Everyone has heard the song “Take Me to Church” by the Irish musician Andrew Hozier-Byrne, known as Hozier, at least one time. The grammy nominated song has topped the charts over the past two years since its release in September of 2013. Shortly after the release of the track, Hozier released the music video. The music video, shot in grey-scale, displays the relationship between a same sex couple and the violent homophobic backlash by the community as they learn of one of the man’s sexuality. The video itself references visual references to widespread anti-gay sentiment in Russia, where filmed attacks on homosexuals are not unusual.
The music video is a way for Hozier to take a stance against hate and human rights. In an interview with Fuse, the musician walks through the meaning of the music video.
“Take Me To Church’ has sparked a lot of conversation, I guess,” he tells Fuse. “I didn’t write the song to provoke any kind of negative reaction or anything like that. The song, to me, is about what it is to be a human, what it is to love someone as a human being, and organizations that would undermine that, and undermine the more natural parts of being a person. If you feel offended or disgusted by the image of two people kissing, if that’s what it is, but you’re more disgusted by that than the actual violence…I think you should take a look at your values, maybe. I don’t think there really should be a controversy when we’re talking about a basic human right and the equal treatment of people. Electing a person in the place of an organization, like the church, as something that is worth worshiping and something that is worth loving, something tangible and real…There’s a lot to the song, but if I need to stand up and swing from the corner, I’m happy to do that.”
In the recent month, Hozier released his video for “Work Song,” another track on his debut album. The video is simple and takes place in a small concert hall with a dance-centric visual to accompany it. To some though, the video was a disappointment in that it only featured heterosexual couples and does not stray past a heteronmorative narrative.
With such a powerful message that the “Take Me to Church” music video provides, I agree that it is a disappointment to just drop the notion of homosexuality altogether in “Work Song.” Although it would have been nice to see some reference to a same sex relationship in the music video, Hozier does not need to be the main person spotlighting gay couples. Hozier’s message is not to be the main figure fighting for LGBT rights. If you look at artist Sam Smith, he is an openly gay musician that states his music is about his own love affairs with other guys. But if you watch the music video for “Not the Only One,” he uses a heterosexual couple to represent his own relations.
In conclusion, I feel that Hozier is not in the wrong for displaying heteronormative relationships in “Work Song” after using a same sex relationship in “Take Me to Church,” even if it is disappointing.
Iliza Shlesinger is a stand up comedian from Dallas, Texas. She was the winner of Last Comic Standing 2008 and became the first woman, and youngest, to win. Her witty personality, mixed with vulgar language, has led to “War Paint” (2013) and “Freezing Hot” (2015) on Netflix. Within her two specials. she has four main topics that emphasize the societal problems that women face on a daily basis. These issues may not be stated directly from Shlesinger, or even conscious to her, but they are ever-present.
1. Gender Separation
Throughout the show “Freezing Hot,” Iliza continually refers to how women and men are wired differently. She even states to the audience that “you must act like a lady and not like a guy. We’re [women] just not built like that.” She will constantly say, “For guys….” or “For girls…” This comes up when discussing how men and women perform different acts. This includes conversations, food, and what to do after you have been sexually rejected.
One of the main points of both specials is the idea of how men can do gross things with their penises and women have no recourse…until now. Women are always susceptible to (in her own words) “the agility of your [man] flaccid penis as it slaps in rhythmic repetition against either one of your clearly never seen by the sun thighs…” But for Iliza, she has created, “Raptor-Vag”. This is a way to instill fear onto men as being susceptible to raptor-vag from women. It’s only fair, right?
2. Dependence vs. Power
While Iliza talks about the separation between the genetic makeup of men and women, she also refers to how women are dependent on a man, but hold the upper hand in power. One example of how women are dependent on the man is when it comes to the weather. They look to the man to know the weather, as well as what outer-layer to put on depending on the weather. She also goes to say that you must always have one guy friend with you when you go out because he will always find the car (even though who takes a car to the bar?). Men have a better tracking system than females. Women do not take the responsibility to see where they parked the car. Do not rely on girl GPS!
When it comes to power, the female holds a lot of power in the relationship. One of the simplest ways that a woman shows her power is through something that every girl does. And that is Pinterest. Women will go above and beyond to plan their future wedding or any other significant event in their life. Another way that women show their power, is by playing off of a mans vulnerability. When a man is weak, perhaps he just broke up with his girlfriend and looking for another girl, a girl will become the “evil witch” and lure him by telling him enticing lies. By doing so, they know that they are able to hook the guy into being interested in them. Another main point found is that women will start a fight to see if the man thought he started the fight. They want to make sure that their “powers” are still strong.
