Celebrating VVC with some extremely late comments! :P
The first time I watched this I got CHILLS as it ramped up to the recitation/climax – and I have watched it so many times. First, visually: it's stunning (no surprise). The paralleling is virtuosic – it reminds me of Disney's Copy Paste (https://youtu.be/vh84g8rC2oA) – but of course your version is also a conceptual remark/critique about how formulaic these girls' stories are. You did such beautiful matching with the song, which is already mesmerizing to me.
But it's politically that it really hits me – I know that angle isn't your #1 investment in vidding so I'm not sure how focused on it you were with this one? To me, wow, it's A++++ political remix. There's a particular challenge in feminist criticism of pop culture around calling out sexism without simultaneously dismissing girls' pleasures. And you NAILED IT (see also: chaila's Bella from Twilight vid). There are all these condemnations of princess culture as if it's the princesses that are the problem and not Disney. But you were all: don't hate the princess, hate the game! Commodification and heteronormativity suck but PRINCESSES ARE AWESOME. This felt very true to the spirit of Beyoncé :D. I guess I disagree with some people who could only read it cynically? I do think there's a lot of complexity to the vid's message. But I actually found the ending really heartwarming, because it seemed like the visuals answered back to the voiceover (much like Be's song does) to say: girls love princesses AND GIRLS RULE!
no subject
The first time I watched this I got CHILLS as it ramped up to the recitation/climax – and I have watched it so many times. First, visually: it's stunning (no surprise). The paralleling is virtuosic – it reminds me of Disney's Copy Paste (https://youtu.be/vh84g8rC2oA) – but of course your version is also a conceptual remark/critique about how formulaic these girls' stories are. You did such beautiful matching with the song, which is already mesmerizing to me.
But it's politically that it really hits me – I know that angle isn't your #1 investment in vidding so I'm not sure how focused on it you were with this one? To me, wow, it's A++++ political remix. There's a particular challenge in feminist criticism of pop culture around calling out sexism without simultaneously dismissing girls' pleasures. And you NAILED IT (see also: chaila's Bella from Twilight vid). There are all these condemnations of princess culture as if it's the princesses that are the problem and not Disney. But you were all: don't hate the princess, hate the game! Commodification and heteronormativity suck but PRINCESSES ARE AWESOME. This felt very true to the spirit of Beyoncé :D. I guess I disagree with some people who could only read it cynically? I do think there's a lot of complexity to the vid's message. But I actually found the ending really heartwarming, because it seemed like the visuals answered back to the voiceover (much like Be's song does) to say: girls love princesses AND GIRLS RULE!