Justin Beiber and Patriarchy

so basically shes saying you can change the world through consumer choices

Yeah, it's pretty clever. But meh. Stopped caring much about people's consumer choices a long time ago (although I did use to be a horrible snob).

You have to be philosophising about something from your very near past to be at all interested about this phenomenon. Teens find solidarity and forge friendships through a shared object of adulation shock horror. Whether that be Hunter S Thompson, Simone de Beuviour, Slipknot or Justin Beiber.

Yeah, I don't really see how "Teen Idol Music" is girl-centric. It's marketed at girls, but that doesn't make it any different to the Gillette Venus or Sheila's Wheels or any other crap that tries to use gender to define their target market. The music isn't "based on" the shared experiences of girls relating to one another, it's designed to exploit those experiences and emotions for a profit. It's manipulative manufactured bullshit.

That said, there may be a grain of truth in the claim that the knee jerk reaction to this and other "girly" cultural phenomena is based on patriarchal attitudes. But these aspects of culture certainly aren't above criticism themselves, and they're often as full of patriarchal messages and hierarchies as their detractors.

For instance, I'm sure there are people who don't like Twilight just because it offends their masculine sensibilities that something so girly intrudes into mainstream culture, but equally, it's a rubbish book that got made into a rubbish movie and is full of christian overtones and all kinds of reactionary bs about virginity etc.

I mean there's nothing wrong with liking these things, in spite of all their faults, but I don't think it's really all that meaningful in terms of challenging patriarchy.

~J.

does anyone else think she looks and sounds like an unfunny 1980's feminist stand up?
Rhona Cameron/Jo Brand without any knob gags.

Rhona Cameron was very funny and acerbic and was she a 'feminist' comic? I agree Joe Bland was awfull, but yo have to be pretty myopic to make connections with these three people.

Though apparently it was edited wrong and what he actually said was "Well, I think that's really sad, but everything happens for a reason. I don't know how that would be a reason. I guess I haven't been in that position, so I wouldn't be able to judge that."

Which makes it all better.

I don't think the piece is about the world according to Justin. Rather the fans that surround the phenomenon of the teen star.

rhona cameron's whole act was based on the "HILARIOUS CONSEQUENCES" of being a middle class lesbian. I actually quite liked Jo Brand.

If men "trade" women with other men and that's a constituent part of patriarchy, how is (teenage) women trading in men with other (teenage) women (if that is indeed what's happening) liberatory ? Surely it's just inverting the binaristic relationship? Are we honestly supposed to believe that teen fan subcultures are outside of/immunised from patriarchy? Surely the very fact that they're choosing to idolise something quite so unthreatening to the status quo as Justin Bieber is an indication of their own relationship with an unequal society?

Plus there is the whole issue with reifying consumer choices as a political stance.

"a world that girls run" or one that Simon Cowell Inc and co. do (and make a killing) trading on young adults discovering their sexuallity?

Teen boys have their porn stache or did till the net turned up (don't have to worry about mom finding out anymore...CTRL, ALT, DEL) and teen girls have Beiber and boy bands...that is if we accept that every teenager is naturally born a god fearing christian hetrosexual (but is corrupted by the homosexuals, who shall be punished by the wrath of johvah, book of Ezequiel 5:12).

BTW Beiber doesn't believe in sex before marrage just like Brittany Spears...hit me babe one more time...LOL

Really? Her alcoholism and "serial womanising", and her claim that Charles Bukowski was one of the only writer that rang true to her life, hardly suggests the "Hilarious consequences of being a middle class lesbian".

God, that talk is awful. 'Hi, I'm a liberal, and I have a PhD in pop culture so I can say things that are almost as insightful and challenging as Mark Kermode.'

Although I googled her and found she lectures in a philosophy department that has the below image as their banner image. I think this is funny. What the fuck are they thinking?

Her accent makes me think of quarter pounders. STFU liberal bourgeois kunton!

I don't think this is clever. Unfortunately, whichever way you slice it, Bieber is just crap. "According to 'music theory' it's actually quite good" - lol. Though I can appreciate as jolasmo says that the knee-jerk criticism might come first for some. But Caiman nails it on the head - this inversion of patriarchal 'trade' is not liberatory, neither is supporting it.

Libcom.org Forums
Asking the Tough Questions

Says the one who did a whole thread on the SA forums

''here I know someone who uses that there photoshop, he's really good at it''

The New Inquiry have this conversation on pop, including Bieber, in relation to Occupy:

http://thenewinquiry.com/features/dont-stop-beliebing/