Vrik med numsen og bliv taget i røven af musikindustrien – Sinead O’Connor belærer Miley Cyrus og de unge poppiger
3. oktober 2013Den unge sangstjerne Miley Curys har været et hot emne i – ikke mindst – de amerikanske medier. Ikke så meget på grund af sin populære musik, men fordi pigebarnet er sprunget ud som en voksen ung dame, der kan sælge sin musik med utvetydige seksuelle signaler. At vrikke med numsen og antyde fellatio ( = blowjob) i musikvidoer er stærk kost for de i forvejen seksualmoralsk labile amerikanerne. Men som en anden ung sangerinde – Rihanna – viser i sin nyeste video, så fortsætter man da bare med at overgå hinanden i tweerking og seksual innuendo. For pop og rock har altid været – og vil sandsynligvis altid være – inficeret med hen- og antydninger med rod i det menneskelige seksualliv.
Derfor er det ganske befriende, at en garvet rotte udi faget – sangerinde Sinead O’ Connor – har taget sig sammen til at skrive et brev til Miley Cyrus, hvori hun umisforståeligt fortæller den naive unge poptøs, hvordan virkeligheden er i musikindustrien, hvor det vigtigste ikke er hverken musik eller sex, men – penge. Vrik du bare med numsen, så skal musikindustrien nok tage dig i røven. Sådan cirka kan det kritiske budskab koges ned.
Dear Miley,
I wasn’t going to write this letter, but today i’ve been dodging phone calls from various newspapers who wished me to remark upon your having said in Rolling Stone your “Wrecking Ball†video was designed to be similar to the one for “Nothing Compares†… So this is what I need to say … And it is said in the spirit of motherliness and with love.
I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way “cool†to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos. It is in fact the case that you will obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped, whether it’s the music business or yourself doing the pimping.
Nothing but harm will come in the long run, from allowing yourself to be exploited, and it is absolutely NOT in ANY way an empowerment of yourself or any other young women, for you to send across the message that you are to be valued (even by you) more for your sexual appeal than your obvious talent.
I am happy to hear I am somewhat of a role model for you and I hope that because of that you will pay close attention to what I am telling you.
The music business doesn’t give a sh– about you, or any of us. They will prostitute you for all you are worth, and cleverly make you think its what YOU wanted.. and when you end up in rehab as a result of being prostituted, “they†will be sunning themselves on their yachts in Antigua, which they bought by selling your body and you will find yourself very alone.
None of the men oggling you give a sh– about you either, do not be fooled. Many’s the woman mistook lust for love. If they want you sexually that doesn’t mean they give a f— about you. All the more true when you unwittingly give the impression you don’t give much of a f— about yourself. And when you employ people who give the impression they don’t give much of a f— about you either. No one who cares about you could support your being pimped.. and that includes you yourself.
Yes, I’m suggesting you don’t care for yourself. That has to change. You ought be protected as a precious young lady by anyone in your employ and anyone around you, including you. This is a dangerous world. We don’t encourage our daughters to walk around naked in it because it makes them prey for animals and less than animals, a distressing majority of whom work in the music industry and its associated media.
You are worth more than your body or your sexual appeal. The world of showbiz doesn’t see things that way, they like things to be seen the other way, whether they are magazines who want you on their cover, or whatever.. Don’t be under any illusions.. ALL of them want you because they’re making money off your youth and your beauty.. which they could not do except for the fact your youth makes you blind to the evils of show business. If you have an innocent heart you can’t recognise those who do not.
I repeat, you have enough talent that you don’t need to let the music business make a prostitute of you. You shouldn’t let them make a fool of you either. Don’t think for a moment that any of them give a flying f— about you. They’re there for the money.. we’re there for the music. It has always been that way and it will always be that way. The sooner a young lady gets to know that, the sooner she can be REALLY in control.
You also said in Rolling Stone that your look is based on mine. The look I chose, I chose on purpose at a time when my record company were encouraging me to do what you have done. I felt I would rather be judged on my talent and not my looks. I am happy that I made that choice, not least because I do not find myself on the proverbial rag heap now that I am almost 47 yrs of age.. which unfortunately many female artists who have based their image around their sexuality, end up on when they reach middle age.
Real empowerment of yourself as a woman would be to in future refuse to exploit your body or your sexuality in order for men to make money from you. I needn’t even ask the question.. I’ve been in the business long enough to know that men are making more money than you are from you getting naked. It’s really not at all cool. And it’s sending dangerous signals to other young women. Please in future say no when you are asked to prostitute yourself. Your body is for you and your boyfriend. It isn’t for every spunk-spewing dirtbag on the net, or every greedy record company executive to buy his mistresses diamonds with.
As for the shedding of the Hannah Montana image.. whoever is telling you getting naked is the way to do that does absolutely NOT respect your talent, or you as a young lady. Your records are good enough for you not to need any shedding of Hannah Montana. She’s waaaaaaay gone by now.. Not because you got naked but because you make great records.
Whether we like it or not, us females in the industry are role models and as such we have to be extremely careful what messages we send to other women. The message you keep sending is that it’s somehow cool to be prostituted.. it’s so not cool Miley.. it’s dangerous. Women are to be valued for so much more than their sexuality. we aren’t merely objects of desire. I would be encouraging you to send healthier messages to your peers.. that they and you are worth more than what is currently going on in your career. Kindly fire any motherf—er who hasn’t expressed alarm, because they don’t care about you.
22. juni 2014 kl. 23:30
Måske er det derfor jeg er skeptisk overfor det meste show-musik. Jeg ved fra nogle kig, at Miley Cyrus kan noget, og jeg kan genkende lysten og glæden ved sex, og jeg kan også se civiliseret, disciplineret koreografi, som udtrykker en forbindelse mellem bamser og sex, og senere (længe efter dette indlæg blev offentliggjort) en kliche med nedbrydning af en mur, wrecking ball, som jeg ser som et alternativ til de piger, som skriger sig hæse for et boyband.
23. juni 2014 kl. 08:09
@Donald: Kombinationen af sex, økonomisk udbytning af kunstnere og populærmusik er lige sÃ¥ gammel som populærmusikken selv. Men kombinationen er nok blevet meget mere tydelig med Ã¥rene og den teknologiske udvikling. Jeg tror, at Sineads bekymring drejer sig om de unge (kvindelige) kunstneres utilstrækkelige bevidsthed om problemet. De er ikke altid klar over, at der er en sammenhæng mellem deres egen sexappeal og de økonomiske interesser i musikbranchen. Men der er nok undtagelser som fx den aktuelle ‘censurerede’ video fra Lady Gaga. Jeg deler O’Connors bekymringer. Ikke af puritanske grunde – for som sagt har sex og pop altid hørt sammen – men fordi de unge kunstnere let kommer i klemme mellem kunstneriske ambitioner og økonomiske interesser. Det er ogsÃ¥ en gammel konflikt.
25. juni 2014 kl. 21:08
Ja, jeg er med – og helt enig.