Shallowvibing

[shallowvibing-blog]

Power, a playlist by sclubbie09 on Spotify

A playlist featuring Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, and others

[shallowvibing-blog]

6, a playlist by sclubbie09 on Spotify

A playlist featuring Tom Misch, Jhene Aiko, Stevie Wonder, and others

Series - meant to be played in order. The music allows you to tell a story yourself. 

[makeuphall]

[shallowvibing-blog]

Tom Misch

Tom Misch, Category: Artist, Albums: Geography, Beat Tape 2, Singles: Lost in Paris, It Runs Through Me, Water Baby, Movie

[shallowvibing-blog]

how you made me feel - strong enough to write a final paper on you

[shallowvibing-blog]

[beautiful-black]

[shallowvibing-blog]

Miranda Lambert and Performance

https://soundcloud.com/user-745894809/miranda-lambert-and-performance

This podcast covers performance and generational differences in the song, "Mama's Broken Heart" by Miranda Lambert. Within the podcast, three different generations of the same family share their views on relationships as acting within societal standards.

[shallowvibing-blog]

Be Real: Be Beautiful

In 2016, I went through a traumatic experience with Proactiv, causing me to cover my skin up with as much makeup as I had to feel better about the allergic reaction that the product had caused. During the same time, Alicia Keys was swearing off makeup with the release of the album cover for her 2016 work, Here. Keys shared a heartfelt promise to stay true to her natural beauty, penning a piece describing exactly the need I felt to cover up the marks that I was ashamed of on my face. Her decision to remain makeup free started in June of 2016; in December, she appeared on four different ELLE Brasil Magazine covers, all without makeup. 

The September issues picturing Alicia Keys all featured her wearing no makeup, but also wearing traditionally African American associated hairstyles. She sported orange and brown box braids, large gold hoops (before hoops were made popular within the last year) and was presented with a bright backdrop, drawing even more attention to her skin tone, freckles, and hairstyle. Three of the four covers picture her facing the camera directly, while one cover features her almost peering down at the viewer, another position of power. Each cover features a statement about being: be cool, be yourself, be real, and be strong. Focusing on the cover labeled “Be Real,” the zoomed in image focusing directly on Alicia’s face; looking right into the eyes of the viewer exudes confidence. The white background forces the viewer to focus purely on Alicia; there are no other distractions. The openness of a direct image of Alicia’s face as well as a white backdrop highlights the meaning of ”Be Real,” in terms of Alicia’s movement to go makeup free as well as stay true to yourself.  

The covers were released about three months after Keys announced her decision to start being makeup free, “...because she uses her image and visibility to raise important debates by openly talking about patterns, showing her vulnerabilities and challenging her own barriers” (Young). While Alicia may not be the first person associated with hip-hop, her music has spanned over two decades, winning 15 Grammy’s within 18 years. The public discourse involving her decision to go makeup free representing both her image and her music shined a light on her place in the public eye, as well as identifying the powerful place in the feminist movement she holds.  

In a time faced with the possibility of the first female president, Hillary Clinton, artists were making a stand in both a political sense and a social sense. The statement, “The Future is Female” was coined, being printed on T-shirts, bumper stickers, and signs, branding the year 2016 as the year of the girl. With these movements in mind, Alicia’s magazine cover represented what was wanted and thought to be achieved in 2016. Confidence exuded from Clinton as women everywhere celebrated the possibility of a future female president, inspiring hopes in the minds of young girls who may look much like Clinton herself.  Similarly, Keys is inspiring young girls to rewrite what is expected of them: the no makeup movement is another step towards redefining what it means to be a girl.  

Girls are faced with images every day describing the “perfect” woman. By focusing on this small act of wearing no makeup (which in all reality, is a huge decision for lots of women), Keys is speaking directly to those who are putting down “the future is female” movement. In a track from the album inspiring her change towards no makeup Keys sings the song, “Girl Can’t Be Herself.” Within, Keys sings:

Uh, uh, I'm so secure with insecurities Why is being unique such an impurity? Why are the numbers on the scale like a god to me? All of these indifferences are based on our appearances We please to be appeased The truest pleasure is the fact that we can breathe Think it into existence, do it, then achieve

The song speaks directly to her message, along with the visual of the ELLE Magazine spread. The directness of her message relates to the straightforwardness of the cover – you can’t confuse the message for anything else. While Keys did not design the spread, the creators followed both her example through her well-known and announced no makeup campaign and the current political and social movements in the United States, even though this magazine was produced in Brasil. Because the pictures are also contained within digital copies, they are able to be shown all throughout the world. Drawing attention to the powerful and impactful message of both ELLE Brasil and Alicia Keys herself.  

Images: 

“Alicia Keys Shows Her True Colours on Four Covers of Elle Brazil.” Channel, 2 Sept. 2017, www.channel24.co.za/Gossip/News/alicia-keys-shows-her-true-colours-on-four-covers-of-elle-brazil-20170901.