Women have always been considered the gatherers of the groups, while men are the hunters. Iliza sees it as women gather information to hunt for men. The bars are their hunting grounds.
“It’s a contradiction wrapped in a bow; pretty; glitter.” This is how Iliza explains girl logic. Basically, she is saying that “wanting what you can’t have or wanting the one thing that you want, but not wanting whatever makes that thing a thing.” Throughout the specials, there is constant references to girl logic. A lot of these references are based on the experiences of her girlfriends. She goes into how society can play a role in how women act. She states that women have always been accused of being feeble-minded, and occasionally they will play into that to get something. In addition, women are known to send mixed messages. They won’t tell you why they are mad, but they expect you to know. They can create conflict, were there was none. A fact that Iliza had thrown out was that 90% of activities that girls engage in revolve around getting a guys attention. Girls will lie if they want to impress a guy.
4. Media Corruption
In both series, Iliza talks of the impacts that media has on female appearance. Iliza is convinced that society operates on the currency of insecurities. She feels that women have too many options for weight loss. She states that most women magazines will send a negative message through their ads “Make them feel like their bodies are unacceptable and sell them some shit.” “You’re amazing, but you need to lose ten pounds.” “Love your body, love your hair; whatever you have been doing is wrong.” They want you to accept yourself, but then give you diet tips because, well, you may be overweight. While it may be true for men as well, magazines are promoting for a different type of image. For men, they want to portray the image of rock hard abs and an absolute jacked physique. They may tell you how to lose some weight, but sell you products to help you gain weight in muscle.
In addition to weight loss issues found in media, Iliza makes it clear that most products sold today (mainly make-up products) send a mixed message with a whorey undertone. She uses the example of an eyeliner called “Bad Gal” as well as blush called “Flirty Girl.” To her, the problem is not that it is a mixed message, but that there is a negative message and men reap a positive effect. “Oh she’s a bad gal, maybe she’ll touch my D.” But through observation, she has noticed that there are no mens products available where women reap a positive effect.
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After watching Shlesinger’s two specials, one may wonder if Iliza considers herself a feminist? Her shows are about the female gender and she is all for defending girls against society? In terms of feminism, Iliza Shlesinger doesn’t care if you think she is a feminist or not. She is only cares to make you laugh. “She’s not socially conscious, she makes sweeping and unflattering generalizations about her female friends, and she paints an unsettling commentary on dating for women.” (http://thelaughbutton.com/features/iliza-shlesinger-battles-political-correctness-social-conventions-war-paint-review/)
Another question that may be posed is what other females, especially feminist, think about her? In an interview Split Sider, Shlesinger was asked about fear of backlash from other women, especially feminist about her naked cover for “War Paint”. Her response:
I was not afraid of that, because part of what we [comedians] do is put it out there and not apologize about it. It isn’t that I’ve offended someone or said something horrible and Being a feminist is all about keeping things equal and people are allowed to… why not use whatever assets you have. I happen to be in shape. As a woman you should be proud of that. I think we live in a society where women are told to be thin and be in shape, but the second you are, don’t flaunt it, because you’ll make other people insecure. I just don’t subscribe to that. I was raised in a house where I never heard my mom talk bad about other women. It was always, “Ah! Look at her, she’s so beautiful.” “Look at her hair. It’s so amazing.” My mom never called anyone a bitch, so you know I grew up admiring other women for being attractive or for being funny or smart and not being jealous. Obviously we all get jealous, it’s a human thing. So, what I’d say to anyone is if that cover bothers you you’re going to need to look inside and think why that bothers you, because it’s not on me. (http://splitsider.com/2015/01/iliza-shlesinger-and-the-contradictions-of-freezing-hot/)
Iliza Shlesinger is a “confident, independent women who listens to Beyoncé, surfboard” and is not afraid to say what she wants to say.To some her content may be a little vulgar and offensive, but to others its just the facts of life. Women live in a society where there is constant judgement, but men are harshly judged by society as well. In my opinion, she does not represent a high feminist figure and is not promoting a feminist movement. She is merely doing her job, which is to make you laugh. Her material is created to be relatable to the audience. She employs a nasally, baby voice to mimic a certain type of woman, ” a young, somewhat vacuous singleton.” She does this to make it relatable; not to make fun. “Everyone thinks the world is out to get them; people need to lighten up and have a laugh.”
Violent Femmes 2015 