11.08.2010

Perfectly Acceptable Ashley

You know it's acceptable:

  • to make a line from Glee your new mantra. That being, "Give me some chocolate or I'll cut you." Sounds about right. :)

  • To be furious enough to cuss out your television, when the outcome of a certain show was ludacris! MONDO SHOULD HAVE WON PROJECT RUNWAY! NOT GRETCHEN-STUPID-FACE!!! GRRRRR....*breathe* Ok, I'm done. But really...am I crazy for yelling at the TV?

  • To overplay a song ("Whip My Hair") from a 9-year-old prodigy-of-sorts (Will Smith's daughter). Willow Smith, you make me feel slightly unaccomplished for my age, but I can't help but shake it to your cute song with a great beat. SHE LOOKS JUST LIKE HER DAD!





19 comments:

  1. I had no idea Will Smith's daughter was making music! I'm intrigued...

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  2. you know, I'll post the video in this post...haha.

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  3. she is NINE YEARS OLD? I can't handle it.

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  4. You know when I heard Denise scream from the other room, louder than I at any Chelsea loss, I knew Mondo had lost. And I laughed my devilish laugh in that I-told-you-so kind of way.

    And don't feel unaccomplished for your age. I'm sure we all could have albums and videos given a near endless fortune and a man called Will Smith we could call daddy. :)

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  5. I am watching this from work right now, so I can't have any audio to it. But the visuals are pretty striking right now. Have to catch this at the library later tonight when I can hear it.

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  6. Wow--that girl looks JUST like her daddy!

    Call me old-fashioned (I love the Will Smith, by the way), but I think 9 year old children should be out riding their bikes, helping with chores, doing homework, etc. no matter WHO'S kid they are.

    Prancing around like a teen pop star at 9 years old is too much exposure too soon. Even teen pop stars can't handle the pressure (ex: Britney, Miley). How much less a 9 year old child?

    It might look cute to see a kid dressed up older than her age, but I think it's sad. It seems like pop stars are starting out younger and younger.

    D.

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  7. Oops, I meant to write, "WHOSE".

    D.

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  8. D--yes, I had that same thought...that maybe she's too young. But one could argue that she comes from an unusual family and has already encountered unusual exposure for her age.

    I don't think she's inappropriately dressed...do you? I think she's got a funky kid style goin on :)

    Overall, yeah. It probably would have been smart to wait a couple years.

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  9. Okay, since you asked: I do think she is dressed inappropriately (aside from dancing and "acting" older than her age). One doesn’t have to be sexually explicit to be dressed inappropriately.

    Notice that all of the other people in the video are teenagers - Willow is pretty much the only child. Her nails are done, her hair is dyed and styled various ways, and she is wearing make-up. There is nothing child-like about that.

    Just because she comes from a family of entertainers doesn't mean she's exempt from the basic needs of a child (discipline, structure, and these days, simplicity). Contrast this video with the Barney episodes that kids used to watch when I was a teenage babysitter:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeLalsB5Q6k

    I used to hate Barney because he sang pointless songs that didn't teach kids anything like Sesame Street did. Nevertheless, the children here act like children. They dress like children. They dance like children. They sing childish songs.

    Conversely, Willow's music video is a prime example of the overstimulation and excess that is saturating the next generation (she couldn't have just one hairdo, she had to have all ten!). This sets a new standard for the millions of children who will be watching. It makes them grow up too fast and yet doesn't exemplify values like patience and hard work.

    D.

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  10. Interesting convos going on here! I was just about to say a similar thing...just not sure about 9-year-olds as a performer, whether her dad is a movie star or not. I'm curious to know what Will Smith says about his kids performing and becoming famous at such a young age.

    That said, I may just be jealous I'm not a child prodigy! ;-p

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  11. I don't know D, I think I'd compare this to a kid playing dress-up. I don't think the clothes and the lip gloss are bad at all. 9 is actually a pretty mature age as far as children go...they are soon going to enter middle school and are going through some more adult thought processes.

    I also like that she gets messy here, which reminds me of kids. What I HATE are those Disney and Nickelodeon shows where kids have perfect hair and perfect make-up and are always looking glamourous and untouchable.

    But I still agree with "maybe it's too young to have a hit single."

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  12. I love that, "give me chocolate or I'll cut you." Lets make bumper stickers!

    & to comment on your other post. Turkey IS with in reach. Let me just say, as someone who has had to figure this out recently, as frustrating as the struggle is, it reminds you why Turkey, why LIFE in general is so worthwhile. The struggle is what lets you know what you want in life. There too, is happiness.

