Lily Allen: Hard Out Here For A Feminist



Can we just all come together to say FUCK YEAH, Lilly Allen? I mean, I don't think I have a lot to add to what she's singing up here in her new song, Hard Out Here For a Bitch.

Just read it and weep (or laugh because of all the hilarious, perfect references to the shitfest that is the Blurred Lines videoclip and T.I.'s verses in it)

I suppose I should tell what this bitch it thinking
You'll find me in the studio and not in the kitchen
I won't be bragging 'bout my cars or talking 'bout my chains
No need to shake my ass for you cause I've got a brain
If I told you about my sex life, you'd call me a slut
When boys be talking about their bitches no one's making a fuss
There's a glass ceiling to break
There's money to make
And now it's time to speed it up because I can't move at this pace

Sometimes it's hard to find the words to say I'll go ahead and say them anyway
Forget your balls out there and grow a pair of tits
It's hard, it's hard, it's hard out here for a bitch

If you're not a size 6, then you're not good looking
Well you better be rich or be real good at cooking
You should probably lose some weight 'cause we can't see your bones
You should probably fix your face or you'll end up on your own
Don't you want to have somebody who objectifies you?
Have you thought about your butt, who's gonna tear it in two?
We've never had it so good, uh huh, we're out of the woods
And if you can't detect the sarcasm, you've misunderstood
Inequality promises that it is here to stay

Always trust the injustice because it's not going away


Yes, the lyrics are a bit on the nose at times, and some of the lines are a bit "yeah, duh" but if I'm perfectly honest the entire thing makes me feel like this:




All together now! (BTW Lily is doing my only signature dance move in this here gif, that can't be a coincidence)




You might not know this about me but the Lily has not one but TWO songs that make me feel all the feels and sing along with heart and soul when they come on the radio: The Fear and It's Not Fair. As in, two of the songs I will always mention as my alllllll time favourites out of all the songs in the world. One of them is about losing perspective in a superficial and materialistic society, the other is about having a boyfriend who is basically a pillow princess. I mean, those two songs just about cover all the bases of life in general, amirite? Lily, I love you.

But enough from me, I don't think I have anything to add anyway. Let's discuss Lily's new song! What are your thoughts, I'm DYING to hear! 

PS don't feel censored, you can diss the song as well but I'll just disagree with you strongly.


21 comments

  1. 'IT'S NOT FAIR AND I THINK YOU'RE REALLY MEAN, I THINK YOU'RE REALLY MEAN OH YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO CARE'
    --> ik zing mee! Blij verrast trouwens dat ze nog muziek maakt, dacht dat ze gestopt was.
    Trouwens, onze 'yeah duh's' zijn misschien niet die van anderen hé, hopelijk leert ze sommige mensen nog iets bij!

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  2. Danku. Ik HAAT blurred lines (en mezelf als ik mij erop betrap dat ik aan het meezingen ben) en als ik er iets van zeg, reageert mijn omgeving altijd van 'Gho, ja, maar zo is dat niet bedoeld he' Euuuuuuh, JAWEL! Anders maakt ge niet zoiets vrouwonvriendelijk dat ik liever voorgoed van mijn tv verbannen zie. Soit, inderdaad een topnummer! Heb er vandaag nog mee moeten lachen toen ik het op de radio hoorde. Topper!

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  3. SHE'S BACK?! Geweldig liedje om mee wakker te worden, en gewoon de rest van de dag te luisteren.

    "Forget your balls out there and grow a pair of tits" Te goed, net zoals de rest van de lyrics. It totally hits the spot.

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  4. als ze in blurred lines IEDEREEN onnozel bloot hadden laten ronddansen had ik er al veel minder problemen mee gehad! :D en dat tekstje van T.I. eruit gehaald van "I'll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two" UH THX BUT NO THX

    ik denk wel dat letterlijk iedereen Robin Thicke nu een douchy creepbag vindt :D

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  5. I personally loved it, loved the video, loved the music, adore the lyrics. This is what Lily is so good at, she writes wonderful, witty, honest words, that may offend some, that may shock others or she may even sing about things you can't relate to... I don0t know, love her or hate her, she's right on the point. I loved Fuck You, it was utter brilliance, It's Not Fair was great too....
    This is a great song on inequality, on sexism, on the stupid things young girls and boys get told are "cool"... it's going to be a hit too, because she has that sing-along appeal, that way of writing things we all want to scream about. She rocks, end of :)

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  6. you do know The Fear, right? That song is SO good as well, always tugs at me heartstrings! :D

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  7. The Fear is another good one... I just can't name them all because there are so many and I am such a fan of Lily hehehehhe! Going to play The Fear on spotify now, just for you ;)

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  8. yes! and have a tiny cry deep inside your heart because that's what I do when i listen to The Fear <3

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  9. Lily Allen is the best! Ik moet toegeven dat ik Blurred Lines wel leuk vind - voor de muziek, NIET voor de tekst. Die was ronduit belachelijk en ik ben blij dat Lily dat in haar liedje heeft verwerkt. LOVE HER!

