Written by Love Isn’t Enough guest contributor Super Hussy; originally posted at SuperHussy
After viewing the web release of Erykah Badu’s video for the song “Window Seat”, I wanted to sit down and write something an write something amazingly poignant, but could not. It was something I had to sit with for a bit, as the video and song directly addresses some things I am working with/on right now…freedom, self-love, authenticity, appropriation, etc. and prompted a visceral reaction, including tears. Besides, after reading this piece, this piece, and this piece, I no longer felt the need to say much of anything, that is until I begin reading my Twitter timeline.
Folks were tweeting and re-tweeting everything from comments about Badu’s posterior, to her co-opting a Matt and Kim video (who, by the way, she says the piece is inspired by and white folks naked bodies on public display have a whole different meaning than a black woman who shows her with intent and a message.)
What inspired this post was a tweet I read that went something like “how would you feel if her cooch was in your child’s face for art sake” or something close to that. So I sat down with my “assistant” TH, clicked on the ankh, watched and asked questions as we went along.
SH: What do you think of this?
TH: I like the music. Is it jazz? I like jazz.
SH: There are parts of it that have jazz.
TH: She was driving a big car.
SH: I know. What do you think of her, the lady walking?
TH: I think she is pretty. She is beautiful, perfect.
SH: Why do you think that?
TH: She just is. It’s sunny in the movie. It’s raining outside.
SH: Yes, I know it’s raining. What is she doing now?
TH: She’s walking down the street. Is that her singing?
SH: Yes, that is her singing.
TH: I like her voice. It is like mine.
SH: OK, yeah. She does have a nice voice. What’s happening now.
TH: She’s taking off er clothes. It’s probably hot.
SH: Hmm, well what do you think about that?
TH: I like it when it’s hot.
SH: What do you think about her taking off her clothes?
TH: It’s OK. Sometimes you need to take off your clothes. I like to take my clothes off.
SH: You do? How does it make you feel?
TH: I feel free. I like being naked.
SH: How do you think she feels?
TH: She feels naked and cool and free.
SH: But she is naked outside.
TH: That’s OK. It’s just her body. I have a body. Daddy has a body. You have a body and boobies.
SH: Yes, we all have bodies and mommy has boobies.
TH: That’s why it is OK. We all have one. We are all peoples (not a typo, she said “peoples”).
SH: Yes, we are all people.
TH: Mommy, she has boobies too.
SH: Yes, Erykah Badu has boobies too. So it is OK to show your boobies outside?
TH: Yes, but only if you want to because they are yours. Oh mommy, she fell down!
SH: Yes she did. She was shot.
TH: Why?
SH: Why do you think?
TH: Because she was naked and cool and free?
SH: Maybe.
Save this for TH and then show her the video when she is age 10 and record he response! Exposure and environment shapes our being more so than upbringing!
It’s too bad that some people don’t understand or appreciate real art. The message was clear.
Beautiful perspective !! The truth hurts as well as true art hurts, it makes us look deeper within ourselves…
She is a smart girl. We need more ppl like her in the world!..my 6yr loves eryka badu!..I guess she has no choice since I’m a HUGE badu fan and when I cook I listen 2 badu..when I clean I listen to badu..yall get the picture!..
Eryka keep sharing and spreading the knowledge..for every hater out there..it more that love what you do and how you express it!..
Thx!
Not sure if i would want my daughter to see that from 2 yards away.
Considering that there must have been at least one person there to film it, it would be a good opportunity for parents to talk to their children about acting if the children had no concept of it yet.
“Mommy, is she hurt?”
“No, she’s pretending. She’s making a movie.”
If there was no indication that it was an act, it could be seen as a cruel trick–unfair to children seeing it, but also to adults who would be frightened for the injured woman.
Wow. Thank you for sharing. I applaud the parenting that went into nurturing this child’s soul.
To the parents who worry about their little kids seeing it, how would they see it if you didn’t show it to them? Hopefully by the time they’ve gotten old enough to view it on their own, you’ve done your own share of thoughtful parenting and taught them the things this little girl already knows.
Kids are f***ing brilliant!
This was a beautiful interpretation of a child. When we get back to being children we get to see things as they are and not the ugly mess adults make it out to be.
That’s fantastic. Thanks for sharing it here. I think I would like to raise my kids to be like this little one.
I think the US and UK (where I am) share a certain attitude towards nudity – shameful, harmful, damaging. Yet we are surrounded by nude or semi-nude imagery all the time. These are however airbrushed “acceptable” bodies, seen through the lenses of white men in the mainstream media… So why the hoo-haa at nudity by a woman on her own terms, as a political/social statement… is the airbrushed, sexualised crap not so much more damaging?
Lovely!!! She’s a star!!!
PROFOUND. *happy tears*
I had Window Seat playing in the background as I read, and you know what? This just totally made my day =). Thanks to you and your amazingly aware little princess!
this was an amazing dialog. i don’t think anyone can write anything better than what came out of this childs mouth. bravo!
skelii.com
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This would not be the first time I’ve seen offended adults use children as an excuse for their feeling violated. (in regard to the E. Badu video)
This little girl has obviously been taught that natural is beautiful… I’m not sure all children would respond that way…but this one is definitely a reflection of her teachers. Awesome work to the “mommy and daddy that have a body.”
Thanks for this great post, gave me the chills reading this
What kind of irresponsible parent exposes their child to a video that showcases a nude woman besmirching a historical American landmark? There’s no message to this video. It’s all about Eykah Badu being “shocking” and trying to get attention. That’s all. And all of you insane people fell for it, blindly grasping and attempting to find meaning where there is none. What is the world coming to where parents purposely expose their children to nudity? I’m not against children seeing nudity in art, REAL art, not the vestige of some god-awful black militant trying to make a buck off of exploiting sick people like the posters in favor of this insanity.
