I Love (and Sort of Hate) the New "You & I" and "Try" Videos

I have to admit that I’ve watched John Legend’s “You & I” video and Colbie Caillat’s “Try” video a few times [read: about a hundred.] Legend’s video features a series of many women staring in the camera as if it is a mirror and occasionally fixing something about their appearance. 

Caillat’s video is similar in that it features a series of women singing and slowly removing layers of their make-up and hairdressing.

Everyone seems to love these videos and their underlying message of body-positivity and I would count myself among that number. I love that these videos and artists are acknowledging the immense pressure put on women to look a certain way. I also love the true diversity of the women in the videos, particularly Legend’s video which includes cancer survivors, a girl with Down’s syndrome, and trans actress Laverne Cox. Additionally, the videos feel very genuine. I believe that the artists believe in what they are singing about. I really don’t think that either video is faux feminism used as a marketing ploy. John Legend and Colbie Caillat are the real deal and, after watching the videos, it’s hard not to get their message: All women are beautiful as we are.

So why do I hate the way these videos make me feel, just a little? Well, even though I love the genuine sentiment of body-positivity and the diversity of the women included, I see a problem in the videos: The women are still reduced to simply their bodies, their physical appearance. And women are so much more than that. I want songs and music videos to reflect that. Forget “you don’t know you’re beautiful” What about you don’t know you’re smart, articulate, important, wise, creative, funny, brilliant?

Beauty is only skin deep, but confidence is not, so if you want to build confident women tell us and show us that we are kind and intelligent and witty and innovative and wonderful. Sing to us about how we are good at math, how we are talented artists, how we are masterful poets, and how we are excellent leaders. Tell us we are beautiful, but also tell us we are powerful and unique and hilarious. Compliment our outfits, but also compliment our work.

These videos are obviously a huge step forward from videos like the infamous “Blurred Lines” video where women are just overly-sexualized props, but I find myself still hoping for more from the music industry. Women are so much more than images of our faces, with or without make-up. We are fully fleshed out human beings with talents, dreams, ambitions, and flaws. Please, sing about that.