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5 reasons why Meghan Trainor’s All About That Bass is not the female empowerment song we hoped it was

By now you will have heard Meghan Trainor’s catchy ditty All About That Bass. On the surface, the song seems to be about loving yourself, but a cursory glance over the lyrics and you’ll be having a serving of WTF with a side of no thanks.

I can shake it, shake it, like I’m supposed to do
Oh, so we’re supposed to be shaking it now? Says whom? What if I don’t want to shake it? WHY AM I SUPPOSED TO SHAKE IT? *drinks heavily*

Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top
I’m not perfect. No one is. That doesn’t mean we are not awesome. In fact, it’s my imperfections that make me awesome. Jog on.

My mama she told me don’t worry about your size. She says, “Boys like a little more booty to hold at night.”
Shit! As long as a man likes my fat ass, I’m validated! Wooho- wait. I’m single. No male gaze is telling me my size is acceptable. Hmmmm, now what?

I’m bringing booty back. Go ahead and tell them skinny bitches that.
There’s nothing like putting someone else down to make yourself feel better, eh. Oh wait, it’s okay cos they’re skinny! They’re our oppressive overlords!

Because you know I’m all about that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble
What does this even mean? Your song would sound terrible if it had no treble. It would be all doof doof doof doof and then we’d figure you were some pimply teenage guy in a Subaru. Unless this is a euphemism, and then I guess I don’t get it.

All About That Bass is one of the most popular songs in the country right now, and yes, it’s a sweet tune and catchy as hell. But… I want something more.

We’re so close. So. Close. Next time, lets get some true body acceptance across the line.

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An up-and-comer to love: Ryn Weaver

Ryn Weaver is a singer from New York and LA, and is actually really hard to Google stalk. What we know: Her real name is Aryn Wüthrich, she’s 21, and she’s released some other stuff on Soundcloud under the username FemFemFem.

She’s been working with my long-term favourite Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit (as well as Charli XCX – yuss!) and produced this gem which dropped on soundcloud a week ago.

Argh! So catchy!

Like her on Facebook to see what she does next.

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Meet Todrick Hall: Your next top YouTube star

If you like Disney, and you like pop music, it’s time to get amongst Todrick Hall – if you haven’t already!

The first Todrick Hall video I ever watched was Beauty and the Beat. No, not the Nicki and Justin song. This is much, much better.

Then there’s CinderFella, featuring Janice Dickinson and Lance Bass. Hello!

Inspired by Beyonce’s Pepsi commercial…

His Once Upon A Crime series is funny, but this one is the best: (NSFW)

So subscribe and enjoy!

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Five of the best one-shot music videos you’ll ever see

I love a good music video, and the below are some of the most technically interesting ones you’ll ever see!

OK Go’s The Writing’s On The Wall:

This is the latest offering from OK Go, who hit the media landscape with that amazing treadmill video for Here It Goes Again.

Walk Off The Earth’s Red Hands:

These guys make great, ingenious videos, but the thing I like about this one is the amazingly careful planning that went into breaking the song up, then editing it all back together again.

Taylor Swift’s We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.

It’s cutesy schmaltz, but I like it.

blink 182’s Always:

This is three one-shots tied together. Must have taken so much planning and some careful editing, but the end result is awesome!

Reece Mastin’s Rockstar:

I’m biased cos I was working on this show, but this was a very cool bit of choreography.

Bonus: God Lives Underwater’s From Your Mouth:

Okay so maybe not as technically brilliant as the other ones, there’s still something crazy facinating about watching Hirofumi Nakajima uneat a lot of food.

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#MeanNats are the only political tweets you need to read this year

The hashtag de jour, ladies and gentlemen, is #MeanNats, and it comes courtesy of one @_surelymermaid.

It began simply enough

Gold.

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My favourite Maya Angelou poem

Today I woke up to learn that Maya Angelou had passed away. She was a remarkable woman, not least for her poetry. It was her words that first drew me into the art form beyond childhood rhymes.

Here she is, reciting my favourite, And Still I Rise.

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

She had such a dignity about her, and was a woman of courage and honesty. She saw potential in others and didn’t stop hoping for better things, despite seeing the very worse. May she rest in peace.

Find out more about Maya Angelou on Wikipedia