The more things seem to change… the more they stay the same.
It’s that very sentiment that prevails when reflecting on a track released exactly 10 years ago.
This week’s From The Vault comes courtesy of Pink and her parodic ‘Stupid Girl.’
The launching single from Ms Moore’s 2006 fourth LP ‘I’m Not Dead,’ ‘Girl’ saw her team up with producers Billy Mann and MachoPsycho to vent her displeasure with modern society’s sexism and its habit of promoting “brainless bimbos” instead of strong and intelligent women.
[Sidenote: The irony about the girls Pink targets in this song is they are anything but “brainless” and very aware of how they are perceived… which in itself is the problem. But we digress]
Commercially, ‘Girls’ served as a solid comeback cut especially considering the dire performance of her previous effort ‘Try This’ and its singles; the track peaked at #13 in the US and #4 in the UK and Australia.
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Frequent collaborator Dave Meyers was brought on-board to bring the song to visual life, which he – as ever – achieved amazingly.
Spoofing the likes of Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton, video embodied the tongue-in-cheek(ness) of the lyrics and showcased Pink prodding at the superficiality of society while stressing the importance of individualism and education.
The effort paid effort, as the clip won the Best Pop Video at the 2006 VMAs.
A decade removed from this release, the rise of vapid and talent-devoid celebrities has intensified and young girls – and boys – around the world are “following” them with even more eagerness than before.
Our main issue with the “it-girl” culture is how irrelevant the concept of a strong WORK ethic then becomes for the younger generation and how “FAME” is turning into a Mount Everest of sorts.
Sadly, it doesn’t look like the tide will be turning anytime soon, so let’s hope the Pinks of this world will always be given a platform to…well.. tell it like it is.