    When you no longer have to struggle against, when you no longer have a passion for something... THATs when things are scary.

    So just take it day by day. There's meaning to this struggle, this frustration too. <3

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  13. I THOUGHT MONDO SHOULD HAVE WON TOO!!!

    the only thing i can figure is that they took pity on gretchen since her whole life fell apart because of that show and she had nothing else to do and nowhere to go. totally lame ending and i was REALLY bummed. either way, mondo's probably got some sweet deals that he's sorting through anyway. i wish i was rich and could just pay him to make me a new wardrobe instead of having to shop for one.

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  14. Ok, now that I have finally been able to listen to it, I can tell you what I think.

    I have to agree with D on this one. I think the words themselves are more implicit than can be imagined, and the visual representation is also far more mature than her years. I suppose one could take it as a sign of maturity for the 'tweens, right? However, as a sign of freedom of expression for a child, does it really emphasize that we have to have children mature beyond their years?

    I guess the real question is, what is maturity these days? As I see it, maturity seems to be shown by Hollywood and the Music Biz these days as a matter of personal ambition by means of visual and textual representation. This is represented for kids today in artists such as Justin Beiber, Hannah Montana, and several other young artists from the Disney Channel that I have a hard time understanding. What does it take to be a child star these days? How much of this personal ambition needs to be shown in order to prove novelty, uniqueness?

    I say personal ambition here because we can go alot of different directions here; with Britney Spears, we have the most obvious case of personal ambition shown by means of sexuality. Perhaps with Hannah Montana, it is a type of personal ambition that is less sexually defined, and more abstract to fit the categories of little girls who wish to live the fantasy life of a pop star, and yet still have a family to hold on to (Yes, I have to sit through the show with my 10 year old niece).

    So to be more specific, what exactly is Willow showing us here? Personal ambition of a child star is motivated by a need for attention (success), but how far should the child go? More importantly, how far should the parents take it? For me, although the young girl appears to have talent and sings well, is surrounded by a market that her parents subjected her to, and it makes me sad. I think there's alot going on here that people don't notice because they're blinded by pop culture norms.

    One final note: the irony written in the lines, which actually could be taken as just personal independence (but I doubt it), "Whip it Real Good", could be making fun of the 80's song (intertextuality) by Devo; however, given this intertextual claim (which could be true, depending on who wrote the lyrics), how should this be construed? I really don't think people pay enough attention to the words these days (i.e. "Ladies, throw your hands up". What ladies?). And if the writer was paying attention, he or she should have been more mindful of their intended audience.

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  15. Haha, that being said, I do believe in freedom of expression. I just think people should be aware of the multiple interpretations of the lyrics, and that to laugh off one claim as "You can't be serious" is single-minded and lacks any sort of depth. Yes, it's a song for kids, but that's exactly WHY it should be deciphered.

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  16. I totally noticed those lyrics, and Devo is what I thought of right away. haha.

    I don't take those lyrics in a bad way at all. The video, along with the lyrics, are talking about individuality, and being yourself despite what other people say. She's saying to "whip our hair and just shake them off."

    I find this to be a positive message.

    Also, working with children, I find it slightly offensive that adults always think they are SO easily influenced to believe/follow along with everything they see.

    Yes, they are more impressionable. But I even remember deciphering as a child what was too risque for my age (Madonna videos at that time) and what was appropriate. I watched MTV at the age of nine, and I have not turned out promiscuous and wild.

    I think the true culprit here for the change in this generation is PARENTING. Parents don't smack bottoms any more, or give any boundries for that matter. Children are spoiled and possibly over exposed to the media and video games...but whose fault is that?

    At the end of the day, parents are in control of how much pop culture their kids consume.

    On top of this, I think Willow will be fine. Why? Because Will Smith and Jada have been there and done that. They will be able to accurately tell their children what to watch out for in the industry.

    I really find this video cute and age appropriate. It may just be my opinion, but I stand by it.

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  17. Ok, I absolutely agree with the parenting thing absolutely (I did say that her parents subjected her to it). However, my take on whether Will Smith and Jada Pinkett is not the same as yours. I am just not a fan of Will Smith, although I like Jada a bit more. I suppose the parenting thing is the most important thing for me as well, and I can see your point on freedom of expression.

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  18. ha. well that's where our difference of opinion may lie. Why don't you like Will Smith? You and Eminem may be the only two people :)

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  19. So I just wanted to comment on the fact that Willow Smith both terrifies and intrigues me. She's kind of incredible... and she's so young! But then she is Will's daughter, so neither of those things surprise me.

    Also, HELLO. I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever. I'm still here :D

    Jax x

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