when i wish i was in (a different kind of) grad school

A friend still in college came over for dinner last night, and mentioned off hand this trend of music videos starting to be influenced by/attract queer (GLBTQ) ideas/identities. She phrased it better, of course, but it was much more evident when we all sat down and watched music videos for half an hour off YouTube. Ems and I were in slight shock; not having a TV just puts you totally out of the loop of a lot of this stuff, although we agreed it was better so we didn't just sit around all night and watch music videos. S, who brought up the whole thing, mentioned while we were watching a not particularly queer video, Beyonce and Shakira's Beautfiul Liar, that this was the stuff eight and nine year olds were watching now, obviously a little taken aback by the thought of the overwhelming sexual connotations of it. All I could think was, I want to write a paper deconstructing the reciprocal influence of this trend on the identities of young black and Latino girls (and boys, for that matter) in urban environments (okay, my school). Actually, I don't, I want somebody who's far more skilled at these kinds of analyses- *cough M cough cough J cough*- to do it so I can read it... and just know that that kind of work is going on.

Now, I listen to the radio on a daily basis, and almost always stations my kids listen to. I love what would probably most aptly be termed "pop-hop", and while I recognize the many many many problematic aspects to it, it's also a fun way to relate to my kids (with maybe four exceptions... currently the song about lip gloss makes me want to break the radio, and "Grillz" came pretty close to putting me into a homicidal rage after the 800th time I listened to it, it being the absolute favorite song of my kids last year- especially after they found out I didn't like it). Point being that I am very aware of both the good and bad they listen to, and I have heard all of these songs probably a hundred times.
I was just totally unaware that these videos were even out there; one of them is an alternate version for the song (Upgrade U) in which Beyonce actually plays against herself, as her standard sex kitten persona and then as Jay-Z, in his clothing, in his masculine counterpart to her standard role (with her femme self dancing around her-as-him), lip-synching to his words, looking, well, very rich and kind of queer. The seond video blew me away, "Like a Boy" by Ciara. Now, the kids LOVE these songs- we got new tables in my classroom yesterday, and for a while before they were set up there was a big open space, and as my kids had been pretty much rockstars for the previous four periods, I let them turn on the radio and have a dance party for fifteen minutes before we started setting the tables up. Both of these songs came on, and the kids damn near knew the moves from the Ciara video; I just didn't know the context, since I only listen to the radio, I don't watch the videos.

Well, damn, I was missing out. "2007. Ladies, I think it's time to switch roles," are the first words, with Ciara in a thin white tank, big jeans, and sneakers, with tattoos up and down her arms, and a scully hat- she could've borrowed the entire outfit from Little Jay, or pretty much any other boy in my entire school. She also plays against herself in another scene, one being in a suit and one in an overly feminine dress. A full dance group of all women, all dyked out, dance with her, all with moves exaggerating the masculinity of their roles (a stylized crotch grab is the most obvious). Yet all of them, Ciara especially, look absolutely gorgeous from a totally conventional feminine standpoint in close-ups, and the lyrics never touch on any kind of actual gender-bending or challenge sexuality in any way. The "sometimes I wish I did act like a boy," pretty much sums up the theme- what would men do if women acted like men (in relationships)?

And yet..

Every time I look at the video, there's a dozen girls at my school that spring to mind. There's one girl in particular that looks just like boy-Ciara in the video, not one of my students but somebody I chat with in the hall. All of these girls endure the standard, "You look like a boy," and variations of insults, although some of them, like the one I'm thinking of, are actually quite beautiful in a feminine way; they're attacked for their choice of dress and appearance, rather than whether or not they actually look like a boy. It goes beyond being a tomboy (although that's sort of a whole interesting phenomenon too...); I would put money on at least exploration into a queer identity for most of these girls at some point in their lives, if not that they turn out just completely gay. Now, I've rarely heard people insulted by words like dyke; homophobia is a little more vocal against males, so "faggot" tends to be the word of the day (and sometimes not even as an insult; that's just the identifier for a gay man, but that's more slippery). "Lesbian" is almost too exotic to be something taken seriously. One of my after-school eighth graders decided last week to set me up with his science teacher (another TFA member); I laughed and told him that was the second set-up of the week, since LJ was trying to get me to hook up with Ms. Lez. My match-maker looked puzzled.
"He thinks you're a lesbian?"
"Evidently. Or that I could be convinced into it."
"Huh."
But there was no questioning of it, and no disgust at it; it's simply too foreign a concept (particularly for the boys) for them to really put a value judgement on it or even evaluate whether it could be true or not.

So I wonder... given the huge importance of celebrity images like Ciara and Beyonce in developing self-image in their community, what is/could be the impact of these kinds of videos? It definitely legitimizes the choice of girls to look like boys; if Ciara does it, it's a valid fashion choice. Although it in a way would only legitimize it as a continuation of a straight identity, which sort of negates the point for girls who dress that way as sort of first steps to a queer/lesbian identity. And what about the relationship of the femme character obviously in a very sexualized relationship with the butch character? I don't even want to touch on how they're the same person... auto-sexual? Too complicated... Oh, what I would give for a gender studies class right now...

And yes, I know it's entirely possible I'm over-analyzing some stupid music videos in the vain hope of finding the intellectual stimulation missing from my life since I left Chicago. But honestly, I think this is stuff that should be studied; graduate educational theory should take into account the cultural context children are learning in as well as developmental issues that are quite often ignored (like the development of a sexual and/or gender identity). And for kids for whom celebrity culture is so ever-present and often defacto role models for self identity, who are also dealing with umpteen other issues... I just want someone to write a paper on it, okay?
(M, J, get ready, get set... go! please?)