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  10. Thanks for sharing! I absolutely agree with you about "It's Not Fair" and "The Fear." It's always so refreshing to listen to Lily Allen sing about feminism (especially, as other commenters have mentioned, when "Blurred Lines" is burning up the airwaves.)

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  11. I absolutely love this song! We need more feminist role models so that people stop seeing feminists as ugly/hairy/man-hating lesbians. It's interesting that she also addressing the over-sexualization of black women in the music industry. Her song 22 is another a great one. She's brilliant!

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  12. yes 22 is amazing as well! And the lyrics of Fuck You are surprisingly deep :)

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  13. Doet mij eigenlijk vrij hard denken aan stupid girls van Pink. Leuk dat ze terug muziek maakt!
    Naomi, x

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  14. Hell yeah to everything!...except the video. I know it's supposed to mock other pop music videos taking them to the extreme, but I actually find it slightly...wrong :/ I don't feel that the video, unlike the lyrics, is empowering for women. Maybe it's just my impression...

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  15. I'm really in two minds about it. I should become a lot more fluent in intersectionalism and black culture to really comment on this, but I've heard a lot of people being iffy about the clip because of the visuals seemingly sending a message that it's still OK to objectify (black) women as long as it's tongue in cheek. I can see that, although I think the lyrics make the song very obviously satirical and I don't mind her using the system to spread the message even further...

    on the other hand, there's this piece: http://birdeemag.com/we-need-to-talk-about-lily-allen/
    and this awesome reading of Rihanna's Pour It Up: http://thehairpin.com/2013/10/rihanna-on-my-mind
    A completely different perspective from what you usually read on (white) feminist articles which sort of adapts the whole male gaze thing to a white gaze thing, if I'm reading it correctly. Like, it's easy to judge if you're from a completely different world where some visual cues mean something else than the world it originated from.

    In short: IT's COMPLICATED and I want to learn more about it!

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  16. Hmm yeah, I noticed that in the video the dancers are almost exclusively non-white (except maybe two of them) and I thought that it was a direct sarcastic reference to Miley, but I didn't link it to ironic racism until I read the first piece you recommended (although the connection was pretty obvious; and just let me say: the writer is 17. 17! At that age I didn't even know where I was and what I was doing. Crazy!). Also, ironic sexism: yep, that's the key word that slipped my mind, and that's why I didn't feel that the video, although clearly satirical, can be empowering for us. There's a really tight border between using the system and being its slave without even realizing it and I think that this is the crucial point here. I really don't know if she's using it or if the system is "using her" here though, I still have to give myself that answer.
    I also liked the article on Rihanna, so thanks for sharing, I especially enjoyed the comparison between Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. The Pour It Up video reminded me of a documentary called POP (Power Of Pussy) on (black) strippers that I found interesting to watch. Here's the link if you're interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdauyFhjaz0 (it's in 3 parts if I'm correct).
    It's definitely a complicated matter! And it's nice to have an intelligent discussion about these topics with someone who knows her shit :) (also: I'm skyping with Naomi tonight and I'm definitely going to talk with her about this)

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  17. oooooh thanks for the tip, sounds super interesting and exactly what I wanted to learn more about, will definitely be watching it! I guess I'm a more lyrically focused person than most (more focused on the lines than on the visuals or the melody) which makes it tip towards Lily using patriarchy rather than her being used but I can definitely understand if people are in doubt about it.

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  18. Niet helemaal mijn soort muziek, maar Lily Allen heeft altijd al de capaciteit gehad mij toch te kunnen boeien (zingt Fuck youu, fuck you very very much). En dit liedje zal waarschijnlijk de hele dag in mijn hoofd zitten! Ik herlas hier net de comments; en ik moet ook zeggen dat ik het clipje niet dat vind. Ik weet wel dat het sarcastisch/ironisch zou moeten zijn, maar ik voel het niet helemaal. Als ze nu mannen halfnaakt om zich heen had laten rondhuppelen, dat was pas een statement geweest. Dat is ook het systeem gebruiken om de boodschap duidelijk te maken, maar naar mijn mening beter :p Maar goed, ik ben niet echt thuis in het hele feminisme debat. DUS: love the song! en ik haat blurred lines, en ik wist nog niet eens dat stukje tekst van split your ass in two. What the fuck :D

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  19. tis een MOEILIJKE ZAAK. Ik denk dat extra tekst over hoe zwarte vrouwen behandeld worden in videoclips ook al een goeie zet geweest zou zijn, Lily heeft ras als kwestie volledig genegeerd (because: intersectionaliteit is mega moeilijk) waardoor het problematisch wordt. Maar het twerken op zich vind ik niet erg omdat ik niet echt problemen heb met kontschudden in videoclips an sich :D

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  20. Ik vind het twerken ook niet zo dramatisch, wie apprecieert een goeie twerk zo nu en dan niet, maar ik videoclip in het algemeen gaf me een rare vibe. Maar dat heeft misschien inderdaad meer te maken met het feit dat het allemaal zwarte vrouwen zijn, nu ik erover nadenk!

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  21. I've got a lot of love for Lily; I've seen her a couple of times at festivals and her sets are always immense fun.
    Good on her for this; her using her reach to promote feminism is fantastic, and hopefully this'll make people think.

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