Since Allen went away to have her children and enjoy being a mum pop music turned a corner, a dark, dingy, creepy, twerking corner. Artists like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke came on the scene, or at least released a side of themselves that reveled in this new type of pop music (As you may know, I love Rihanna and Lady Gaga, but there's no denying sex helps sell their music). I imagine that as a mother and someone who knows the music industry this is hard to watch, I don't like it and I have a younger sister, she's 13, an age where you are extremely impressionable. I know she wouldn't act like that, but do I have right to be nervous? Of course, we all do. How would Lily Allen feel if one of her daughters Ethel or Marnie turned around and started mimicking the girls in Rihanna's 'Pour it Up' video?
Humored at first I would imagine, but when you realise such young children are being subjected to things like that on a daily basis, without a thought. Then it makes you think.
The Independent asked if it was a 'Feminist Anthem'. I think it is. Feminism is about fighting for equality, and if you think we already have equality then I am afraid you are wrong, and that is not opinion. The first verse of 'Hard out Here' focuses on her experiences in the pop music industry. She hits out the twerking generation saying 'don't need to shake my ass for you cause I've got a brain'. Now, the real interesting bit is 'there's a class ceiling to break, uh-huh, money to make'. BAM. She said it, the 'glass ceiling' is a term for the metaphorical, unbreakable barrier holding back minority groups and women rising up the corporate ladder, however qualified they are. It's a real problem. It goes on to talk about more increasingly evident issues in the media such as weight. I think it's a strong one for Lily Allen to come back on, I love it. I cannot wait for the rest of the album.
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