In Their Defense…

Is it just me, or does everyone get a little defensive when something they enjoy gets criticized? My sister makes fun of me and calls me the
PR person of whatever I love at the moment that people seem to dislike. But that’s the case with everything. You like something or you don’t. Simple as that. It’s just funny, though, that some recent things I enjoy have had strong opinions in both directions.

I thought I’d share my feelings about these things I adore, and why I think they deserve a little love.

Lana Del Rey

I fell in love with Lana Del Rey’s two blog-hyped songs (Video Games and Blue Jeans) at the beginning of the year, thanks to my sister. I loved the beautiful music and the interesting, funky lyrics. The songs were intoxicating, and they quickly got stuck in my head. I couldn’t wait for her full length album to come out. But then, she appeared on Saturday Night Live and, much to the dismay of this fan, basically got dumped on for her weak performance and awkward stage presence. Add her previous failed attempt at becoming a recording artist (look up Lizzie Grant) and her fast breakthrough into mainstream, and people were hating her all over the place.

I love her voice and I adore the album. I can sing all the lyrics to the songs because I’ve listened to them so much.
And I admit it, they aren’t the best, smartest, or most original lyrics. A lot of the music is the same thing over and over.
But she has a style and she goes with it. It’s a little cheesy and tacky at times, but she owns it.
And whatever happened before doesn’t matter to me. There are very many celebrities who do not use their real name, who have had failed record label attempts and came back with a new style that worked for that time(coughKATY PERRYcough, who went from Christian music to whipped cream bras). There’s music for all ears. But perhaps the drama is what makes her that much more appealing?
I stand by her.

Girls

I knew I was going to love HBO’s show Girls before I even saw the first episode. I follow creator/writer/director/actress Lena Dunham on Twitter and I think she is one of the funniest, most relatable women (girls?) on the planet. I saw her movie Tiny Furniture and fell even more in love.We are only 4 episodes into the show, but I’m in for the long haul. It’s just what the doctor ordered for someone like me.
Unfortunately, the show is catching a lot of flack for it’s lack of racial diversity and for the fact that every actress on the show has a parent who is famous for something in the artsy/TV/movie world. I refuse to get mad about the “nepotism” that everyone is freaking out about. That is how the world works. In any business, it’s about the people you know, whether you want to act and direct or be a lawyer or doctor. If you wanted to get into show business, and you had an in, wouldn’t you use it?

Regardless, the show is so funny and honest and well-written. It is what it is.
When I’m watching it, I’m not thinking about the parents of the actresses.
I’m engaging in the story, laughing at the embarrassing things these ladies (and, in actuality, we) do.
As for racial diversity, this will always be an issue and people will always be unsatisfied. It’s an unfortunate truth.

Fifty Shades of Grey

It’s the issue of Entertainment Weekly you see above that led me to read the entire Fifty Shades trilogy. I suppose if I didn’t like it, I could’ve stopped after the first book or even the first few chapters. But I didn’t. I got sucked in. I ignored the not-so-great, repetitive writing style that sometimes made me cringe for the racy scenes that made reading all of the books so damn worth it.

This was my first “erotic” book, and it will probably be my last. It was silly at times, but titillating all the same.
But of course, we have the lovers and the haters.

It doesn’t help that the book spurred off from Twilight fan fiction (yes, I like Twilight), which already faces tons of criticism. But add in the lacking writing style and the sadomasochistic sex and you have yourself a nice little controversy in your hand.
People have issues that it is a NY Times Bestseller. Guess what? Just like a crappy movie makes it to the top of the box office, so will a book.
And here’s the scoop: There aren’t many women who are going to go ahead and order porn and toys and stuff. For the ladies, sexuality is as much mental and emotional as it is physical. This book does a good job of stirring the senses. So, it might not be worthy of the Pulitzer, but it’s a fun, easy, fluffy, sexy read perfect for bedtime or beach time.