"It's important that people have an ability to contextualize how the violence came to be in the relationship," said Megan Lindsay, research assistant professor at the School of Social Work. With a topic so triggering, how is it possible to convey experiences and ideas Del Rey does without glamorizing it?
"There has to be a place in feminism for women who look and act like me."Ī post shared by Lana Del Rey Del Rey's exploration of domestic abuse and control in unhealthy relationships has long been considered problematic and harmful to impressionable listeners, her social media post invited society to question creative rights - humans make art to express emotions and experiences. "With all the topics women are finally allowed to explore I just want to say over the last 10 years I think it's pathetic that my minor lyrical exploration detailing my sometimes submissive or passive roles in my relationships has often made people say I've set women back hundreds of years," Del Rey wrote. In "Ultraviolence," the title track from her 2014 album, Del Rey sings "he hit me and it felt like a kiss." Her song "Off To The Races" perpetuates outdated gender norms in the lyrics "tell me you own me."ĭuring one of her most recent attempts to address the "culture" that has labeled her work a glamorization of abuse, Del Rey took to an Instagram post on May 21, 2020, digging herself into a deeper hole when she expressed her attitude toward women of color in the music industry.
Domestic violence imagery has made itself apparent in her cover art - the artwork for her 2012 single "Blue Jeans" pictures the singer in a chokehold from a tattooed man.īeyond visual art, themes of romanticizing abuse run through her lyrics as well. Lana’s aesthetics always seem something like a stream-of-consciousness daydream, but this particular daydream could be read as acknowledgment of recent controversies and the ongoing shift in her public image.While viewers unbeknownst to Del Rey's past may find the comment bizarre, a look through her career shows she is no stranger to controversy, and her most recent era is nothing but a continuation.ĭel Rey has long been associated with problematic undertones of glamorizing abuse. “Now that Doja Cat, Ariana, Camila, Cardi B, Kehlani and Nicki Minaj and Beyonce have had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, f-ing, cheating, etc,” Del Rey wrote, “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?” It’s hard not to think back to the controversial Instagram caption Del Rey penned over the summer in which she tried to set herself apart from pop artists who emphasized sex appeal as empowerment. Previously decked out in ladylike fashion, she now finds herself cavorting with wolves in the forest while dressed in pearls, mesh, and lace fit for a showgirl. Then, after the convertible crash, Lana reemerges. Though, the appearance of the infamous crystal mesh facemask, which Del Rey was criticized for wearing around fans (she claimed a protective plastic layer had been sewn in), makes an appearance, marking the video as decidedly of the moment for both the world and Del Rey’s public image. At first, the video seems like it could have served for the visual of almost any Del Rey single ever. There’s the vintage car, the Instagram filter-like after effects, and the entire vibe of vintage Americana and old school money Del Rey holds so dear. The clip starts with Del Rey in a bubble of the aesthetics she’s cultivated over her career. The video also seems to at least touch on, intentionally or not, some of Del Rey’s recent controversies, but also ends in the singer-songwriter quite literally transforming. So, perhaps it’s telling that in her new video for “Chemtrails Over The Country Club,” the lead single for the upcoming album of the same name, she sets fire to a cherry red vintage Mercedes convertible after losing control of the car.
Vintage automobiles have become such a key part of Lana Del Rey‘s particular aesthetic-so much so that they’ve appeared on four of her album covers, along with a handful of singles cover as well.
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