Your Thoughts: Erykah Badu’s Window Seat
Like everyone else on Twitter, I was geeked for Erykah Badu (AKA @fatbellybella) ‘s debut of her video for Window Seat as soon as she tweeted the link. Full disclosure: I am a fan. I sincerely appreciate that Erykah Badu has always been about more than just a hot song with a catchy hook. As a true fan of music with meaning, I’ve always appreciated what she contributes. Having said that…
Window Seat left me conflicted, but in a good way.
From the minute she removed her coat and shoes then kept walking, I knew this video would end with some symbolic act – I wasn’t necessarily expecting complete nudity, though. But Badu being Badu, who has always spoken out against what’s expected from women in the media — needless to say this was about more than being just butt nekkid with a beeper on, and glitter.
I love that Erykah went so brave and so bold with her latest video. She has elevated what could have been a mere companion to her latest song into a true artistic statement, the likes of which we don’t often see in today’s industry. Addressing the subject of groupthink delivers much needed knowledge to just about everyone who has seen or will see this video. I appreciate her message of confronting fear, stripping away one’s defenses, of finding freedom despite what others may expect of you.
But in my opinion, the nudity in this video is a double edged sword. The act that makes the video so powerful and significant and worthy of discussion, is what also may serve to undercut her message to the masses.
Just about every blog comment or tweet I’ve read about this video has focused more on Erykah’s “donk” than even attempting to unpack what the video is trying to convey. More about the perception of sexuality than the substance. And the comments I’ve read online bother me and make me wonder – could she have tried to deliver this message without the nudity? Is this purely gratuitous, or is this complete artistic freedom? Would this video have recieved the same kind of response if say, Jill Scott, Ledisi, or Angie Stone were the ones removing their clothing?
Erykah Badu being Erykah Badu…I don’t think she cares much about what we percieve her video to mean. She’s gonna go on speaking her truth either way. That’s what makes me love her, love her music, and love what she brings to the table each and every time — and that’s why I plan to cop New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh
But enough about what I think. What did you think of Window Seat? And do you plan to buy Erykah’s latest album?
Category: Famous Faces, Issues, Jams
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I have no problem, whatsoever, with nudity. Stating that Erykah should have left it out of the video, because of someone else’s snide comments, is like telling me not to wear my hear in locs, cause ya know how some folks are.
I caution folks making changes to their bodies/hair/way of thinking, just because others won’t understand, won’t get the symbolism and will say something snotty. If that were the case, I’d have to just lock myself in the house, cause I can’t control what others say, think, or do.
Wow. This isn’t about art. It’s about business. Erykah is a product. Unique, artsy, and attractive in her own special way? Absolutely! But still, she’s “the product.” It’s the music industry, people. The point is to sell. Period.
… and are some of really of the belief that she made the decision to express herself artistically in THIS way on her own? Motown Records is about to rake in the dough.
Months later…
While I appreciate your pointing out that “the point is to sell,” I have to encourage people to think beyond the market at some point.
The point of nearly everything in America is “to sell.” And I don’t know if I believe that Badu’s artistic integrity is jeopardized by a concept that essentially defines the culture she is striving to reach out to.
Why can’t it be that she is exploiting commercialism/capitilism in order to make her voice heard? It goes both ways, Anonymous.
Wow! That was most excellent – the music, the lyrics, the style, everything. Love it! I think a truly artistic video like this causes people to locate their true selves. As evidenced by these comments.
As a young fan of Badu I realized the message in the very beginning of the video. I think she is very brave for being so straight forward in showing the message. I commend her for what she did and what she has always done. Instead of us trying to search for the message, she boldly shows it in the most obivous way. Of course the nudity will cause some distraction, yet I was more distracted by the lyrics trying to figure out what she meant, and the video blantly told me. Maybe she could of portrayed the meaning without showing nudity, yet that wouldn’t be Erykah.
mmmm…the irony is in her video no one cared what she looked like as she walked down the street…
She put it out there but no different to me than seeing women with 7/8 of it out there…at least she got real and to the point.
I see this everyday people not caring whose laying on the street for whatever reason…it wasn’t about her nakedness but her humanity…
Her video reminded me of work by the photographer Renée Cox, which celebrates self-love/beauty but also confronts.
I’ve enjoyed reading all the comments here. I think this has been one of the few places where people have respectable things to say, regardless of whether or not they agree. I guess Afrobella, you just have a good solid group of readers! (And probably some good skills at moderating your blog too! lol.)
