I'll second that emotion. Hotness.

I think the choreography is great, but i can't stand the lyrics. She is singing about switching gender roles, but the main point is that she wants to show him what it would be like if she was a boy so that she could cheat on him and be mean to him. Last time I checked, it doesn't take a penis to be a bad boyfriend/ girlfriend.

I know its just a stupid pop song, but the lyrics are just bad.

I think that the lyrics kindof work actually. Especially if you think of this song as describing not a real relationship but a "music" relationship. There are endless songs glorifying guys being jerks, especially in hip hop. I think it works if you think of it as a rebuttal towards that predomanant hip hop attitude.

The video is really great.

That took some ovaries. Love it.

Talk about reinforcing gender stereotypes.

I haven't read the lyrics, so I can't be sure, but from what I can hear she's saying 'Would you like it if [I acted the same way you are acting and excusing it away with sexist stereotypes], could you handle that?'
It's not glorifying the behaviour but pointing out that it's bad behaviour, and guys wouldn't like it if it were turned around on them.

I question the interpretation that this is reinforcing gender stereotypes - surely by pointing out that what is considered manly in a certain genre of mainstream hip-hop is in fact just a set of behaviours that either sex can adopt is breaking away from the idea that femininity/masculinity is inherent/natural to either sex.

I haven't read the lyrics, so I can't be sure, but from what I can hear she's saying 'Would you like it if [I acted the same way you are acting and excusing it away with sexist stereotypes], could you handle that?'
It's not glorifying the behaviour but pointing out that it's bad behaviour, and guys wouldn't like it if it were turned around on them.

That's how I interpreted the song too. To answer the question "Can you handle that?", yes, they can. Why? Because the woman in a relationship is always going to be the woman even if she does something that is acceptable for a man to do. The man isn't going to think "What did I do wrong to make her cheat on me?" He's going to think "Just like a woman to be a sneaky conniving slut."

Gosh, I wish I could pull off baggy jeans like that. Damn these full hips and growing ass! Ehh, I guess cargo pants will do.

Don't care much for the lyrics, but the video was hot.

Oh, i love this song.

Another way to look at it is that she keeps saying "act just like a boy"

In my experience, most men do not like being called a "boy". She's describing the behavior as boyish, meaning the guy isn't acting like a responsible adult, but immature.

Also, Shinobi, cool interpretation. I'd never thought of it that way.

I've been blasting this song ever since it came out. Of course the song is not going to be a perfect example of academic cultural criticism about gender stereotypes. But the fact that it is so in your face and blatant about the unfairness of those stereotypes might just wake some people up to the idea of feminism, the idea that feminism isn't evil or wrong, but is simply about fairness.

I don't know about you, but I'm behind anything mainstream that's thought-provoking and that'll open people's eyes to feminism. Go CiArA!

I hate to nit-pick but those aren't drag kings, they're women in baggy, masculine clothes.

I love this video. Even in the dancing she's taking style of dancing that is often typical of male artists than female. And Shinobi--great interpretation. You make a very good point that I hadn't considered until reading your post. Hats off to Ciara for this video.

@The Slant: I don't mean to sound ignorant...but what exactly then is a Drag King?

Danni - I would consider a Drag King a woman who intentionally removes all indication that she is a woman and attempts to "pass" as a man. This includes no makeup, no hoop earrings, no painted nails, etc. Drag Kings bind their breasts and sometimes wear soft-pack dildos.

@The Slant: I don't mean to sound ignorant...but what exactly then is a Drag King?

She talks about gender roles, and then she gives stereotypical examples of those roles. Later she says she wishes she could switch those roles so that she could act like the boys do. This wish implies that she can’t actually change her role. If she is saying that these roles are fixed, that she can’t change her own attitudes and actions even though she wishes she could, how is that not reinforcing gender stereotypes?

noname, she ALSO says "you wouldn't like that-no!"

Meaning, you wouldn't like it if i did that to you, so don't do it to me.

I agree that the dancers are not drag kings -- sure they are (hott) women in masculine clothing, but they are not trying to pass as the opposite sex. That being said, labels are so limiting any way, and it is cool that there is atleast folks out there who are breaking it down, and blurring the lines.

I guess I can understand the idea that she's reinforcing gender roles, but I don't see it that way at all. She's addressing things that are typically seen as "okay" for guys, but wouldn't be for women, and I don't think she's actually saying she wants to be a a boy just so she can do those things. Maybe she's not addressing really subtle gender roles, but I believe it's still a valid point.

The most telling lines that support this, IMO, are "could you handle that?" and "would the rules change up or would they still apply?" If she acted in ways that are considered normal for men -- at least to a lot of people, not everyone -- would people accept it or would she be treated differently because she's a woman?

