Is Lily Allen’s “Hard Out Here” Video Racist ?

Lily Allen’s New Music Video has been branded racist by some fans and bloggers. As reported by MTV , the twerking scenes in the video have come under scrutiny for racism. The video features fancy ...
Is Lily Allen’s “Hard Out Here” Video Racist ?
Written by Val Powell

Lily Allen’s New Music Video has been branded racist by some fans and bloggers. As reported by MTV , the twerking scenes in the video have come under scrutiny for racism. The video features fancy cars, fake liposuction, champagne, and twerking galore and it seems that some people were less than impressed with the explosive video’s portrayal of black women as predominantly ‘sex objects’.

Lily has however hit back at the critics who savaged the promo for the new release and says the video is meant to deliver a feminist messages against misogyny and sexism in pop culture. The video and the song lyrics are taken from her original single in 2009. She pokes fun at Robin Thicke’s controversial Blurred Lines video when she dances in front of inflatables that say,  ‘Lily Allen has a baggy pu**y’. Robin Thicke, on the other hand, dances in front of a message that says, “Robin Thicke has a big d**k.”

And in a response to the criticisms directed to her new release, Lily has released a twitter statement called “Privilege, Superiority and Misconceptions” which seeks to clarify, but mostly hit back at the suggestions that her music video is racist. Here are some of her comments:

  • “If anyone thinks for a second that I requested specific ethnicities for the video, they’re wrong.”
  • “If anyone thinks that after asking the girls to audition, I was going to send any of them away because of the color of their skin, they’re wrong.”
  • “The message is clear. Whilst I don’t want to offend anyone. I do strive to provoke thought and conversation.”
  • “The video is meant to be a lighthearted satirical video that deals with objectification of women within modern pop culture. It has nothing to do with race, at all.”

Here’s the Video. Is it Racist?

(main image via YouTube)

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