Micro Shorts in August (A Music Tangent)

All I can say is, "Gimme gimme (more), gimme (more), gimme gimme (moreeee)!"

Nearly all I have been listening to for the past four months is Britney Spears, The Pussycat Dolls, or a variety of other hot 90s/Y2K/mid-2000s hits that make me feel like the bitch (complimentary) I am. Britney's Blackout album alone has singlehandedly pulled me out of my very deep creative hibernation: and from there, I've only gone more Britney. I'm talking numerous videos of myself spinning and dancing around in my dimly lit bedroom, wearing micro shorts that are riding up my ass and the tiniest tank I can find in my closet, no makeup on, hair a tangled mess down my back— and living for it.

As a slightly related aside, I've recently been reading (more like binging) Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay. I was struck by one of her chapters, "Garish, Glorious Spectacles," that explains women's inability to escape from their self-awareness.

We have this unique understanding from a very early age that we are constantly on display, being perceived, and oftentimes performing our femininity. With all this in mind, there’s something liberating about shedding my self-awareness, if only for a moment, and letting music reshape my mood, energy, and sense of self.

Speaking of girls dancing in their room, biiig fan of Addison Rae.

She and fellow iconic it girl Lexee Smith make me feel so seen! Just girls who love to dress up, look sexy (and know it), dance and roll around on the floor, and enjoy life. Addison's debut EP, AR, was a smash hit in my opinion. "Nothing On (But The Radio)" having originally been written for art pop queendom in Miss Lady Gaga makes complete sense. It along with the other three songs shot straight to the top of my personal charts, and I've only fallen further in love with her quickly approaching (if not already arrived) pop legend with her latest, "Diet Pepsi." The other more modern pop making its way into my normally nostalgic playlists as of late, is JADE's "Angel Of My Dreams." Completely obsessed. Both JADE and Addison's videos complement their musical choices so well, and very much fulfill my music video fantasies as far as levels of cunt and artistry.

But back to mother (and blueprint) Britney.

It's not an exaggeration to say that listening to Blackout on repeat has allowed me to unlock new levels of personal confidence and creativity. In the past month alone, you can find me spending my free time watching YouTube videos of expert-level choreography by Yanis Marshall to Britney's "Perfect Lover" (my current fav of the week) in .5x speed as I attempt to mirror the dancers. In addition to this newfound pastime, I've also been playing with makeup again. Who knew that listening to "Freakshow" over and over again would result in the creation of a 'goblin television persona', and multiple short gifs of myself all inspired by it. And of course, the Britney obsession rite-of-passage that I continue to return to, using Pinterest like a library to intently research and study her archive of outfits as if I were being tested on it.

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Doll Domination. I repeat, DOLL DOMINATION. Pussycat Dolls if you're reading this, please please please make more music-- the people (I) need it.

Every single one of the 16 perfect songs on Doll Domination is just, it. The second and (devastatingly) final studio album by American girl group The Pussycat Dolls, features the obvious hit, 'When I Grow Up,' which I, of course, memorized the Just Dance 2 choreography to along with my childhood best friend Drianna. I remember the sheer self assurance I felt swinging that Wii remote around in her living room singing, "...When I grow up-- I'm gonna be famous, gonna be a star, gonna be in movies...!" and with such conviction, that I still hold out hope for that wish to manifest itself, just from the blind optimism and power of a child's dream. Listening to it as an adult a part of the gorgeous rest of the album has only cemented my absolute adoration of them. "When I Grow Up," being followed by "Bottle Pop" featuring none other than thee Snoop Dogg should be proof enough of a smash-hit album.

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Aside from the aforementioned, the rest of what's been on repeat for me, my 'Heavy Rotation Mix,' as Apple Music refers to it, includes the following: MICHELLE's, "Oontz" and "Mentos and Coke" (wonderful, wonderful songs if you've not listened to them already), along with Sofia D'Angelo's (member of MICHELLE and an indie-pop artist to watch in her own right) singles, "Take It Back" a 'female rage anthem' and "Jane Goodall," through which I vicariously live, imagining myself climbing the fire escapes of New York. Also featured are Kylie Minogue's, "Obsession" and "Chocolate"... (I love her) paired with further 2000s staples "LoveGame" and "Brown Eyes" of Lady Gaga's 2008, The Fame.

I credit each of their empowering lyrics of womanhood and personal confidence with allowing me to explore more of myself and my own artistry lately. They give me, like so many others, permission to be unabashedly myself, regardless of when that self is messy— all while knowing that they (I) am still powerful!

If I could sum up my August, it would be just this— micro shorts and messy, messy hair, spins in my bedroom, and the kind of creative awakening that only the perfect pop songs can bring. <3

xx

Emmursss