This video went viral. Maybe most of you have seen it? They’re calling it a body positive song. I’ve included the lyrics below the video which, I admit, is as cute as the song. Except.
Because you know I’m all about that bass,
‘Bout that bass, no treble
I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble
I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble
I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bassYeah it’s pretty clear, I ain’t no size two
But I can shake it, shake it like I’m supposed to do
‘Cause I got that boom boom that all the boys chase
All the right junk in all the right places
I see the magazines working that Photoshop
We know that shit ain’t real
Come on now, make it stop
If you got beauty beauty just raise ’em up
‘Cause every inch of you is perfect
From the bottom to the top
Yeah, my momma she told me don’t worry about your size
She says, boys they like a little more booty to hold at night
You know I won’t be no stick-figure, silicone Barbie doll,
So, if that’s what’s you’re into
Then go ahead and move alongBecause you know I’m all about that bass,
‘Bout that bass , no treble
I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble
I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble
I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bassI’m bringing booty back
Go ahead and tell them skinny bitches that
Nah, I’m just playing I know you think you’re fat,
But I’m here to tell you that,
Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top
Yeah, my momma she told me don’t worry about your size
She says, boys they like a little more booty to hold at night
You know I won’t be no stick-figure, silicone Barbie doll,So, if that’s what’s you’re into
Then go ahead and move alongBecause you know I’m all about that bass,
‘Bout that bass ’bout that bass, no treble
I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble
I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble
I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bassBecause you know I’m all about that bass,
‘Bout that bass, no treble
I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble
I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble
I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bassBecause you know I’m all about that bass,
‘Bout that bass, no treble
I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble
I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble
I’m all ’bout that bass, ’bout that bass
As someone who is overweight and sees teen girls thrilling at the onset of the flu because that means they’ll lose at least 2 pounds (wish I was kidding), I’m glad there is a catchy song that says it’s OK to have a curvy figure. Really, I am. I’m not trying to be a politically correct/angry/judgmental person who quibbles over every last thing. I think there needs to be more body-positive songs and movies and books and snapchats and twitters and instagrams and whatever else the hell there is going on now. I just wish it wasn’t at the expense of someone else.
I have two issues with the lyrics.
I got all the boom-boom that all the boys chase.
Yeah, my momma she told me don’t worry about your size
She says, boys they like a little more booty to hold at night
There are studies that show the average male prefers a woman around size UK 14, which is roughly a size 10 in the US. Think Christina Hendricks (here, still beautiful without photoshop). By the way, plenty of guys have read that study and said, “Um, no.” That study had a very small sample size, and every study that repeated it had similarly small sample sizes. I’m not saying it’s not true, I’m just saying it’s not true of all guys. Plenty of guys prefer slender women, as they should since we’re not all drones with the same tastes in romantic partners. I know women who are naturally very thin with little to no “booty.” I remember them being miserable in middle school and junior high because they felt they looked like boys/had no boobs/stuffed their bras, etc. etc. The boys teased them for being “boards” the same way they teased my for being fat. I doubt this song would help skinny girls build body confidence.
I’m bringing booty back
Go ahead and tell them skinny bitches that
Nah, I’m just playing I know you think you’re fat,
But I’m here to tell you that,
Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top
OK, hold on. Now we’re calling girls skinny bitches, but we’re only playing because we know they think they’re fat. What? That makes…huh? No. First, you can’t call someone a skinny bitch and then laugh it off. That’s not a joke; it’s sarcasm. Second, not every skinny woman out there thinks they’re fat. Maybe they say that because women find it impossible to say anything positive about their body. Ever. (Eye-opening video) The second she included that “skinny bitch” line she sacrificed the song’s potential to be truly about body confidence.
I also have issues with the video.
1. They say it’s not about body shaming thin people, but that model looks like the center of the joke. Is she the “stick-figure, silicone Barbie doll” mentioned in the song? You know, the skinny bitch (just playing!) who also thinks she’s fat. Every inch of her is perfect from the bottom to the top according to the song, but she sure is getting knocked about by the “real” women in the video. She’s also made to look superficial, vapid, judgmental, and mean.
Side note: The term “real” woman makes me want to scream. If you have a vagina or identify as a woman, you are a “real” woman. [Drops the mic]
2. Meghan Trainor (the singer) is wearing an incredible amount of makeup, has a soft focus lens on her, and is shot from slightly above to minimize her double chin. So much for body confidence. (Stop right there if you’re going to comment that I should be ashamed of myself for body slamming Meghan for body slamming people by pointing out that she’s not perfect so really I’m the Top Body Slammer of the Internet. Leave, Meta Person.)