“Seeing Young Girls and Women Rocking Feminist Attire, Takes the Cake in My Book. The Future Is Female. | Feminism, Equality and Rights | Pinterest | Women Empowerment, Feminism and Ladies Day.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.com.au/pin/360499145166629252/.

Style, BellaNaija. “Be Yourself! Alicia Keys Is Gorgeous and Bare-Faced for Elle Brasil Magazine September Issue.” BellaNaija, 2 Sept. 2017, www.bellanaija.com/2017/09/alicia-keys-gorgeous-bare-faced-elle-brasil-magazine-september-issue/.

[shallowvibing-blog]

The Birth of a Star

The meat dress. A jazz singer. Oscar nominated alongside Bradley Cooper. Lady Gaga has reinvented herself countless times since her pop debut in 2008 with the song, ”Poker Face.” Before this debut, pop music wasn’t introduced to Lady Gaga or Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta – on purpose. According to popMatters writer Sarah Watson, Stefani was first described as unmarketable because, ”Appearance-wise, she's described variably as ’chunky’, ’overweight’, ’pedestrian’, ’a girl with no taste’, ’out of place’, ’derivative’, ’not pretty enough to be a pop star’, and endless other descriptions all adding up to the same conclusion: in the looks department, she's nothing special, and if she seems ’hot’ to the average American consumer today, that's just the result of effort, smoke, disco mirrors, and massive heaps of money.” In Watson’s review of the 2011 book, Poker Face: The Rise and Rise of Lady Gaga, she discusses the various lengths Gaga went in order to create her well-known persona that may be described as raunchy, provocative, or just downright weird. Her look is a calculated distraction created by both Gaga and her production team, supposedly to distract from her characteristically un-Hollywood looks. The Gaga look speaks directly to her role as a woman in music: she’s not considered to be pretty enough to own her talent so she disguises it with outward flash. This is almost ironic, as her 2018 Oscar nominated movie - ”A Star is Born” - focuses on bringing out her character Ally’s true personality, rather than the show or gimmick that she originally attempts. 

It’s hard to say that Gaga’s look is totally fake, because it matches her persona in the pop community. Gaga sings about accepting your true self; this doesn’t necessarily mean accepting your natural self. Rather, it reflects celebrating how you feel and what you like. When looking at her 2011 Grammy performance of ”Born This Way,” Gaga is shown stripped down to nude colors – reflecting what may be seen as nakedness. Her makeup, hair and shoe choice still represent the traditional Gaga look, as well her scantily clad outfit. Gaga writes all her own music, reflecting what she wants to perform, even if it’s not popular. She is also a beacon in the LGBT+ community because of her work as an activist for sexuality and mental health. She appeared as a cross dresser for her alter ego character, Jo Calderone, at the 2010 MTV Music Video awards. She takes power in expressing the versions of herself through her persona; while she accepts that Hollywood may not expect to see natural Gaga, she takes that criticism and turns it into power through her songs and performances. 

Getting a full of view of Gaga’s repertoire involves looking at her 2014 collaboration album with Tony Bennett. This sudden shift from her closest released album, ArtPop, to Cheek to Cheek, a mellow, jazzy, and easy-listening album, shows off the singer’s talents rather than focusing on the spectacle of her performances. Gaga’s look is demure and sophisticated, matching her new sound and genre of music. She is taking her status as a pop singer and channeling that into new music. As she rose to fame, Hollywood began to accept her natural state and outward appearance as part of Gaga, celebrating her choices rather than criticizing her.  

Her latest work, Joanne, is her worst selling album, but also the most stripped down of showy performances and costuming. Produced in 2016, Joanne transcends all that we thought we knew of Gaga’s outward performance, relying solely on the music she is producing. Both party anthems and ballads can be found on Joanne, resembling past hits such as ”Speechless” and ”Bad Romance.” The elements missing are her dynamic costuming. Gaga is reborn into a new and refined version of the pop princess on the outside, but remains the same soulful, powerful, and dynamic artist on the inside. Like Cheek to Cheek, Gaga is again accepted for her natural state. According to Brandon Michael Lowden, “Because the real trick to Lady Gaga is that there is no trick. Her eccentricities aren’t a facade; they’re the idiosyncrasies of a kid who dreamed of being a rockstar, then lived her dream. The woman Gaga is the girl Stefani Joanne”. She is celebrated in the music community, having received two Grammy’s for her work on Cheek to Cheek and one Grammy for her album, Joanne.

If we take a step back from her dynamic music career, we can look at Gaga’s appearances on two seasons of American Horror Story and her critically-acclaimed movie, A Star is Born. Gaga is more than a wild and talented performer; her ability to cross genre’s speaks to her talent level. The once showy and over the top performer has been taken back to her roots; she no longer hides her looks. The EDM music has been decreased and entered a more sophisticated tone. While her persona as a wild and unexpected performer is still well known and accepted, we also have to acknowledge her talent as a songwriter, performer, activist, ability to cross genre’s, and actress.  

