a brief reflection on female desire

since ‘91 and the days before
ladies and dames been begging for more.

notice the gaze, the distance, the language of desire
in the icons’ songs as they detail their fire.

the women will holla from afar and in pleasure;
forget not the brilliance of their treasure.

play it loud and without fear.

who knows?
maybe it’s your turn to shed a tear.

APPLE PLAYLIST | YOUTUBE PLAYLIST

This very NSFW playlist features songs from Britney Spears, Cardi B, City Girls, Demi Lovato, Empress Of, Foxy Brown, Kehlani, Kim Petras, Lady Gaga, Missy Elliott, Monifah, Rihanna, Salt-N-Pepa, Selena Gomez, Shygirl, TLC, Tove Lo, and Tyla.

I had such a fun time watching the music videos. Not only was the fashion fun to revisit, but we ride at least three waves of feminism and can see changes in the female gaze, objectification, and acceptance of queerness. I took particular interest in observing the men’s physical proximity to the performers (or their absence entirely) considering all the selections specifically and explicitly request intimacy. Does the absence of men in the visual format change the meaning and intention of the songs?

Thank you to my sister JT for helping curate and title the playlist. Thank you to for the playlist prompt “perfect makeout mixtape” (read more here). And shoutout to all the brave womxn that know how to get their needs met.

Happy Valentine’s Day 💌