My last, and most important comment on the video.
Let’s talk about Sione Maraschino and what a ridiculous scene stealer he is. Get outta here with your Maraschino Step.
Yup – as a woman who’s always been on the too-thin side (through genes, not dieting) I can attest that songs like this are extremely hurtful. I got all the usual snide comments from the boys (and some girls) as a teen, was told by a distant relative in my wedding reception line that I was too skinny, had my mother-in-law imply that I wouldn’t be able to nurse my baby. I *get* that everyone should have the right to feel good about themselves, but it’s beyond me why they have to put down the natural ectomorphs in the process. Even in my mid-forties I still feel insecure about my figure and still feel I don’t look womanly enough, and enough like a *mom* (despite the fact that I bore three babies and nursed them all – exclusively!)
I completely agree with you and don’t think it’s ever okay to comment on someone’s size. I hear this a lot at work (where most of my coworkers are a lot older than I am and also a lot heavier). People comment on my size all the time, saying “You should eat more chocolate!” or “You’re too skinny!” Why is that okay? If I were to say something to them about their size or what they eat (which I would never do) I’d be hauled into HR. But it’s okay to comment because I’m on the smaller and shorter size? Body shaming goes both ways, y’all.
Thanks Jules–hadn’t seen the video before or even heard of the singer. As for the hatin’ on skinny girls, I agree that it detracts from the song. But…
So the song is not perfect. But I’m okay with that. When 98% of the world, videos, print ads, tv ads, TV shows, movies, etc is all against any girl looking bigger than a young boy with boobs, I’m okay with what may be one of few (if any others exist) songs celebrating bigger bodies being possibly offensive.
In a society where “bitches” isn’t always derogatory, but can also be used to signify people who are part of your group, and where the term “skinny bitch” had been adopted by a group promoting their lifestyle book, products, etc to other women who want to just like them, I don’t find the lyrics to necessarily be a put down. See http://www.skinnybitch.net/.
As for the idea that our bodies are all about appealing to men–well, it’s sad, and awful and I think we should continue to push the idea that womens bodies are not all about what men find appealing, but as a teen, if ONE person points out that some boys/men like some trait that you happen to possess, that can be somewhat reassuring in a very superficial (but perhaps important when you’re a teen) way. Also, since many many messages are about hey girl, guys like girls who look like X, do Y, (see, e.g. Cosmo, Seventeen), what is one message that says, guys like booties too?
tl;dr: it’s one song. it’s not perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction.
I agree, and as a fat girl, I can’t very well hate on the song completely. ;) My problem isn’t that adult women are hearing the song. I think we should all know by now what is a catchy play on words. It’s the junior high girls who are already so mind-warped with social media that I worry about. Because, yes, one group of girls is hearing that XYZ body part is appealing (for once!), but the other group of girls hears that they will never have what guys want.
Kate on FB brought up the best point of all: why couch the body issue on what guys want?!
tl;dr: two steps forward, one step back. At least we’re one step farther than before, right? Thanks for the awesome comment. :)
I agree that it should not be about what guys want, but the reality is SO. MANY. THINGS. ARE.
I cannot tell you how many of my classmates at Yale were told to stop pursuing so much since “men don’t like accomplished women.” Ditto for law school. This was after the year 2000.
If there’s a song that said guys like smart women, would we worry about the feelings of below average girl students??
It’s stupid, it’s silly, but 13 year olds sadly do care about what boys like. I dumbed myself down so much in high school, it’s ridiculous. If this song makes one girl feel better about having a big booty and being more developed than their friends at that awkward teen stage, great.
A step in the right direction indeed…because most good courses of action involve pitting one sub-group against another. Really, skinny girls have had it too good for too long – they never get teased for their lack of junk (T and A, I’m assuming). Who knew that boys and men prefer curvy girls and women?! Totally news to me! Oh, but I suppose if any of the young slim girls who watch this DO get offended or worried that they don’t have what it takes to attract a guy, well I guess that’s just unfortunate. After all, the means justify the ends, and collateral damage just happens, hey? I guess we can just tell the skinny girls to eat more chocolate and stop working out; if that doesn’t work to fill out their stick bodies, then there’s always boob jobs (’cause those are *totally* safe).
Aside from the skinny-shaming, what really bugs me about this video is that the message to girls/women is the same old one it’s always been: The worth of your body is determined by its attractiveness to men. It’s just got a different shiny ribbon on it.
