Russell Brand is being called out for 'mansplaining' Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's 'WAP' video
- Russell Brand is being called out for "mansplaining" Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's "WAP" music video.
- In a 17-minute YouTube video posted on Friday, Brand said: "Is it equality if the template has already been established by the former dominator? The answer is no."
- Brand added that celebrating bodies "using an aesthetic that's conventionally been associated with the male gaze" is still "capitalist objectification and commodification of, in this case, the female."
- The video has been met with widespread criticism online.
- Comedian Deborah Frances-White wrote on Twitter: "I really don't want to be taught feminism by Russell Brand. But I look forward to Louis CK's thoughts on why Beyoncé is getting it all wrong."
Russell Brand is being called out for "mansplaining" the music video for Cardi B's "WAP" featuring Megan Thee Stallion.
On Friday, Brand released a 17-minute-long video of his own on YouTube in which he critiqued the "WAP" video.
Brand asked: "Do we achieve equality by aspiring to the values established by the forces, or authors, of the hierarchy and system itself? IE, do women achieve equality by aspiring to and replicating the values that have been established by males?"
Brand went on to say that while the video is a "celebration of sexual potency," it is "an emulation of a template that already exists and was established by males."
Brand said: "Is it equality if the template has already been established by the former dominator? The answer is no."
Brand then went on to compare the video to the leadership of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
"It's an argument that I suppose is easy to make, but a lot less bloody sexy, when considering the leadership of Margaret Thatcher," he said. "Was Margaret Thatcher a feminist icon? No, because the values that she extolled, espoused, and conveyed were male values. She was a woman-man.
"She was a very, very, very powerful person, a brilliant politician, but her premiership did not lead to more opportunity for women, more success for women, conventional female values such as nurture, caringness, equality."
Later in the video, Brand said that "celebrating their [female] bodies using an aesthetic that's conventionally been associated with the male gaze" is not something that is liberating for women, arguing "it's still the same metric — it's still the same aesthetic, it's still the same values, it's still the same ideals."
Brand said: "It's still ultimately a sort of capitalist objectification and commodification of, in this case, the female."
Brand's video has been met with widespread condemnation, with some on social media accusing him of "mansplaining."
Comedian and host of the podcast "Guilty Feminist" Deborah Frances-White tweeted: "I really don't want to be taught feminism by Russell Brand. But I look forward to Louis CK's thoughts on why Beyoncé is getting it all wrong."
Caitie Delaney, a writer on "Rick and Morty," added: "tldr Russell Brand is saying that WAP isn't feminist because men rapped about sex first and Cardi & Meg are just 'emulating' previously established male ideals. This from the guy currently 'emulating' Captain Jack Sparrow if he shopped at Hollister."
Meanwhile, Twitter user @JenBren1976 wrote: "Congratulations to Russell Brand for mansplaining to women how they should enjoy WAP & their own sexuality."
Comedian Ken Cheng, known for BBC Radio 4's "Chinese Comedian," mocked Brand's comparison of "WAP" and Thatcher.
"Russell Brand is just any third-year English student who thinks it would be edgy to do his dissertation comparing WAP to the politics of Margaret Thatcher for which his white male examiner will certainly give a first," he wrote.
You can watch Brand's full video below:
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