I LOVE the 5 year old’s insight, BUT… if it’s all about being “naked and cool and free” then why, WHY did Miss Badu think it necessary to blur out certain beautiful parts of her beautiful body?!? It almost makes her video self-contradictory, in my humble opinion. Like, here’s my beautiful body, BUT you can’t see certain parts of it because they’re, what, DIRTY?? I just don’t get it.
P.S. Sorry for the postscript, but if she felt she had to blur out certain parts of her body, then she’s NOT very free, now, is she?? Sigh.
Simply beautiful. I appreciate you sharing this. Children are our blessings and our teachers.
I strive to be like that young girl every day. I seen a few posts ask what if she seen a man in the video doing the same as Erykah Badu, she did mention her “daddy has a body too” I think that answered that question. Children don’t take things too seriously…maybe that is something that we need to keep within our hearts and when we do have the opportunity to raise children (if we don’t have any yet) then we passed that down to them. Erykah did mention that she asked her children about the act that she would commit in her video, both of them cheered her on…and she said that she ultimately took her self less serious… I think that just adds even more confirmation…
So, I guess most Americans lack the brains of a 5 yr old. It’s amazing how kids just speak the natural truth.
Absolutely brilliant. My mouth is still opened!
What an awesome kid … thank you so much for posting this.
Even a 5 year old “gets it”. Clothes were meant to shield us from the elements. Not to shield us from the beauty of ourselves. Or simple truths.
It’s something when the children have to show the adults. We do so much harm when we try to teach children to be ashamed of their bodies or that their bodies (and by extension, themselves) are evil. Thank you so much for posting this.
“Why do you think?”
“Because she was naked and cool and free?”
This made me tear up. What a perceptive kid. Thanks for sharing.
Truth from the mouths of babes.
ex ore parvulorum veritas
Erykah rt’d this.
Giiiirrrrlll! So Powerful! Thank you for sharin! I think you should def send this to EB, I’m sure it will inspire & uplift her! It did for me! Than you!
That brought tears to my eyes. Beautiful
All for the expression communicated in this video, but have mixed feelings about the consideration to prevailing sentiments and public laws when the video was actually taken.
Artistic expression is still possible, while still being considerate of public decency laws. But then perhaps the video may not have the impact it has made today. And maybe the artist felt it needed to have a shocking feeling as well.
For me, it will only enhance the effect of this video if I knew that the artist conciously tried, as much as was possible, to diminish factors that would get in the way of lessenning the impact of the message contained.
“”naked, cool, and free”.
it goes back to the argument that simplicity can be powerful. kids says whats real, for realz.
As most have stated, ‘out of the mouths of babes’. They know the truth that ‘as we are made, we are perfect’ [ian kamau] – that us in our natural form is just fine. But we force on them these un-natural strictures of ‘society’. We’ve got a lot of un-learning to do!
In the Matt and Kim video, they comment that there were kids on the street as they streaked, and they joked that they probably ‘scarred them for life’ – but I have not heard any negative feedback on their ‘display’. Interesting.
I love this.
Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but it could just be burred out for the purposes of viewing sights. I’ve only seen it on Youtube, which wouldn’t allow the video if it showed her fully nude without the blur.
*sites
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I read each and every comment that preceded mine. While most are in agreement, the maybe 5 that weren’t were interesting. At the end of the day I am grateful to E. Badu. Not simply because I can listen to Mama’s Gun straight through on repeat STILL, but because this video and so much that she does requires that we talk – authentically. If we can find our way out of Morality, a chance to be unabashedly afraid to love would be possible. Now… to find the closest nude beach…
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“Maybe she was shot because she was naked and cool and free.”
Wow. I think that’s it, right there, isn’t it? And I think I know what kind of mom I want to be…the kind who has *conversations* with her kid about the things she finds challenging in life–like being moved by a beautiful but controversial music video–instead of one who simply complains that people are being naked and artsy around her kid.
Thank you for this.
WoW. Quite an insightful 6yr old! I wonder if the interview would have transpired the same way if it was a male child. I have a 5 year old son who does not watch music videos, Rated-R movies or anything of the sort but already seems to be somewhat in tune or at least aware of his sexual energy towards women and their bodies…he also occasionally strips and runs around the house naked, streaking…and when asked why he would strip and parade naked in front of people, the answer ‘out of the mouths of babes’ is simple…’You guys were busy doing something else and I just wanted some attention!’
No complex message there…its just for attention. Making the message any more ‘deep, meaningful or complex’ is society’s job.
I, for one, will probably not show my 5 year old son that video but if we happened to be yards away while it was being shot, I don’t think I would flip out either. I would just have A LOT of careful explaining and Q&A’ing to do. Those are always the best and most interesting chances to gain some insight with your children.
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Wow. The naturally thoughtful inquisitive innocence of a child. No preconceived notions. No embarrassment for the sake of pride.
what a great contrast to another video i saw on the internet, of the woman that supposedly pressed charges on Erykah, where her 9-year-old daughter said she thought it was gross and inappropriate. i wont even try to link that. thanks for posting this.
This is so dope! Kids are the ish or should I say the truth?. Love it!
About the blurred boobies- I think even though we are not seeing it in the video, the people in the streets that day saw a fully naked woman. I don’t think it makes sense to call her a hypocrite- there were no censors outside! she bared it all in broad daylight.
I don’t think nudity is a problem as much as the context. Her stripping did not really equate freedom to me. More like a lack of self control.
If anyone understands the idea of in it’s context, would it also be okay to show people having sex in public as well? It’s natural too…..
That is simply beautiful. The innocent understand what the seasoned fail to comprehend.
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