Absolutely!
I think the song and video are fantastic. I do not think the video director and videographer went too far in styling and shooting Meghan Trainor in flattering ways.
Speaking as a skinny or skinny-ish person, the “shaming” that skinny women face is nothing NOTHING NOOOOTHING like the shaming that overweight women deal with. It’s apples and oranges. As a white person, if I get called a cracker, snow cone, redneck, honky or whatever derogatory term that’s exclusively applied to white people it literally has almost no effect on my feelings and it doesn’t compare AT ALL to the n-word. Apples and oranges. As a white person, I don’t experience racism, or if I do, it’s totally rare, it’s an exception to the norm, there is no such thing as reverse racism, I am not persecuted AT ALL for being white, and I will never in my life have a term applied to me that is as hurtful or has the history of the N-word. I just won’t. And I know that. And as a skinny person, being called a skinny bitch will never hurt as much as being shamed for being fat will hurt.
And I appreciate that Meghan Trainor “slams” me with the skinny bitch thing, then takes it back and say “I know you think you’re fat too”. Seriously, no sarcasm at all, I appreciate that you know that I struggle with my inner voice and the pressure placed on me EVEN AS I respect that some overweight women are in a much worse place in terms of abuse.
When *I* go to a doctor with a health problem, she or he doesn’t take the time to tell me that I should lose weight before or INSTEAD OF treating my problem or listening to me. I am aware of my privilege and you can call me a skinny bitch till the cows come home and it’s NOT a devastating insult. It never will be.
Biggest problem: the worth of the female body is determined by men. Others have said it, I’m gonna say it too. The measuring stick here is “but do men like me” not “am I healthy” or “what do I think?’. THAT’S A HUGE PROBLEM.
Otherwise, it’s cute song that all the teen girls happy about getting the flu to lose 2lbs should hear on repeat until they’re hugging their knees and rocking, muttering “I get it already I get it already I get it already”.
yes yes yes yes yes to everything you said.
That’s all. :)
Yes and yes. Particularly to your side note about “real” women. I also take issue with the fact that the reason this song suggests its okay to be curvy is because boys like it. Can we just be curvy because that’s the way we are? Comfortable with it because we find ourselves beautiful that way? Maybe I’m bringing too much feminism into this discussion but is her worth as a curvy person based on the fact that boys like that.
I agree with all your points. Yes it’s good that this song is a step in the right direction, but I really wish people stopped including comparisons in body positive messages. The term ‘skinny bitch’ may be used in different contexts, but why would it be acceptable to call someone a ‘skinny bitch’ when no one would ever say ‘fat bitch’? I don’t care if there’s a trendy book out or not, I’ll punch the first person who calls me one of those two terms.
Some day I would really like to meet the people who ran those surveys about what body type men prefer and ask them why they ever thought that was a good idea. Seriously. My jeans are sometimes tight, sometimes not, but I like to think I generally feel good about myself. However I always feel rubbish when I read that guys prefer a UK 14 (I’m 4’11 and a UK 6-8), even though I know those surveys are a whole load of cr#p. So, yes. I’d love to read lyrics that don’t mention boys and don’t empower a group of people by telling them they’re better than another group. It’s ok to be on the larger side, and it’s ok to be on the smaller side. It’s just different, and different is ok.
Oh, and don’t get me started on the ‘real woman’ thing. You made of cardboard? No? Then you’re real. End of discussion.
I agree. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that calling someone a skinny bitch isn’t the worst thing in the world and we agree to acknowledge that it’s almost a compliment of sorts thanks to a popular book. What does that say, really? If it’s said in a mean way, you would tell the injured person “they’re just jealous.” If it’s said as lighthearted joke, it’s assumed the person saying it could hate you for being so skinny, but can’t because you’re related, friends, whatever. Either way, the underlying message is that being fat/curvy/not skinny is undesirable. Meghan Trainer reinforces in her own song the idea that it’s better to be skinny than not.
So much of this discussion has left me dumbfounded and frankly flabbergasted, I hardly know where to begin.
Two girls walk into change rooms, both holding bikinis. One is overweight, the other thin as a rail. Both put on the bikini, look into the mirror and cringe, and both walk out of the store without making a purchase. According to Janine, only the overweight girl is allowed to go home and cry; any feelings of inadequacy the other girl has are diminished and dismissed. I’m sorry to be rude Janine, but what gives you the right to be the arbiter of people’s feelings? Why do you get to decide whose feelings are valid? If you, as a “skinny-ish” person, have never felt humiliated by your size and shape, then I’d guess you’re not skinny enough. Your analogy of skinny girls = white people is also flawed. A better example would be blacks and Jews, with one marginalized group putting down another. This song is about overweight girls slamming stick girls, not overweight girls slamming ” slim, normal-size” girls.