I watched this video in AWWW of her ability to use her own medium to convey a message of learning how to be yourself. One of the above comments made mention of the fact that this idea was previously done. I watched that matt and Kim and IMHO the only simularities are the fact that in both videos they strip down. E.badu (again IMHO) in stripping layers of oppression, issues, censorship, hate, self loathing and im sure many other things that hold us back from facing who we are and what we can do with our lives.
I found the video to be more than just a “lets strip in public to see if we can get away with it” video which is what the Matt and Kim Video seemed to be after I reviewed it.
I also wonder why so much conversation has been wasted on this video, the nudity, or the message. DO u like the music? how about the lyrics? Do you appreciate her singing or since some people are soo caught up in her body and nudity, “How bangin does she look with her nu thickness?!” In My Humble Opinion. I loved it all and I think she looks great. If she would have came out singing Window Seat in a red and green plaid and faux fur floor lenght coat I would still listen and appreciate her for being brave enough to be herself!
Check the mirror people before attempting to check someone elses expression.
Peace.
well she certainly got ppl talking on this blog! Very thought provoking comments posted.
I wasn’t upset about the nudity, I just didn’t get the connection to the song. The song is hot!! I’ve always liked her style.
I think people are crediting this video with far too much artistic symbolism. As for the accusation that those who oppose the video are somehow repressed – nonsense. It has nothing to do with nudity but context. Has anyone thought about how we are left with yet another unsavoury image of a Black woman. Do we need more? People there is a war going on with how Black women are collectively perceived. Come on now, we don’t need to willingly perpetuate the idea that Black women are crazy. This video gets a big booo from me.
why is she crazy because she took her clothes off in artistic expression. It’s just skin, people. if she were a white artist would you feel the same about the nudity? we might not even pay it any attention, or it might catapult Erykah into becoming a music industry titan (i.e. Madonna)
I am a huge fan of Erykah Badu. Her music is always daring and filled with meaning. While I love the song and message she is trying to convey in the video, I wish she would have stopped short of complete nudity. As we’ve already seen, for most people it distracts from the message, rather than bringing it home.
Erykah Badu is an amazing artist and performer. It’s great to see her making great music.
Erykah is simply an amazing genius. I we can talk all about her intentions on our way to iTunes or where ever you buy your music.
There is nothing sexual about this video despite the fact that there is total nudity. I have seen far more sexually aggressive videos from the likes of Rhianna and Ciara and although their music and style is not my taste, I do understand they are simply catering to an industry that currently has a demand for their type of music. Would I prefer that such imagery did not exist for young impressionable girls to adapt? Absolutely! But the solution is to dry up the demand by preventing would be young customers to spend their monies on other things.
As for Eryka’s approach, I think it was right on the mark! Here we are all talking about it and sharing our perspectives with each other. In this case the bait and the hook are the same thing and so its natural for some to find the her methods questionable even if we do admire the genius budget friendly simplicity of it all.
The funniest and saddest thing of all this has yet to happen. We know that as a people we are incapable of just enjoying entertainment for entertainment sake. We have to live it, mimic it, add the little silly sayings to our vernacular (ex:isthathowyoufeel?)and so it goes without question in the span of less than a month a few girls, probably young girls in need of attention and possibly seeking a spot on a reality show will attempt this in public…. will probably get arrested and we’ll probably know their names just like we know the name Divine Brown (apparently there is not enough brain bleach on earth to erase that name from my brain). My point is that in her attempt to get us to think about the danger of group mentality, Eryka will have probably create a rash of public strippers. That doesn’t mean that something was wrong with her message or how it was delivered, however. It just means that something is very wrong with us.
update
the video reexamined…
http://www.erykahbadu.com/
Great post, Bella. Hate that I’m so late jumping on here, the discussion was most definitely enlightening. I’ve enjoyed reading ALL of the posts regarding this.
Having said that though, I agree with Athena, Mom Noir & some of the others, the nudity muddies any message she was trying to put out there. And at the end of the day, it didn’t have anything really to do with the song.
Like a lot of us boho Black gyrls, I have always connected with Erykah, because I felt we were very similar about not giving a fig about fitting into whatever boxes society wants us, as Black females to fit in.
Which is why I raised an eyebrow when she started to disrobe. That her beauty was just put on display to the masses like that…it made me cringe for her. Because she’s too dope for these types of typical tactics. And I’m FAR from a prude, quite the opposite actually.
