Singer Lana Del Rey took to social media on Thursday, May 21, and responded to critics who had slammed her and accused her of being “racist” and “glamorizing abuse” with her music after she seemingly shaded female artists like Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello and more in an Instagram post.
For those who missed it, the entire situation started after the “Young & Beautiful” songstress posted a lengthy note “questioning the culture” on social media, where she called out Ariana, Camila, Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, Cardi B and Kehlani for hitting “number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, f**king, cheating, etc.” before explaining that she’s “fed up with female writers and alt singers.”
“With all of the topics women are finally allowed to explore I just want to say over the last ten years I think it’s pathetic that my minor lyrical exploration detailing my sometimes submissive or passive roles in my relationships has often made people say I’ve set women back hundreds of years,” the 34-year-old wrote. “Let’s be clear, I’m not a feminist — but there has to be a place in feminism for women who look and act like me — the kind of woman who says no but men hear yes. The kind of women who are slated mercilessly for being their authentic, delicate selves, the kind of women who get their own stories and voices taken away from them by stronger women or by men who hate women.”
Naturally, people had a lot to say about her post, and people quickly started responding with some serious criticism and backlash online. Some wondered why she named almost all women of color in her Instagram post. After she caught wind of this, Lana responded in the comment section of her post.
“To be clear because I know you love to twist things. I f**king love these singers and know them. That is why I mentioned them. I would also like to have some of the same freedom of expression without judgment of hysteria. There you go,” she wrote. She then added, “So if you want to try and make a bone to pick out of that like you always do be my guest, it doesn’t change the fact that I haven’t had the same opportunity to express what I wanted to express without being completely decimated and if you want to say that that has something to do with race that’s your opinion but that’s not what I was saying.”
In a separate comment, Lana continued, “This is sad to make it about a WOC issue when I’m talking about my favorite singers. I could’ve literally said anyone but I picked my favorite f**king people. And this is the problem with society today, not everything is about whatever you want it to be. It’s exactly the point of my post — there are certain women that culture doesn’t want to have a voice it may not have to do with race I don’t know what it has to do with. I don’t care anymore but don’t ever ever ever ever bro — call me racist because that is bulls**t.”
She concluded with, “And my last and final note on everything — when I said people who look like me — I meant the people who don’t look strong or necessarily smart, or like they’re in control etc. It’s about advocating for a more delicate personality, not for white woman.”
The singers that Lana named in her post have yet to publicly address the Instagram statement, but Doja Cat did leave a comment that read, “Gang sunk that dunker.”
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