Comments on: No Disrespect: Erykah Badu Falls Victim to “The Male Gaze”

By: Coffey

Coffey — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 22:52:00 +0000

She learned a valuable and harsh lesson. She should’ve gone with her initial gut-instinct not to do it, esp. since she admitted in her initial missive, that she was leery about the entire idea and thought it was “disturbing”… but still… she placated Wayne Coyne’s “vision” and made the mistake of trusting him w/ elicit footage that she and her sister, quite honestly, chose to do. The entire situation (if it’s not a stupid publicity stunt) is messier than that goo Nayrok was rubbing all over her body.

By: Oregonsistah

Oregonsistah — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 21:24:00 +0000

Question: Did they know they were going to be filmed, did they pose naked, did they allow the imitation bodily fluids to be poured on them…What did they think was going to eventually happen to that piece of cellulite (film)…

By: Coffey

Coffey — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 17:39:00 +0000

If this and Erykah’s reaction was nothinig more than a stunt and show… her fans will be *pissed*… I’m starting not know what to think about this mess.

By: BuckNaked

BuckNaked — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 13:35:00 +0000

I think she *def* learned the price some Black women pay (even though she’s a seasoned pro and intellectual) for “The Male Gaze” … particularly the White Male Gaze

Right, somehow the white man is to fault for this pack of lies as if your wishful desires of Whites checking you out isn’t anything but fantasy.

Of course she knew she would be naked when she got undressed and it was filmed. Of course she knew it would be released when she asked everyones opinon. Of course when there ws backlash she claims she was a victim.

Dumbasses.

By: Henrietta

Henrietta — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 22:05:00 +0000

It actually crossed my mind this could be a piece of performance art, demonstrating the western way of disrespecting women, particularly Black women…. the reason for the blood, the semeny looking stuff, etc… and this is an extension of it to demonstrate how people ally against Black women…. if that is true… I don’t even know what to think,…

By: Coffey

Coffey — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:18:00 +0000

See above comment. Lol. Seems like an awful lot of effort for a relatively *still* popular artist to go through, just for attention. She’s *still* going off about it to the media and to her fans on her Twitter timeline. Craziness.

“Virtuosa of provocation”… I like that.

By: Coffey

Coffey — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:14:00 +0000

Erykah seems to have an answer for every one of people’s confused questions about her initial praise of the video and her sister’s participation in it. I honestly was somewhat nonplussed myself. She claims that Wayne Coyne sent her pictures of her sister on the set, and never imagined he’d release the video to Pitchfork, in its raw, unedited version and without “green-screening” out the nudity like he’d promised. She also criticized her unedited vocals on the song. I haven’t a clue. I honestly hope that all of this furor, interviews with the media expressing her outrage, and online back-and-forthing isn’t a publicity stunt… particularly since she’s been employing the “I feel as if my body and trust has been exploited” argument to make her case and particularly since so many women in the arts and media are legitimately preyed on in this manner, and don’t have the clout or platform Erykah has, to speak out against it… otherwise, I’m not sure I can ever support Erykah’s artistic endeavors again.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:23:00 +0000

Aww, that is just part of the whole thang. She knew the piece was going to be published. Erykah is a virtuosa at provocation. Brava, Ms Badu, Brava!! Got these people slippin and sliding, dippin and diving. Getting all deep, going all shallow. People are a hot mess.

By: Henrietta

Henrietta — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:01:00 +0000

This whole situation confuses me utterly because of the fact that Erykah posted tweets about the video that seemed like she liked it before people started critiquing it harshly. And, it seems as if Coyne sent a message out to let fans who had been offended by the video to let them know it was his vision and not hers. It seems like she liked the video until she started getting criticism for it.

Also, the whole feud thing seems really contrived… like it is a publicity stunt. How the hell can you take the shots that appeared in the video and somehow now realize it was going to be a very controversial video. And how can you agree to be in a video without knowing the concept?

And why ask the audience what they think of the video before you release a statement saying you didn’t approve of the video. I don’t know something seems odd here.

By: Coffey

Coffey — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:18:00 +0000

@Livication:disqus

Erykah *definitely* has a right to be upset. But judging from Wayne Coyne’s lack of empathy and antagonistic, somewhat gleeful responses on Twitter (he got the attention he wanted, at Erykah’s and Nayrok’s expense… violating their trust in the process); engaging him on Twitter seems like a fruitless effort. It would be dope if she struck back in some other, artistic way as only Erykah can do, to shake him up.

I think she *def* learned the price some Black women pay (even though she’s a seasoned pro and intellectual) for “The Male Gaze” … particularly the White Male Gaze. I know she mentioned in her initial statement, that she was apprehensive about the idea when he presented it to her, and thought it was “disturbing”. I wish she’d listened to her gut or at least stayed on top of Wayne to make sure he stuck to his end of their deal to present them in a respectful way. Lesson learned. At the very least people now know what a lecherous and unprofessional asshole Wayne Coyne is.