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Nina, I wasn't calling for a beatific and glowy M.I.A., as you say, or a saintly Mother Earth aesthetic. I was calling for a modicum of modesty and good taste. Many rock stars exhibit fashion taste without sacrificing their individuality. But I agree with you that taste is in the eye of the beholder.
I admit that I was unaware of her "whimsical" style before I saw her onstage. But if M.I.A's performance was really about her music and not about craving attention she could have worn any number of great outfits, including the unique one she wore on the red carpet that night that neither hid her pregnancy nor shouted: Look at me. Look at me. I'm pregnant, I'm cool, and I'm still sexy.
As for the performance harkening back to the Rat Pack days, I don't remember any scenes from the old Rat Pack movies that included anything close to a pregnant woman wearing a silly and revealing bumble-bee outfit. And if M.I.A. was supposed to be part of the pack that night, she could have taken a cue from the suited men on stage and wore something more in keeping with the Rat Pack's formal/cool sensibility.
And Nayeli, my point was not that she committed an ethical lapse, my concern was about the imagery of a fashion lapse. I don't think dressing in clothing—pregnant or not—that leaves little to the imagination is empowering or radically feminist, as you and Jessica imply. It's not M.I.A.'s outfit that is "debunking notions of feminine delicateness," it's her ability to make it to the top of the hip-hop hierarchy. She would have been just as effective performing with those men while wearing a suit—albeit a suit that proudly accommodates the protruding stomach—and even more so a dress.
My larger point is that young, female rock/rap/R&B/country music/whatever stars, much like the female dancers in music videos, are wearing less and less and revealing more and more of their bodies for the entertainment of whom? Other women? Themselves? I don't think so. They've brought into the notion that equates being sexy with revealing all. I would argue that's not a feminist notion but a creation of the male-dominated fashion and music industries. It makes me sad for female artists who bare more than they should, and for the young girl fans who emulate them and put a premium not on being smart, kind, independent-minded, or socially conscious, but on being sexy and famous, even famous for doing nothing like Paris Hilton.
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Allow me to leap to jump to Marjorie's defense on M.I.A.'s outfit from the Grammys. I've got no problem with the "whimsical" polka dots. It's the see-through mesh and the practically nonexistent skirt that have me cringing.
Don't get me wrong; I don't think pregnant women should be shrouded in mumus for nine months. There's nothing wrong with looking gorgeous or sexy while you're pregnant. And heck, there's even nothing wrong with performing while you're about to burst, as long as the doctor says it's OK: I remember how amazing Catherine Zeta-Jones looked and sounded when she performed at the 2003 Oscars while eight months pregnant.
But something that all mothers learn after they have kids (if they haven't learned it before) is that it's not all about you anymore. This is true whether you're a stay-at-home mom or a career woman or a wildly successful performing artist. Sometimes it might not hurt to ask yourself, "What would the kids say if they were old enough to see this?"
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Marjorie, I've been watching and rewatching the clip of a past-her-due date M.I.A. performing at the Grammys, and like Jessica am unable to muster up the same kind of ethical and fashion objections you express. Like Nina, I couldn’t get enough of M.I.A.’s stage strut or the male performers’ reactions to it. (Whether Kanye West’s frightened expression was made out of squeamishness or spotlight envy, one of the biggest egos in hip-hop was decisively outdone that night.)
And beyond the normal satisfaction I feel whenever female rappers, regardless of their crazy getups, are given the chance to showcase themselves, I actually saw M.I.A.’s performance as a feminist triumph. The ability of famous fetuses from Nadya Shuleman's brood to the latest Brangelina offspring to dominate headlines lends credence to the idea that a new mother’s career must re-center around her image as a mom to be a success. It was refreshing to see an expectant celebrity who didn’t fall victim to the tabloid characterization of pregnant women as either reformed sluts or pious earth mothers.
There’s also been plenty of judgment passed recently on mothers who work versus mothers who choose not to work, sacrificing themselves and their hard-won equal opportunities. Considering this, I guess it was inevitable for M.I.A. to take some heat for her choice of outfit and decision to perform but I was happy to see her making the choice to stay in her game.
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