Let me start by saying this,
F*** Miley. And all she stands for.
But, this piece will actually defend her. Why get mad at her?
White female artists have been getting away with this for YEARS. She just decided to insert foot in mouth, instead of “going back to her roots” quietly like the ones that came before her.
“But Kayla, my fave would never!” *whispers* but they do/have/will
Let’s take a look, shall we?
Suspect #1 – Gwen Stefani
No Doubt was a ska fan’s wet dream in the 90s. But when 00’s teens were not so much into that anymore, they “reinvented” with heavy island vibes. But only for awhile. Fast forward, a couple of years later, Gwen is solo, but surrounded by four Asian women that she has pet-named as Love, Angel, Music, Baby, Gwen is making millions, as she sells Japanese-influenced clothing, perfume, and makeup.
Now, 2016. She’s back! But where is the heavy Japanese influence? The clothing?
Gone.
Nothing but a fleeting memory of Harajuku clothing, as she is now fully entrenched in straight pop music.
Lest we forget that damn bindi she wore in the 90s, ONLY because she was dating Tony
Suspect #2 – Katy Perry
In 2008 I was A&R for a label, and was scouring for acts on Myspace when I came across ‘I Kissed A Girl’. What?! An unapologetically queer song? My word. It’s shocking and right-wing America is pissed. So right on!
It’s 2017, and the queer vibe has all but disappeared and she is now making music with the likes of the Migos. Let’s see when she drops the rap music and “goes back to her gospel roots”.
Suspect #3- Madonna
I care not about ya’ll crawling in my mentions. But MADONNA KISSED DRAKE TO STAY RELEVANT AND YOU KNOW IT.
Suspect #4- Every other white female artist who hopped on a rap/r&b song for the exposure and then “went back to their roots”
Again I say, Miley is a horrible person, because for the past few years she has used rap to get herself some distance from “Hannah Montana”, but now it’s “vulgar”. This is coming from the same person who twerked on a teddy bear surrounded by Black women.
But she is only doing what she has known to work for so many that came before her. Our cultures are ripe for their rebranding and when they have had enough, they “go back to their roots” and continue to reap the rewards. “If she had only kept her mouth shut”, she too would have gotten away with this cycle.
So thank you, Miley, you vile pile of mayonnaise, for bringing this to our attention so that we can now keep our eyes open for the next singer that decides to come along and appropriate another culture.
*I’m looking at you Noah Cyrus*
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