A few weeks ago, I read an article on Autostraddle entitled "Why Taylor Swift Offends Little Monsters, Feminists, and Weirdos." Everything about this article was perfect. Some of my favorite moments are "Songs like “Fifteen” dig up the ancient Puritan ideal that girls can only access power by confidently and heterosexually denying access to their pants" and "Other girls are obstacles; undeserving enemies who steal Taylor’s soulmates with their bewitching good looks and sexual availability." Be sure to check out the whole article, which includes a symbolic analysis of Swift songs.So Swift has been covered. Then, a week ago my fiance showed me a Justin Bieber video claiming that if my drag persona was Aaron Carter, hers would be Justin Bieber. I began paying attention to this newly sixteen-year-old who features Ludacris in one of his songs. Bieber and Swift have had a few internet-exchanges, as well as commenting on each other in interviews. Why have these two stars so recently emerged with such fame? What can they tell us about what it means to musically succeed with a fan-base that includes pre-teens, adults, and young children? After watching his videos a few times and considering the three-year-old who cried on YouTube because she loves Justin Bieber so much, I realized that just as much as we are angered by Taylor Swift's messages of chastity, dependence on boyfriends, and needing to look beautiful to get the guy, we should be similarly up-in-arms over Justin Bieber.
Justin Bieber came to fame by posting videos of himself on YouTube, hence demonstrating (as did Tila Tequila) that the internet is the new "Star Search". His most famous songs and videos are "Baby" and "One Less Lonely Girl." If these few titles aren't enough to concern you, let's take a look at some of Bieber's main messages:
1. Justin Bieber falls in love at first sight.
But only with beautiful girls who do their own laundry and who look way older than him. Preteen girls look for romance listen up: ALWAYS look you best. Even if you are just going to the laundromat. Because you never know when the love of your life will walk by, and he won't bother starting up a conversation because your pretty smile is all he needs to know he wants you.
2. Gifts are the way to a girl's heart.
In "One Less Lonely Girl," Bieber coerces his lady-interest to embark on a wild scavenger hunt to get back her scarf that she dropped and he stole. On this search she encounters several pictures and messages from Bieber stating that he will buy her expensive chocolate, flowers, and PUPPIES! Okay, he won't actually give her puppies (several parents are probably glad of this), but he will shower her with kisses like a puppy. In "Baby" he sings "I'll buy you any ring" to get his hottie back. And to really get the point across, in "One Love" he proves that he isn't leaving his love by singing "My money is yours." So now Bieber fans are led to believe that the boy of your dreams will fall in love with you at first sight, AND that he will buy you expensive presents/give you all his money to win you over.
3. Hot boys (like Justin) will not take NO for an answer.
That's right! The storyline behind "Baby" is that his girlfriend/love interest says that they are just friends, but Bieber knows better. His friends, such as Degrassi star and rapper Drake cheer him on as he follows his love around a bowling alley to keep her with him. Even when she pushes him away, moves over a seat, and sends fairly clear signals that she does not want him to follow her, Bieber 'knows' that she is only playing 'hard-to-get.' In fact, at the end of the video she leaves with him! So forget about your autonomy and independence, Justin Bieber calls the shots in your relationship. After he's fallen for your looks and won you over with presents, there's no way out.
4. Be pure, until you're with him.
This message is kind of a shocker when you consider that he is only 16, sings for pre-teens, and seem eerily similar to Taylor Swift. But take a look at the chorus in "First Dance":
Only if you give give the first dance to me
Girl I promise I'll be gentle
But we gotta do it slowly
If you give give the first dance to me
I'm gon' cherish every moment
Cuz it only happens once once in a lifetime
This song is definitely NOT about prom. He is not very subtle in his comparison between losing one's virginity and the first dance at prom. Later, he refers to tasting the girl's lip gloss, being all alone, and the parents now knowing. Usher's clever addition includes:
Girl if you see something you like then let 'em know
Cuz you only got one chance
For your first dance
So take advantage of the slow down
So to be appreciated by Bieber, he must be your first. At least the girl does have some autonomy, as expressed in Usher's section. But the weight that is put on the 'first dance' is a little daunting. Maybe that's the way out of your relationship with Bieber-- let it slip that he's not your first...
Now, I have nothing against emerging sexuality, safe sex practices, or expressing your love through thoughtful gifts. What I do have a problem with is communicating to young heterosexual women that they should listen to Taylor Swift and give up their autonomy and focus on looking good for boys like Bieber. Plus, Bieber communicates to young heterosexual boys that once they have chosen their beautiful love, they should aggressively buy things to win her over, and to keep her. In his songs there is no mutual communication between the two people; there is no place where he allows for rejection. Confidence is one thing, assumed ownership is another.
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If Beiber and Swift actually made an album together, I imagine that the video for the title song would go like this:
Enter on a scene of Taylor, throwing away her glasses, schoolbooks, and practical t-shirt. She dons instead a white, slightly low-cut dress and makes her way to the school dance.
Justin, in a tailored suit and trucker's cap and walking through the park with his friends, stops in his tracks as he sees Taylor. He's seen her before (in Math class), but never paid her much attention since she normally wears pony-tails and volunteers answers to the teacher's questions. His friends might mock him just a little for his choice, since they all remember what she is normally like, but he pays them no mind.
He jogs up to her, pulling a diamond necklace from his pocket (where he keeps it for just the right girl). Taylor is floored-- that push-up bra sure did the trick! Justin gives a speech with perfectly timed beats about his yacht, country club, and convertible, and how he will give it all to Taylor. There's just one catch, he must be Taylor's first. Since Taylor has never had a real, hot, popular boy pay her any attention, she accepts! She becomes effectively his property, never again to cry on her guitar, calculator, or glasses case.
But then the video moves on to four months down the road, when Taylor (hopefully) realizes that she should value herself without that value being contingent on Justin's gifts. Justin, too, realizes that he should value himself for more than what he can buy.
They both live happily, competently, and independently ever after.
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Let's stop teaching young people to rely on the opposite sex, dating, and money to feel worthy. Let's give everyone mutual autonomy in relationships, and the sexual freedom to choose who, when, how, and why to engage in romance.
Justin Bieber, you may look like an adorable lesbian, but you cannot buy my love.
