La Roux on mini skirts
by Devil’s Food Cake
So, like, I should probably start off saying how much I love La Roux. Or more specifically, Elly Jackson. She makes my homo heart flutter like a hummingbird. And I think she’s gorgeous and feisty and God-knows-what-else. But maybe I’m asking for too much when I want the women I fancy not to say stupid things?
I’m sure loads of people have already heard about this because it’s been pretty much blogged to death. But just in case and FYI – in an interview with The Quietus, Elly Jackson stepped knee-deep in crap-cake by saying that ‘[she knows] that there’s far more ways to be sexy than to dress in a miniskirt and a tank top’. Fine, fine, all well and good – I totally agree. But she goes on to say, ‘I think you attract a certain kind of man by dressing like that. Women wonder why they get beaten up, or having (sic) relationships with arsehole men. Because you attracted one, you twat’.
Oh God. I’m torn between loving her music and her style and just her really, and being so devastated by these really irresponsible and hurtful comments. It’s like hearing some moron say that a woman who drinks or dresses provocatively deserves to be raped. How is there any connection? And just – what?!
I think women have it hard enough with unrealistic expectations without being told that the way we dress encourages negativity of one kind or another. According to my mother, every lesbian is an unhappy dyke with bad hair who can’t get a man. According to the women we’re meant to look up to, if we wear skirts and tank tops and have big tits, we’re looking to get beaten. We can’t win can we?
I honestly hope that this was taken out of context, or she didn’t mean what she said, or that it was just a reactionary statement to something that pissed her off. The Quietus followed up that interview with a review of La Roux’ album, where they expressed the view that these were the kinds of statements we want pop stars to make, the ‘outrageous and controversial statements’ that give them a personality. Yeah – I’m all for opinionated, free speech that offers a radical or at least an interesting view point. Bring it on. What I don’t want is some singer I fancy and admire telling me that I’m looking for some domestic violence when I put on a mini skirt.
Links below:
Original interview: http://thequietus.com/articles/01899-la-roux-interviewed-in-for-the-kill-with-elly-jackson
The Quietus follow-up: http://thequietus.com/articles/02050-la-roux-la-roux-album-review
Personally i think I agree with Elly. There’s definitely something to be said for the person who remains in an abusive relationship (and i think that is what she means when she says ‘beaten up’). It’s not all one-sided when one person is allowed to do those things and no one tells them otherwise.
And yes, I will also say that dressing a certain kind of way, attracts a certain kind of person. Maybe those attitudes need to change but for now… they’re being enforced every night.
On average it takes a woman approximately 60 attempts to leave her abusive male partner. When she leaves she is at the most risk as he will do what is necessary to regain control, all too often, even kill. It makes me so sad and disheartened to hear that people, especially women, still hold such narrow minded views. Unless you’re in that situation (I thankfully never have been) you cannot possibly imagaine what it must take to endure it, with any hope of then overcoming it. So to somehow apportion the blame to the victim, I think is completely ignorant and utterly disgusting.
The men who do this don’t need to be told it is wrong to realise it!! Otherwise it wouldn’t be one of the best (or worst)kept secrets around. These men aren’t stupid, they’re manipulative, controlling and calculating. Of course they know that what they’re doing isn’t right. And being told othwerwise or not, does not reinforce their actions. It’s idiotic to think that they would change if someone told them it was wrong. They need professional help.
And with regard to the way women dress, just as dressing in a feminine way doesn’t mean you’re straight and dressing like a 12 year old boy no longer automatically means your gay, dressing provocatively or showing some flesh doesn’t mean you’re looking to get raped or beat. I, for one, would hope not to be judged or abused just for the fact I sometimes dress a lil boyish. So why would I judge a girl or make an assumption about her because she dared to bare. You need to change your own insular attitudes, if those of society are ever going to improve and become more accepting.
SSK
i’m glad you’ve voiced your opinion because you can learn a lot from other people.
Obviously I can only speak for myself and yes I probably have no idea what it’s like to go through a relationship like that. That is most likely the reason why comments such as ‘because you attracted one, you twat’ come out, because to me it would be so alien to put myself in that position and even a whiff of that coming from my partner would be enough to send them packing.
I think it’s not so much apportioning blame, more that, for me it’s a choice not to be in a relationship like that and it’s hard to comprehend how someone could let themselves be a part of that.
I completely agree that those people need professional help. But don’t you think it’s fair to say that both of them do?
I’m also not blind to the fact that people do judge on the basis of looks, clothes etc. but then perhaps i’m lucky in that i’m happy with the judgments that i know i will get on the basis of what i look like.
Going back to the article though, i don’t think it’s fair to Elly to make the jump of her comments to meaning that the way someone’s dressed will get them raped. That’s clearly not what she meant.
You’re lucky, MC, that you’re so strong. Because there are people who get bullied into thinking that it’s their own fault for being hit or abused, that it’s something they’ve done or something they’ve caused to happen to themselves. While obviously Ms. Jackson’s comments weren’t that rape victims bring it on themselves, her comments were in much the same vein as people who justify rapists’ behaviour by blaming the victim – for bringing it on themselves.
Nothing one does, not anything, justifies abusive behaviour. To clarify, my position in this matter is that no matter WHAT the situation, the victim – of abuse, of violence, of rape, of whatever form of power control the aggressor takes – is not the cause of those actions. My wearing a mini skirt does not mean that I should expect to attract people who will hit me, and these comments from someone who is in the public eye are wholly irresponsible.
Put in another way – if a woman chooses to dress in a more masculine fashion – say a mohawk, or spiky hair, baggy jeans and a tee – is she asking for homophobic violence? Obviously not.
mm, yes good point Devils. it does tread the line of heterophobia. i suppose there’s something in this about how minorities get jumped on more for being intolerant, where majorities are allowed to get away with saying more. The Guardian article about this was like – how dare she say this when we’re being tolerant of her wacky nu-rave boy clothes. But being small-minded is not the way to make society better. So gotta start out by acting the way you want other people to act.
Actually a kerfuffle about a rape article in the Telegraph just caused me to come down heavily on the ‘shut up la roux’ side.
Telegraph published an article called: “Women who Dress More Provocatively More Likely to be Raped, say scientists.” And this is a really interesting take-down of that article by the Guardian’s Scientist in residence Ben Goldacre
http://www.badscience.net/2009/07/rape-a-non-correction-from-the-telegraph/
Apparently it was totally made up and based on unfinished research whose actual findings were: “more promiscous men more likely to rape”.
yeah, crimes are committed by criminals, not the victims…
im aus germany im a fan fon laroux it´s the best ! laroux 4ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
juhu
Very nice site!