I wrote something recently about this song on my personal page. I was making more of a joke, but the discussion got started about how I feel about the song “All About That Bass”. I will just cut and paste it here for all of you to read:
I am a HUGE advocate of ALL body types in general and on Gallant Girls. With that said, I was also pleased when I saw certain industries embracing *everyone*, but, songs like this (All About That Bass) are NOT liberating women when it is just the same thing we saw for years with “thin is in”, all over again. It’s still segregating. Lyrics like:
“Yeah my mama she told me don’t worry about your size
She says, “Boys 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 you’re into then go ahead and move along.”
“I’m bringing booty back
Go ahead and tell them skinny bitches that
No I’m just playing. I know you think you’re fat
But I’m here to tell ya
Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top”
… are still putting another form of woman down. We need to stop putting down body types, period. Heavy, skinny, big bootie, small bootie, big boobs, small boobs, pear shaped, egg shaped, tall, short, etc. AND we need to quit talking about “what boys want”. It’s a single-minded generalization. It’s like saying everyone has a type and someone’s soul means nothing to a man —or— woman. It’s all just dumb.
I am all about promoting a healthy body image, but not at the expense of knocking someone else’s. That’s more of the same thing. It’s all unrealistic body image and damaging to *someone*. And calling anyone “bitches” because of how they are built is so incredibly vapid. If we really want to liberate our kids, we can teach them self-esteem without dissing someone else who is different than them.
It saddens me when my daughter *thinks* this is a song about liberation. For who? For, again, “one KIND of woman”. Can’t we all just write songs that celebrate PEOPLE? That’s the way it should be.
Here is a GREAT version of the song All About That Bass redone by Natty Valencia: Watch Not About Your Waist here. Valencia empowers women about a healthy body image without putting anyone or anything down but Photoshop. That’s what it means to be GALLANT!
~ Heather Angelika
Owner/Founder of Gallant Girls
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