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[mariaisabelsanchezvegara]

Pasear por una de tus librerías favoritas y encontrar uno de tus libros recomendados = 😊. Visiting one of your favorites bookshops and finding one of your books is recommended = 😊 @albertarrayas @mariaisabelsanchezvegara @isabelsanchezvegara #om #yoga #yogaforkids #namaste #albaeditorial #onebookaweek #calm #kidsyoga #yogaculture

[soundbitesss]

Day 12 // Janelle Monae, Yoga

I’m feeling very conflicted over the video release for Janelle Monae’s new single, Yoga. As a yogi myself, I have strong opinions about yoga selfie culture and the capitalization and sexualization of the yoga industry. To be honest, I think if a more commercial female artist had released this track, I would be fully up in arms. However, as a congregant belonging to the Church of Janelle Monae, I’m left scrambling to take a stance.

This is certainly the most sexual I’ve seen Janelle throughout her career. The video opens on her gyrating in front of a mirror in a crop top and skintight ripped jeans  - a world away from being suited up and strutting her classic James Brown-inspired fancy footwork in Tightrope. As a feminist, I’m not going to shame Janelle for embracing her overtly-sexual side. This is clearly sexual empowerment, not objectification. In fact, the stand-out lyric from the track is easily “You cannot police me, so get off my areola” (100% agree girl, #freethenipple). However, I naturally begin to cringe when I see a shot of a dozen women in sports bras and hot pink pants, shaking it on yoga mats. The dancers go from classic yoga poses like tree and dancer into a hyped-up choreography complete with booty-shaking close-ups. The scene doesn’t go full-on club video, and it appears a deliberate choice that there’s no men to be seen in this yoga dance fest. In fact, a male doesn’t appear at all in the video until Jidenna’s guest verse, where the lyrics turn a shade of degradation with lines like “So when she downward dog I jump up on her.” Sigh.

I’m torn because the song is undeniably catchy. How often have I forgiven terribly sexist lyrics in my favorite rap music because I dug the beat? On top of that, Janelle has a history of being a stand-out role model for young women. A great story is going around about a tweeter encouraging Janelle to embrace her sexier side, to which she smartly retorts, “I’m not for male consumption.” What strong woman doesn’t read that and say YEAH! So do I ignore a little cultural appropriation and sexualization of a spiritual practice on account of past good behavior?

It’s personal for me because I don’t fit the thinspiration, Instagram-ready image of yoga in the US. I can’t put my leg behind my head and I’m not under a size 4. I’m very passionate about the concept that yoga is not about weight loss, cute pants, or impressive photo ops. Yoga changed my life by helping me take charge of my overall well-being. It improved my habits and made me think more consciously about my health. It played a major role in decreasing my stress levels, and gave me a community of support. It got me in touch with the positive voices inside my head, and quieted the negative ones. Yoga isn’t meant to be a display of sexuality. So to me, a video like this is a clashing of worlds, and a disservice to true yoga culture.

And yet...here is this artist I truly respect and admire doing it. So, do I defend Janelle, lighten up and accept that yoga can be sexy? Or do I defend a tradition I care deeply about? All I can say is that it’s a slippery slope, and I hope Janelle stays true to herself as her career continues to explode. Use your powers for good, girl, whether you’re rocking that suit or a crop top. The world needs powerful female voices like yours.