Keyword: pop music

Kanye West vs. White Mediocrity

Picture: Kanye West grabs the microphone from Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards courtesy Photo Giddy/flickr Arthur Chu - There was a lot to criticize about the “Saturday Night Live” 40th anniversary celebration–Jerry Seinfeld’s #SorryNotSorry joshing around about “SNL’s” 40-year history of whiteness, cringeworthy reminders of the show’s tendency to run dubiously funny gags into the ground, and the mystifying continued relevance of Sarah Palin. So it was strange–though not surprising, for Internet junkies–that Kanye West came in for an avalanche of...

Feminism Gone Awry: How to Be a Female Pop Star in Five Easy Steps

Picture: Raz Birkshaw/Wikimedia Commons Video Women pop stars are dominating the charts these days. Hooray! This is a major victory for feminism, right? Alas, it seems that some women are reaching the top of the charts by, ahem, less than feminist tactics. Harriet Gibsone has made an amazing, sharp-humored video on how you too can be a female pop star for The Guardian. Her tips include hiring a man to help you write a song, preferably about your body, because that's what you fans will want. And instead of merely celebrating...