I agree with Shinobi that this could definitely also apply to media/music relationships. Christina Aguilera's "Can't Hold Us Down" was similar in sentiment about the double standards in media/music.

"She talks about gender roles, and then she gives stereotypical examples of those roles. Later she says she wishes she could switch those roles so that she could act like the boys do. This wish implies that she can’t actually change her role. If she is saying that these roles are fixed, that she can’t change her own attitudes and actions even though she wishes she could, how is that not reinforcing gender stereotypes?"

I choose to include the content of the video in my reading of the musical work as a whole. From this, we can clearly see her demonstrating her ability to switch roles, demonstrating that she doesn't believe that they are fixed.

Secondly, just because she can't change her role doesn't necessarily affirm stereotypes.

It doesn't follow that what is preventing her from changing her role is something inherent about being female (particularly given the evidence of her acting like a boy), it could equally be some external factor.

After all, plenty of women for centuries haven't felt able to act like men, even though we know that are capable of doing so.

Nothing prevents women from taking what they want, doing what they want, acting as they want, other than THEMSELVES.

Nothing prevents women from taking what they want, doing what they want, acting as they want, other than THEMSELVES.

Wow. 22 comments before we get to the trolls blaming women for the problems that affect them. Is that progress?

They are not drag kings, but they are in butch drag. Like RuPaul said, "You're born naked and the rest is drag."

Looks like Ciara doesn't mind those lesbian rumors.

Lesbian rumors?
Didn't hear those, but I did hear hermaphrodite rumors...which she acknowledges she's faced before her fame.

UltraMagnus, I can see your point about blondein_tokyo's statement, but I really don't think they're a troll looking to blame women. I think there is nothing wrong with endorsing self-sufficiency and removing onesself from the ridiculous gender role bullshit and just being.
Can't say I'd have survived long in my field without ignoring that stupid shit and just doing whatever the hell I felt like doing, regardless of what society dictates.

I agree with you, oread. Both women and men have a fair portion of dis-empowering behaviors that they conveniently blame the other gender for acting as obstacles to an adjustment to those behaviors. Not every contrary comment on this blog comes from a troll.

In terms of this song and video, Ciara needs to be complimented on some of the most interesting and innovative video choreography that I have seen in a hip-hop in a long time. Her dual gender partnering dances were CRA-AZY. Does anyone know if the move she pulls with about a minute left in the video, where the other dancers were lying down, and she was in a limbo-like pose, does anyone know if that is her without special effects?! Shins aren't supposed to work like that!

Additionally, this song/video needs to be looked at through a hip-hop context. The genre has been trading on very defined and very traditional gender stereotypes since its inception, so for Ciara to even flip those stereotypes around is an envelope pushing move.

Re: equityforbothgenders

That actually is Ciara's amazing dancing! You can see her do it live (in heels!) on Dancing with the Stars here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ029czCQLA

In regards to the song's meaning - I've always interpreted it as "How would you like it if I did all these things that you excuse because they're just how 'guys' are supposed to be allowed to act?" As other's have said, it's certainly not the most sophisticated analysis of gender roles, but it does point out a huge double standard, which I think is pretty good for a pop song.

I think she's talking about very serious ideals, something beyond just "boys cheat, girls suffer". I think she's talking about male privilege, especially the kind of privilege portrayed within the hip-hop/R&B scene. She says, "Would the rules change up?/Or would they still apply?/If I played you like a toy?/Sometimes I wish I could act like a boy." To me, that says if women were doing it (all this stuff society says is okay for a guy to do), the rules wouldn't apply anymore, that men wouldn't just be expected to take it like women do.

And to those who say there's nothing keeping a woman from "acting like a boy" and living a successful life in the same way a male who acted in such a manner does, I say: get your feet back on the ground. We all know that isn't true. If it were, transgendered people wouldn't be getting fired from their jobs.

While I can agree with some of what equality and oread are saying, it's a slippery, liberterian (sp?) slope when there are real problems facing a group of people and you start the "nothing is preventing you from doing X,Y and Z" when, in fact there are elements that are. Women could have as much sex as they want, but we still live in a society that likes to punish women for doing so and believe it or not society does influence individual behavior, that's why for the longest time (and in some cases still are)women were kept in place by being called a slut or a whore. God, look at the Britney Spears debacle where she was maligned for not fitting the standard of beauty, it did actually make a few women with normal body types feel bad about themselves. Are they weak for doing so? Not at all. We have an administration and a right wing that is actively trying to take away reproductive freedoms, telling women if they get knocked up it's their own damn fault and they should suffer the "consequences" for daring to have sex. There is a gender gap and still a glass ceiling and yes, some behaviors are still okay for men and not okay for women.

