You know when you first hear a song and think, “OK, that’s dumb.” Then you hear it again and go, “OK, that’s dumb, but it has a good beat.” And then by the third time you hear it you’re singing the chorus at the top of your lungs in the car? Yeah, it’s like that.So right now that song for me is “Whip My Hair.” There really isn’t anything to it. The title is two-thirds of the lyrics. In fact, on its surface the song’s pedigree is its most interesting attribute. You see, the insanely precocious half-pint whipping her hair back-and-forth like a pro is none other than Willow Smith, the 9-year-old daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Yes, that’s right, another one. The couple’s son Jaden was in “The Karate Kid” remake this summer and now Willow has a hit single. I swear, at this rate I’m pretty sure one of the Pinkett-Smith offspring will run for president in 2012.
What makes the whole hair whipping phenomena more interesting is its juxtaposition with the also just-released “I Love My Hair” video by Sesame Street. The cherry little number is an ode to African-American hair and, well, adorable. So damn cute.
So, well, you can see where this is all going? Yes, kittens, the inevitable “Whip My Hair”/“I Love My Hair” mash-up. Please, by all means, enjoy.
Not to over-intellectualize the reasons for one’s possible enjoyment for any or all of these videos, but - um, you know – sometimes a gal just wants her hair to look good.
hehe, and thanks for the title reference to bring the point home =)
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid the Smith video/song is going to cause an epidemic of self inflicted whiplash among tweens...
ReplyDeleteOMG I read this earlier and I've been unable to get that damn "Whip My Hair In The Air" out of my head.... make it stop
ReplyDeleteUnable to resist the impulse to intellectualize, I'll go ahead and say I think it's interesting to see these examples of Af-Am girls coming out for hair and against hate in the wake of recent gay-bashing and (primarily, in the news, anyway) boy-bullying.
ReplyDeleteFrom the adorable muppet, we get the warm fuzzy invitation to love her as much as she loves her hair and, thanks to the time-honored tradition of synecdoche, herself. From Willow Smith, we get:
Don't let haters keep me off my grind
Keep my head up i know i'll be fine
Keep fighting until i get there
When i'm down and i feel like giving up
I whip my hair back and forth.
All in all, not to shabby for the day after Spirit Day.
Had that song stuck in my head for days! Just so catchy. The kid's got some kind of mad talent, doesn't she?
ReplyDeleteShe sure is a talented kid. Kinda like a young Beyonce in the making. She did get come from the deep end of the gene pool. And now that song is stuck in my head too. 9at least it's not a bieber song)
ReplyDeleteI think it's great to see these videos.For centuries Blk women have been made to feel ashamed and inferior because their hair didn't fit the European standard. We can continue to raise girls who "whip their hair".I think it really is progress.
ReplyDeleteIn the late 80's a woman was fired from her job for wearing braids.
Loved the mashup!
ReplyDelete(I liked the Devo reference in the song. Something for us old timers!)
Ms. Snarker, this is one of the uncountable reasons why I love reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteYou set it up so well.
the 1
the 2
and then the 3.
Just makes me beam.
:D thanks!
Well, Well, Willow is proving to be as annoying as her father.
ReplyDeleteI know Af-Am women get crap for not having "white people hair," but this white girl will always be jealous of them for being able to wear outrageous 'dos and not be criticized for it being too crazy or "dykey".
ReplyDeleteWillow Smith in the video. Janelle Monae. Rihanna.
I want to be able to wear crazy colors in my hair or the short, spiky shag Rihanna had or her awesome mohawk and not be looked down upon as a "freak."
also worth noting, the teacher in willow smith's video is out transwoman leyomi mizrahi.
ReplyDeleteI love how you completely forget that this kid is NINE YEARS OLD until the very end, when she smiles like, well, a kid on Christmas morning.
ReplyDeleteFreakin' adorable.
Can't quite vouch for her talent yet, but damn, that song is catchy.
...just whip it! Whip it real good!