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Christina Aguilera
The Popularization of Dance Music
For quite some time I abandoned listening to the radio due to the lack of music that wasn’t along the lines of my taste. It’s not that I have great distain for music played on the radio, I just prefer the sounds of house, drum & bass, dance, electropop, and other electronic infused tunes. True, you can find music within those genres on satellite radio and certain major cities that have designated stations, but a few years ago it was an anomaly to hear such music in the Top Hits and American Billboard charts.
Growing up I had always been a huge fan of dance/electronic music, but kept it a hidden secret. While all the other kids were listening to hip-hop, rock, and pop, I was off in my own world listening to dance music from Chicago, New York, France (Daft Punk) and London. I had fallen in love with the house music of the 80s/90s, but it didn’t seem to be mainstream amongst my peers. So I kept it secret. House and dance music became a world I could escape to, a world that only a select few had the honor to experience.
As I grew older and began networking with various people at different schools (I moved around a lot,) I ran across a few individuals that were curious about the type of music I listened to. I couldn’t hide how I felt, so I began to open up and share my music playlists with my peers. Bad idea. During the early 2000s everyone was moving beyond the 90s hip-hop and rock scene, and falling in love with the latest trends in hip-hop and rock. Artists such as OutKast (I still love their music,) Jay-Z, Nelly, Missy Elliot, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, and so many more contemporary artists were at the forefront of the American music scene.
Those artists were daily topics of interests amongst youth and young adults, so when I began telling people I love dance and house music, they’d look at me with uncertainty. It was if they asked themselves, “How can an African-American love techno?” Now, they didn’t actually phrase it like that, but I did have many people tell me that because I was African-American/Black I was acting “White” by listening to techno. The funny thing about their ignorance was the fact that I don’t even listen to techno. I hate techno. I listen to house, drum & bass, electropop, dance, garage, and dub-step, but I don’t enjoy techno. It’s all underneath the music category of electronic dance music, but each sub-genre is different.
The plague of musical ignorance during the early 2000s was frustrating at times, but I managed to survive. I understood that the music I listened to wasn’t quite popular in America, especially in the area I lived, but that just meant I’d have the luxury of daydreaming about one day moving to the United Kingdom. The UK has always been more accepting of a wide range of music, so it made perfect sense during the early 2000s.
But now it seems like I don’t have to daydream about moving to the UK in hopes of living in a culture saturated with dance music. In the past few years it seems as though it’s becoming more acceptable to combine hip-hop with dance music (essentially what many UK grime artists have done for years) and many major artists are know working with world renown DJ’s such as David Guetta, Afro Jack, Eric Prydz, Bob Sinclar, and Swedish House Mafia. The days of being mocked by my peers and called “White” are no longer an issue. Everywhere I turn I hear a major American artist such as Nicki Minaj, Usher, Ludacris, Pitbull, and Chris Brown teaming up with dance music superstars. It’s become popular to listen to dance music, produce dance tracks, and to recite the lyrics to LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem.”
Years ago it wouldn’t have been quite the norm amongst many of today’s urban American youth, but now it’s trendy to listen to dance music. There seems to be this ideology that if you listen to dance music, then you’re part of the “popular” crowd and the “hip” kids.
But prior to the American popularization of dance music, it was a genre that was already being accepted and cherished worldwide. It wasn’t something trendy you tweeted about. Dance music was just good music that people loved worldwide, but it took the American youth quite some time to realize that it’s okay to like dance music. And now that they realize it’s cool, it’s becoming extremely trendy and every artist is now pumping out some catchy dance track in order to stay “cool.”
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Honey, There Is Nothing Wrong With Being Curvy
Fat…a word I vehemently detest. I especially hate when women that aren’t a size 6 or below are deemed “fat” because they have curves, but in the tradition of media & body image, the word “fat” is thrown around so loosely.
Yesterday, I was reading a few articles on the web about Christina Aguilera’s new video, and I ran across more than a handful of horrible comments calling her fat, lard, cow, and so many other cruel obscenities. As I sat there reading the comments, I began to get pissed off. How the hell is she fat? Just because she has thick thighs (which most men would find sexy) and an overall voluptuous build in comparison to her skinny figure, that doesnt make her fat; she has the body of a curvaceous sexy woman.
There is a big difference between being curvy, thick, fat, and obese, but in the eyes of media any time someone gains weight or their body changes, they are immediately deemed as “fat.” You all know exactly what I’m talking about, take for instance Jessica Simpson “struggling” to lose weight after having a baby, and let’s not forget Lady Gaga’s “shocking” weight gain.
If you have been paying attention to media in the past two days, then you know about Lady Gaga and her weight gain. The pop star who admittedly struggled with bulimia has gained 30lbs from eating good homemade Italian dishes, but she doesn’t regret it at all. She admits that she gained weight from eating too much “good food” and that she is dieting now, but doesn’t feel bad for the way she looks. Yet, people in the media & rude commentators on blogs are already pouncing on her calling her “fat.”
Lady Gaga has been such a spokesperson for bullying, self acceptance, and those in the LGBT community, but she gains some weight and we treat her like crap? That is so messed up! Why do we make these women feel like shit just because life happens and they gain weight? And what if they, like Christina Aguilera, decide they like their new figures, is that such a sin?