Would it be wonderful if every single woman canceled her subscription to Cosmo, W, and Vanity Fair and stopped supporting sexist paradigms? You bet your ass it would. But right now it's not realistic even though that's what we're working towards. Some women are strong enough to stop the cycle, some women are on the fence if there even is a cycle and some women think the cycle is just fine.

Perhaps if the "problems" blondein were referring to were specified, however I got the feeling that they were saying every single problem and double standard is something that women can easily overcome, when it's not.

I actually think this video is incredibly bold on Ciara's part because, as someone pointed out before, it completely disregards any rumors that she is a "she-man" or a lesbian. She's basically saying she doesn't give a f*ck what people think - if she wants to dress up like a guy & look damn good while doing it, she's not going to let some stupid rumor about her gender stop her. This isn't my favorite video in the world, but you've got to give the woman some credit here - she's got ovaries of steel in my book.

I watched this fully prepared for mixed feelings, as I am generally just as sensitive to negative male stereotypes as female.

But IMO this video was way to obviously taking the piss out of all the male pop stars talking about all the girls they're doing etc etc... Doing all the damn things she's accusing "boys" of doing, so it's not like it comes out of the blue

hang on, i'm not convinced that "drag king" = "passing as a guy"? all drag shows i've seen and heard about - with drag kings & drag queens - are about something different from just passing as the opposite sex. i mean there is parody involved in the drag, isn't there?

1. Hot.
2. Yeah, it's a little disappointing that in responding to gender stereotypes, Ciara is perpetuating them (i.e., "boys act this way").
3. Might we take this as a method of turning those stereotypes on their heads? I see this song as a response to the old "boys will be boys" argument. Ciara is apparently frustrated by the behavior of one or more men who cheat, etc. with the argument that "that's how boys are". This song seems to be saying, "If I acted the way you're acting and said 'that's the way I am,' would you accept it?"

"hang on, i'm not convinced that "drag king" = "passing as a guy"? all drag shows i've seen and heard about - with drag kings & drag queens - are about something different from just passing as the opposite sex. i mean there is parody involved in the drag, isn't there?"

I wouldn't say that there is parody involved in drag shows. Imitation and entertainment, yes, but not parody.

A woman who is "dressing in drag" can do so in the privacy of her home, or out in public, or anywhere. Not all women who dress in drag participate in drag shows. I would say that to have the title "drag king" you would have to a. dress in drag (pass as a guy) and b. participate in a drag show.

Make sense?

Just for the record, The Slant, I'm w/you on this one. No drag king I've ever known would have long hair/wear it long for performance. The dancers here are flagging female, as Ciara is most of the time in the video, and while some king performances reveal the female body underneath the male performance, this is done self-consciously as part of the performance. Performing start-to-finish unmasked, as these dancers do, does not qualify them as drag kings in any standard sense ('king' either understood critically, or by kings themselves, in the place I've lived).

sorry, maybe i'm being too picky. but i maintain there's a difference between passing and drag :)

i put it to you that drag queens do *not* pass as women, most of the time, and aren't trying to (there are some exceptions). same with drag kings, though maybe it's less obvious?

what i'm saying is drag is a specific, parodic act; passing is another thing, and while drag might use passing as part of the act, they aren't the same...

anyway. maybe you disagree, maybe i'm wrong. sorry for the rant. i'll move on now...

daiskmeliadorn - Maybe you and I are using two different definitions of "parody". To me, and in this context, a parody is a piece of entertainment that acts to ridicule or comically imitate someone or something. My opinion is that drag shows are NOT a source a ridicule or comical imitation. I implore you to find a drag queen or king who believes that their performance is an act of ridicule. On the contrary, drag queens and kings take their performances VERY seriously and are not trying to ridicule anyone.

My partner dresses in drag on occasion but has never participated in a drag show. She does not pass as a man every single day, but she does pass as a man on those occasions where she dresses in drag. So yes, of course there's a difference between dressing in drag on occasion (either for a show or not) and passing as the opposite sex every single day. Someone who practices the latter would be termed a transsexual or transgender individual, not a drag king or queen.

wow. from what i can tell, that was pretty subversive. but, regardless, it was incredibly hot. i kind of hope it starts a trend.

The Slant - sorry, I didn't mean that drag is about ridiculing someone in particular. But it could be ridiculing ideas about "femininity" or "masculinity" and so on. I think you're right though we're just working with different definitions.

Both women and men have a fair portion of dis-empowering behaviors that they conveniently blame the other gender for acting as obstacles to an adjustment to those behaviors. Not every contrary comment on this blog comes from a troll.games