Underweight girls would never be told by their doctors to gain weight? Huh. I’ve been told to gain weight. Just my imagination? And I guess the Yale student who was threatened with expulsion for having a low BMI was making it all up? She went through months of forcing herself to eat junk in order to gain weight and finally hired a lawyer who sued for discrimination.
It’s been suggested that all this is okay because if there were a song showcasing the plight of smart girls we shouldn’t have to worry about the feelings of below-average girls. As a smart woman, I would be appalled if there were a song that sought to elevate smart women by slamming stupid bitch waitresses and hairdressers. It’s not okay to elevate yourself by stomping on others.
It’s been suggested that girls and women need to be told it’s okay that they’re curvy. Um, hello? I cannot believe that girls and women need to be told it’s okay to be curvy. Boys and men positively salivate over curvy women. Girls are shown from Disney movies onwards, that the curvy women are the heroines (evil stepsisters are either skinny and flat-chested or overweight), Hooters does a thriving business, Playboy magazines sell like hotcakes, girls are given breast augmentation surgery for their 16th birthdays. Sexy is EVERYWHERE. But yes, let’s slam skinny girls so as to reassure the curvy ones that they’re okay. Give me a break!
“It�s not okay to elevate yourself by stomping on others.”
Yes – this. This is so much the part I don’t get about this song. Same as the “real woman” observation by Jules. I do understand that girls who are bigger than the “ideal” have experienced pain and insecurity, and I wish every single one of them could feel valuable and accepted. But to post a picture of one of those girls and write something like “This is what a real woman looks like” does nothing but try to turn the tables. Skinny, plump, in-between – we should all be working toward the day when no one of those is “right” or better.
The song is ridiculous. Immoral and disgusting. So tired of everything being about sex in our culture.
The second every single woman stops saying sh!#*y things about other women to their friends, their husbands, and their children THEN there will be nore more of this. As a happy fat person (yep, HAPPY FAT PERSON), I am sick to death of hearing about women feeling berated, put down, and crucified because of a number on a clothing label.
We are all beautiful. We have come through our journeys and our heartaches and our achievements with dignity and grace. We have men and women that love us for who we truly are. We have children who think we hung the moon. If it’s hard to love yourself right now, I understand. Begin loving yourself by embracing all of the women you see around you. Lift them up, and you’ll lift yourself up, too.
I got goosebumps reading this. Naomi, there’s an e-hug coming your way.
Hugs back to you, too! <3
Tell me how you got to be a happy fat person. I’m fat, but I can’t say I’m happy about it.
Partial defense of the song:
I really, really wish she had not said “skinny b–s”
BUT
1. She specifically told them that every inch of you is perfect.
2. The skinny villain in this, in the dancing, is initially more teased.
3. The skinny villain joins the dancing at the end.
As for excessive emphasis on male appetite and failure to address ALL women–the song is a good song for the general public because:
1. The vast majority of women are at or above the ordinary “healthy” weight. There are a heckuvalot more slightly plump young women than very skinny women.
2. The vast majority of young women are incurably heterosexual, and would actually like to know that some men might reciprocate the interest–and actually like how they look.
3. Many many of these normal to plump women are under the erroneous impression, from the relentless images of magazines, television, etc., that they are decidedly unattractive to men.
As a father with daughters who will soon be entering teenagedom, and are likely, given their genetics, to be not-so-skinny, I’m very glad this very talented young lady made this well crafted tune with its very benign and playful message. More please.
And having once been very skinny, with people telling me to eat more, all I can say, is that I miss those days and that old metabolism. :)
I think this is a better candidate for a body positive song. http://www.elle.com/news/beauty-makeup/colbie-caillat-try-video-makeup-transformation
Great video. Thanks. :)
It’s a song. Can’t we all just enjoy the fun, upbeat tempo? I, for one, love the song. I don’t think “skinny bitches” was meant to be offensive. Girls call their friends “bitches” all the time. She does say that “every inch of you is perfect”. She is saying it doesn’t matter what size you are, you’re perfect no matter what. As for the sexualization, I don’t see a problem with saying “boys like a little more booty to hold at night”. It’s ok to reassure bigger girls that guys like that, too, since society shows skinny girls all the time that they’re sexy. I think the lyrics are being over analyzed here.