And unlike what someone else said, it does indeed become sexual as soon as she started showing her ass, whether that was her intention, or not. I am shaped very similar to Erykah, as I’m sure a lot of us are & I’m careful not to get too crazy with the tight or revealing outfits, because, as we know, it immediately becomes about that big ass or boobs or whatever, instead of about me the person & how dope I am on the inside, donk a donk aside.
I mean, she’s Erykah, & I don’t think she really gives a f@#k about what any of us thinks, but more than that, as mochachoc said, everyone, Erykah included, is trying SO hard to act like there was some deep message in there, & you know what, it just wasn’t that deep.
Artistic expression? Of course it was, she’s an artist & she was expressing, but beyond that, you’re reaching…
Anonymous’s post hit the nail on the head. It was what it was, an awesome self-promotion stunt to get her & her album release on everyone’s radar. Mission accomplished, Erykah, I ain’t mad at you. You got three kids to feed, LOL…
Welcome to the industry people! Before this, only us r&b & neo-soul people were familiar with her, now, with this trick, she’s gained notoriety among all types of people. Instant name recognition too. More power to her, I suppose, but let’s not go tripping all over ourselves trying to act like this video was so next-level,& mind-blowing (Note to all you Twitterers), just take it for what it was, entertainment from one of our loveliest, most talented artists, gratuitous nudity aside
…
Peace!
I have been a fan of hers for years. I totally get what she was trying to do. I don’t understand how schizo society is about nudity. Why is it OK to see video girls practically naked in rap videos or seeing sex scenes in movies where they are just as graphic, but more pointless. She is trying to say something and suddenly some are being so closed-minded just because she is making a statement. I just don’t get the controversy at all.
IMVHO
“…is this what we have become?…” _Badu, Window Seat
The outcry about, and criticism of, this video begs the response –”YES!” This culture has become desensitized to EVERYTHING but sex. It leads the discussion, even while we are in the throes of two wars, a flat economy, record unemployment, the increasing economic underclass, the Haitian earthquake, AIDS, and everything else. What is the lead in the the news almost EVERYday? Who Jesse James is doing, and where Tiger’s lil thing has been. Sex brings out the adolescent, or the puritan, in many in the U.S. Although, since when has nudity been synonymous with sex? The human body, in all its similarities and variations, is a phenomenal, beautiful, thing.
In “Window Seat”, this talented, and very gifted Black
WOMAN is telling us something that is important to her. Her voice in this song is ripping. Rather than her hands, it is as if her voice tears off her clothes, laying her soul– not her body– bare. Towards the end, the onlookers–and this looks staged–seem to completely ignore her as she is shot and falls, in complete contrast to those who watch as she begins taking off her clothes. (There is even a rather creepy guy in the background picking them up as they fall.) And then her spoken word, intending to make us think, to feel, to be introspective and retrospective, comes.
It intrigues me a little that, to date, very few in the media have discussed the work itself, or what she says; most have focused on Badu having stripped on a public street and the need for her to be punished for it. Is walking nude on a public street worse than killing someone on a public street? Evidently, it is because this truly seems to be who we have become as a culture. Public murders happen in such regularity that it is no longer news. (I pause for my daily WTF? moment.)
This is a virtuosa performance from a woman who never fails to observe and participate in the human condition and, then present it provocative in ways that are interesting and illuminating.
Badu is an artist in every wonderful sense of the word, and an artist’s charge is not to make human beings feel good, or bad or safe or happy or sad. An artist’s charge is simply to make us feel
something.
In viewing this work, if you think that this is simply a publicity stunt or an attempt at self-promotion, then you have missed the point.
Thank you, AfroBella, for posting this discussion.
Peace
Etomi
(a SistaPoet)
Honestly, I don’t buy it. The nudity was not necessary to make her point. People can make this seem like some big grand gesture of deepness, but I think the woman just wanted the attention. Plain and simple. I’ve been a fan for a long time, since she first released her music, but I think this was simply her wanting people to stare at her booty, as I’ve heard many men say they didn’t know she had one, and to assert her celebrity status that she can do whatever she wants. This was not planned so there were children around to see this and parents forced to discuss the female body or nudity or whatever without having a choice to do so. There is a such thing as social responsibility. There are times to disregard what others think and there are times to be sensitive to others and be responsible for how your actions impact others.
I should say assert her celebrity status that she can do whatever she wants under the guise of “creativity” or some intellectualism of certain issues. the words themselves could have said it all if the meaning was there.
Oh, and by the way, she does care what people thinks. She wouldn’t have taken such an action if she didn’t. Whether she wanted to illicit this type of response or any type of response, positive or negative, the intention to get a response suggests that she does care.