Works Cited: 

“Joanne (Album).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Feb. 2019,  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanne_(album).

“Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett Second Album on Hold.” EW.com, EW.com,  

ew.com/music/2017/11/16/lady-gaga-tony-bennett-second-album-plans/.

LLC, Cyprezz. “Lady Gaga-Poker Face.” Disney Castle Hybrid Minecraft Project, www.planetminecraft.com/skin/lady-gaga-poker-face-3841832/.

Lowden, Brandon Michael. “Lady Gaga: The Personal Is Bombastical.” The Bee's Reads, The Bee's Reads, 21 Oct. 2016, beesreads.com/lady-gaga-the-personal-is-bombastical-b687b2cb155e.

Watson, Sarah. “'Poker Face': The Intelligent Design of Lady Gaga.” PopMatters, PopMatters,  

23 Oct. 2011, www.popmatters.com/150002-poker-face-the-rise-and-rise-of-lady-gaga-by-maureen-callahan-2495933782.html.

[shallowvibing-blog]

Abandonment of (in) love

When I toured the University of Iowa‘s Library Archives, I was most drawn to the zine, “In Abandonment #4”, written by a young man named Mike. Most of the zine is spent documenting his summer travels with his friends around the country during the summer of 1999. His cover was striking – it includes this vivid image of a young girl reaching up to the sky, arms and head back, accepting what the world is. That image struck me because of its innocence; a lot of other zines I had seen were edgy, crude, or vulgar, for the sake of the argument the author chose to make. The image itself was the first piece of rhetoric that really highlights what this particular zine is about, as well as the paragraphs included on the front cover. “that’s what it’s like to be young and alive – always crazy and excited and spontaneous. always wide-eyed and smiling”. The overall tone of this cover was positive which made me want to read what was inside without exactly knowing what to expect. It gave the appearance of child-like joy rather than angst or rebellion. 

The main story told in this zine is the summer road trip taken by Mike and his friends. It didn’t include much structure other than detailed accounts of particular memories that stuck out to him about the trip and character interpretations of his traveling mates. While the stories themselves were somewhat generalized to include chronological events that happened during the trip, the artwork and spacing of the stories highlighted what Mike found to be the important information from the trip. Here, Mike puts the detail of the back of the van into a larger, bolder text – highlighting what their lives were made up of during this road trip.  

Again, the material is innocent and child-like; nothing about it screams rebellion, simply the joys of childhood and summertime. His inspiration lies purely in the events of that summer, something nearly every teenager can relate to experiencing or wishing to experience: a classic coming of age story. The innocence and joy that lies within his writing points to his adolescence. Creating something relatable becomes a tool for discussion; if those receiving this zine can relate to what Mike is discussing (childhood, friendship, exploration, and love), he opens channels to reminisce about childhood.  

By far, my favorite part of this zine was the slight interruption Mike took to discuss love. The feature, “love letters I've never written” included this beautiful image of teenage infatuation that speaks directly to first loves, heartbreak, and maturation around that failed relationship. While this was not the main focus of the zine, the slight interruption reminded me exactly of what adolescence is about: self-discovery. Even though Mike is writing about this summer road trip, he’s also experiencing love for the first time. The two events go hand in hand, highlighting the celebration of childhood while also the death of that pure innocence one has when they think girls have cooties. Infatuation is relatable to all people; Mike speaks directly to anyone who may encounter his zine in this way. This interpretation of what love is may not fit everyone, but it paints an image of how Mike felt that summer. The words he uses to describe love also speak to the childhood element found throughout the zine.  

Mike himself refers to what he calls “insignificant details”. His zine is filled with what one would call unimportant facts about his summer road trip, past girlfriends, and feelings upon returning home. I felt that this was the firmest statement he made throughout his zine because it asks one to look at the small things that make something important. This small mentioning of insignificant details perfectly expressed what he meant; it was something that could easily be overlooked because it wasn’t a major focus of the zine. This perfectly exemplifies something insignificant that has a major impact on a story line. It also appeared in the middle of the zine, a spot that not many people may interpret as being important. Along with this, he made the statement bold, black, and in a different font than the rest of the text on that page. The word insignificant is also on its own line, drawing the eye directly to it. The rhetoric of the statement is strong and direct, but also not something that hits you straight in the face. It’s somewhat soft around the edges, similar to the rest of his zine. Mike’s zine makes an argument that fanzine’s are used for the purpose of expressing yourself, rather than making large political statements or scrutinizing social norms.  

Nothing about this zine was menacing; it was subtle, scripted, and significant. Being led back into your childhood is a reminder of the joy and love present in innocence.