a bit empowering? It twists the typical music video mentality, and uses men as props--the woman is in a highly sexualized position of power, and the song is about what she has all these different men do to her...she's the authority figure.

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