Last year, I gave Dana the "just dreadful" award for worst video clip. And, guess what, she's done it again! I must give her credit; when you think she can't get any worse, she proves you wrong! She is beginning to make Haifa Wahbi's clips look like art house productions. The man behind her genius is non other than director Jad Sawaya, who is proving again that he's the master of cheap soft porn and can "sell" any woman willing to put herself under him.
The song (I'm using the word very very loosely) is called "DouDou." Again it's about Dana herself. The woman loves her name. So last year she sang "I'm Dana, I'm Dundun" and bragged that she's the only singer out there didn't have plastic surgery (I love how she insists on taking the high moral ground). Here, she's saying "I'm Doudou (no pun intended but maybe there should be) and you'd better know who I am. Everybody knows me, everybody is after me. I'm at your service, Pasha (sir)." In case you may miss her deep meaning, she says the last part while gyrating in a black body suit on ... a bed, trying various suggestive postions. The originality of this stuff is stupefying.
In short, the video is almost an explicit advertisement, and what's on sale is Dana, who will offer you the services you desire. I caught myself while reading the credits at the end looking for the price list. There is not even pretension here. It's as if she's working for an escort service (or is that too classy?) and is making this video to strut off her stuff.
Sawaya has a fetish with adult women who have girli voices and are dressed up in tiny ballerina dresses (he put Maria in one). I wish he would just make these films for his personal enjoyment and not inflict them on the rest of us. What have we done to deserve this?
Watch at your own personal risk
10 comments:
You are so right!
You speak for alot of us,men and women, that watch these videos with disgust and dissapointment. This what free market commodification of womens' bodies looks like. Gross.
Damn we need a women's movement immediately!
Thanks for these type of posts because I like watching these videos. Let us know when a good one comes along.
Cheap, Disgusting, and absolutely insulting
ugly capitalism is infesting the Arab world. I watch star Academy and I can tell you that these emerging singers would do anything to sort of make it. Our fate will be similar to this vain society we're living in, 24 hrs discussing Anna Nicle Smith's sexual and death riddles.
The point is that these kind of clips make censorship and Azhar tactics in the Arab world look democratic!!! This is really bad for those who in search of true democracy and freedom of expression. They will always be associated with ihlilal akhlaki and the rest of it.
ng
Lena,
I want a women's revolution, but a movement would do for now : )
yalla, let's go.
qwaider,
ditto.
ng,
no to censorship. It's not the answer. she has a right to free expression and we have a right to tell her we dont' like it. you know how censorship works: they start with her then they get to you and me in no time. Also I like to use her as a teaching moment. See my nephew likes her. He's 12!!! not sure if he really likes her or he wants to spite me.
Hi Amal,
Is your view that this soft pornography is exploitative, commodifies women, and is an articulation of male culture?
I hardly listen to music and only see music videos on your blog.
So my inclination to disregard such videos as entirely insignificant and hardly worth thinking about.
But, of course, I gather that there is a very lucrative market for this type of pornography. So the issue is probably socially significant and has some impact.
Hi Rabee,
"Is your view that this soft pornography is exploitative, commodifies women, and is an articulation of male culture?"
Yes. I couldn't have said it better. All porn--soft,hard, and medium--does that.
Yes, these are significant because they are an important component of the pop (or mass) culture around. There is not longer a cinema industry in the Arab world as used to be before the 1970s. Instead, you have the video clip. Whole channels are devoted to them. Young people like them (nothing wrong with that). Many of the directors of these video clips have studied film direction but have not outlet and no funding except to make song clips.
I think critiquing these clips is important. I do it because I want them to be better and because I don't want to leave the field of criticism of culture open only for religious-based discourse.
Australian sheep has been in the news, btw : )
Ugh, Ya Rabbi! Absolutely repulsive! Why??!!! And I thought Haifa was bad....
What is wrong with you people?
This is a lovely sexy song!
Post a Comment