2. What do you get when you cross a Maggie Gallagher with Veruca Salt? A 14-year-old Maryland girl who asked her state legislators to vote “no” on gay marriage for her birthday . She argued it’s a choice and kids of queer parents are missing out and how dare some people challenge the definition of the word “marriage” and blah blah blah. We’re going to go out on a limb and say when this girl turns 18, she’ll meet more people, do a 180 and learn some compassion. Read more...
The conversation about the Jonas Brothers’ purity rings is over. Sensationalizing Miley is now passé. But I am sure there will be plenty of discussion surrounding the music industry’s newest ingénue, Willow Smith, the daughter of actors Will and Jada Smith. Willow’s first music video, “Whip My Hair,” premiered yesterday. And there’s something about it that’s sitting really uncomfortably with me.
Maybe I should backtrack a little and introduce myself, as this is my first Bunchland blog post. The salient details are these: like you, I’m a pop-cultural fiend and a metropolitan gal about town. This gal though, is 25 and single. What up, Bunchland, hope you don’t mind a little sass! This is only to articulate that my perceptions on this topic don’t stem from a place of personal comparison. My mind hasn’t begun to process things with a perspective to how younger minds might perceive them. For instance, I’ve had friends who are parents explain to me why a TV show that’s deemed “family” and airs at 8pm that touches on teenage sex in its pilot episode is a problem. Because I am neither out of touch enough to be shocked or young enough to be titillated; that plot point didn’t even stick out as significant or inappropriate. Which is why I’m so surprised at the fervour of my reaction to Ms. Smith’s entry into the industry. Read more...