There is nothing wrong with being curvy, trust me, there isnt. I myself am a curvaceous size 14 (size 12 dress) standing at 6ft tall with thick thighs and hips for miles. Am I fat? Nope, I’m just a real woman with curves that I don’t mind flaunting and I haven’t had any complaints from the fellas, so there is nothing wrong with me. Yet, I used to actually compare myself to media images and thought I was deemed “unattractive.”
The absurd hatred and ignorance in media’s dealing with body image pisses me off. It’s not everybody’s plot in life to be super skinny. Some of us, like myself, actually have diseases/disorders (I have PCOS) that make losing weight a constant struggle. I used to beat myself up so bad and try starving myself just to be the dream size 2, but that never happened (and I don’t think it ever will nor do I want it to.) I mean I remain active and work out because I love it, but I know that getting super skinny is a challenge and I already have other aspects of my disease I deal with, so I just embrace my sexy curves and make it work. But I knew if I was in the media spotlight, people would immediately deem me “plus-size” and make me feel like shit. SHM, it’s ridiculous!
The issue of body image and what is apparently beautiful (according to media guidelines) is something that probably won’t change anytime soon. The individuals that embrace being curvy and set a new “trend” are often seen as the outcast in the limelight. But the sad reality is that being curvy is now a “trend.” Really folks, it’s an acceptable trend now to use curvy women? Wow, what has the world come to?
Instead of it being normal for curvy women to be bold, beautiful, and present in media, it’s now a shocking news ticker that Ralph Lauren hires it’s first “plus-size” model ever; Robyn Lawley is a plus-size model who is currently modeling for Ralph Lauren. Don’t get me wrong, I’m super proud that she is going to be modeling and representing for us curvy women for a clothing line that surely caters to skinny women, but why should this even be news? It should just be another day for a beautiful woman doing something 
awesome with her career and moving herself forward, instead of it being such a shocker in the fashion industry that Ralph Lauren is using a “thick girl.” And I wouldn’t even call her (or myself) plus size. Lawley is the average size 12 and she stands of 6 ft 2 (thumbs up for tall chicks!)
I could go on and on about body image and how it pisses me off that women with curves are deemed as “fat” by the so call bs standards of media and the modeling industry, but I’m not going to waste any time trying to convince folks curves are beautiful. At the end of the day, it’s up to you whether you think being curvy is beautiful or “fat.” And don’t think I’m hating on women that are skinny, because I’m not. My whole point is that, you have got to love yourself the way you are and if you decide to flaunt your curves and thickness, it shouldn’t be an issue.
Curves shouldn’t be like a rare UFO sighting or Bigfoot sighting; curves aren’t a freak of nature. We need to get to the point in our society where we stop “bullying” women for being curvy or gaining weight and deciding “hey, I don’t mind being curvy, I don’t have to be a size 2 anymore.” As anorexia rises amongst women and men as well, we need to get to accept all different types of bodies and not treat those who have curves as if they are doing something wrong. Honey, there is nothing wrong with being curvy. Get out their, shake your butt, flaunt your curves, and let the world know that you are curvy and damn proud of it.
Can You Move Like Jagger?
Seriously, Maroon 5 can never do any wrong in my eyes. I don’t usually attribute that affirmative statement to a lot of music out nowadays, but I can gladly stand behind Maroon 5 and Dave Matthews Band. Those are two bands that always tease my ears with timeless, effortless, and illustrious music.
Not only is Maroon 5 an amazing band, they have one of the hottest lead singers. Adam Levin is so sexy and his voice is even sexier. It should be a sin for a man to be that sexy, seriously, his level of enticing handsomeness is beyond words. He happens to be one of my celebrity crushes, every time he comes on television I have to bit my lips. It’s ridiculous how sexy he is! But aside from his charming looks, it’s obvious that his voice is clearly exceptional and off the charts.
I enjoyed watching Adam on The Voice and I was glad to see him showing off his eccentric tattoos and quirky dance moves in Maroon 5′s new music video “Moves Like Jagger.” The video came out yesterday and the song takes a retro direction. It begins with classic footage of Mick Jagger, the iconic singer from the Rolling Stones, talking about his plans to make music. Following the legendary footage of Mick Jagger, the video turns into a mash-up of people trying to dance like Jagger.
Anyone who knows a little something about the Rolling Stones or Mick Jagger, knows that Jagger is known for his outlandish yet contagious dance. He has this way of thrusting his legs, twitching his body, and clapping his hands in this quirky yet cool manner. You can’t talk about Mick Jagger without mentioning his dance moves and embarrassing yourself while attempting to move like Jagger.
I know from watching the video that the dancers had fun trying to move like Jagger. Have you ever tried to move like Jagger? It’s a lot of fun just throwing on some music and trying to move like him. Yet this song is more than just moving like Jagger, so take a listen to the lyrics and enjoy the video. Christina Aguilera is even on the track belting out with her amazing vocals and she looks good in this video.
Check out the video for Maroon 5′s “Move Like Jagger” and if you’re a fan of Maroon 5, then I’m sure you’ll love it. Or perhaps, you’re just a fan of Adam Levine; he is quite the epitome of scrumptious eye candy. LOL
©Jasmine McGee
ThinkSoul25
