Lana Del Rey defended her comments about women of colour again by… comparing herself to another woman of colour
Lana Del Rey. (Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy )
Lana Del Rey has doubled down on her defence against accusations of racism after a controversial Instagram post last week (May 21) by comparing herself to FKA Twigs.
The “Video Games” hitmaker delivered a broadside against the treatment of women in the music industry, defending her music from accusations of “glamorising abuse”.
In doing so she spotlighted several Black artists, such as Doja Cat, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé, for scoring number ones “with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, f**king, cheating, etc”.
Del Rey’s words sparked debates around race, with many accusing her of erasing Black women from musical history and from the struggles of women in general, prompting her to dismiss racism accusations as “bulls**t” on Friday (May 22).
On Sunday (May 24), the singer again clarified the intentions of her original post in a six-minute-long Instagram post.
Del Rey, in an effort to defend herself for comparing herself to women of colour, then compared herself to FKA Twigs, a woman of colour, and how the industry responds to their music and their pole dances.
‘When I mentioned women who look like me, I didn’t mean white like me’.
“Hey, so I don’t want to beat a dead horse and I don’t want to, you know, go on and on about this post thing, but I just want to remind you that in that post, my one and only personal declaration I’ve ever made, thanks for being so warm and welcoming, you know, was about the need for fragility in the feminist movement,” Lana Del Rey said in the video.
“It’s gonna be important.
“And when I mentioned women who look like me, I didn’t mean white like me, I mean the kind of women who, you know, other people might not believe, because they think, ‘Oh, well, look at her, she f**king deserves it,’ or whatever.”
In the original post, she described how: “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.
“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 glamorising abuse?”
Lana Del Rey contrasts herself to FKA Twigs to highlight the different treatments of women in the music industry.
Expanding further on her thoughts, Lana Del Rey compared herself to FKA Twigs.
“I just think it’s sad that the women I mentioned about, whether they sing about dancing for money, or whatever, the same stuff, by the way, that I’ve been singing about chronically for 13 years; that’s why I’m in that echelon.
“Yes, they are my friends and peers, contemporaries. The difference is, when I get on the pole people call me a whore, but when [FKA] Twigs gets on the pole, it’s art.
“So, you know, I mean, I’m reminded constantly by my friends that lyrically there are layers and complicated psychological factors that play into some of my songwriting, but I just want to say, you know, the culture is super sick right now.”
She continued: “And the fact that they want to turn my post, my advocacy for fragility into a race war, it’s really bad.
“You know, I think what’s really sad is as a personal advocate, as a girls’ girl, as somebody who wants the best for every culture.
“I just want to say to all of the other women out there who are like me, good girls, good-intentioned, get f***d up the ass constantly by the culture just because you say what you really mean: I’m with you.
“I feel for you, and I know that you feel for me.”
“You can call me whatever.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t add one caucasian, 100 per cent caucasian person into the mix of the women that I admire. It really says more about you than it does about me.”
Lana Del Rey tucks her new album name, Chemtrails Over the Country Club, in her lengthy defence.
Lana Del Rey then added that her upcoming album will be titled Chemtrails Over the Country Club before ranting: “I’m not the enemy, and I’m definitely not racist, so don’t get it twisted.
“Nobody gets to tell your story except for you, and that’s what I’m gonna do in the next couple books.
“So, God bless and, yeah, f**k off if you don’t like the post.”
