by Tamar Anitai 16 mins ago

The mere attempt to improve upon Taylor Swift‘s pop magnum opus, 1989, is a fool’s errand, and you’re clearly no fool. It’s virtually unf*ckwitable. Did Michelangelo go back and futz with the “Rondanini Pieta”? Did Mozart hack away at “Requiem” until it became a shell of itself? Well, no on both accounts, because they both died before they finished. My point being that some works of art need no alterations, revisions, or edits. They’re peerless and, to paraphrase Bruno Mars, “they’re amazing just they way they are.”

Taylor’s fifth album needed no extra verses, no fewer choruses, not even a spare comma or coda. There’s only one thing it needed, and that’s a crucial emoji makeover.

Here’s Taylor Swift’s “1989″ boiled down to its emoji-est essentials. We begin our story in New York.

Gonzalo Cordova

Related: Taylor Swift Explains The Internet

by Tamar Anitai 11 mins ago

Just in time for Halloween (and international viral epidemics), So. Cal band Night Riots dropped their haunting video for their new single, “Contagious,” and it’s brooding, restless, and totally infectious.

The considerably talented band — who recently signed to Sumerian Records — has made a slight detour from the ghost of Robert Smith’s “cheerier” past (shades of Wish are all over Night Riots’ earlier records, particularly during their days as PK) into darker territory (I perfer to picture them recording in a candlelit crypt and only surfacing above ground after the midnight hour), and “Contagious” seats them comfortably alongside the melodic anxiety and alarm Interpol’s known for, with an added bonus of New Wave paranoia and perfectly layered, textured harmonies.

The video’s pure mood and abandonment with synth-synced strobe flashes and, in keeping with their John Hughes-themed “Back To Your Love” video, keeps the ’80s vibes going with a skeleton dancer who shakes out some total Cobra Kai vibes that mesh well with the band’s Outsiders aesthetic. Camera, action, lights.

by Tamar Anitai 11 mins ago

The beginning of this ingenious video looks like your typical played-out, gender stereotyped toy commercial pedaling perfect princess sparkle ponies to little girls between the kind of Saturday morning cartoons that tell little girls the only thing they can be is a princess or sit around ecstatically brushing cornsilk doll hair. And then things get really f*cking crazy when these little feminists — ironically dressed like princesses — start spilling truth tea everywhere.

The video was created by Fckh8.com, a for-profit company that creates t-shirts with messages that promote LGBT equality, anti-racism and anti-sexism. They’re also really good at viral videos that get their message out, like this disarming video of little girls dropping bon mots like:

“Women make 23% less than men for the exact same f*cking work. I shouldn’t need a penis to get paid.”

“One out of five women will be sexually assaulted or raped by a man.”

And, my personal favorite:

“Stop telling girls how to dress and start teaching boys not to f*cking rape.”

The video clearly uses humor and satire to get those very real messages about gender-based discrimination across, and while for some folks, watching little Beyonces-in-training (BITs!) drop f-bombs may be shocking (not me — I came out of the womb f*cking cursing like a drunk sailor on shore leave), Fckh8.com brilliantly uses hyper-meta self-awareness to comment on that:

“So, what is more offensive — a little girl saying ‘f*ck,’ or the f*cking unequal and sexist ways society treats girls and women?”

Read More →

by Tamar Anitai 2 mins ago

Welcome to Friday! And welcome to feminism, if that’s new for you. Not that I’m the voice or authority on feminism, but, you know, I am a lady, and I’m a feminist because I believe women should have the same rights as men, should be paid the same as men, should have the right to not have our bodies legislated, should be free to live healthy, robust lives free of sexual discrimination and should be free to define ourselves and make basic choices on our own terms. Sounds pretty simple, except that it’s really not (as just about any woman can tell you.)

Also, I shaved my legs this morning and have about seven lipsticks in my bag at all times, so let’s cross those tired old stereotypes off the feminist misconceptions list right now.

I’m also a pop music and pop culture writer, so I’m happy to be bringing you both Friday (well, I wasn’t responsible for Friday) and feminism in a new little feature I’m calling Feminist Fridays, in which we look back at the week in feminism. Here are six feminist moments to celebrate and keep talking about.

1.) Emma Watson’s UN Speech

MTV

First of all, HEY GURL, Emma Watson. On Sunday, September 21, Emma Watson stood up in front of the entire UN (she’s a Goodwill Ambassador) and made an earnest, eloquent appeal to the international conclave and YouTube-viewing public to take responsibility to end gender-based discrimination and inequality. The actress also used the platform to ...

Read More →

by Tamar Anitai 9 mins ago

Have you ever played around with Face Juggler? It’s hours, if not… minutes of fun, and it’ll make you realize that if you had kids with your friends they’d probably be hideous. But still, it’s great! So great that we had to give the face swap treatment to some of our favorite VMA celebs. Enjoy the horror. And remember the real lesson here — be glad you have your own face.

KATY PERRY AND RiFF RaFF, NORMAL

KATY PERRY AND RiFF RaFF, FACE SWAPPED

MILEY CYRUS AND SNOOP DOGG, NORMAL

MILEY CYRUS AND SNOOP DOGG, FACE SWAPPED

SAM SMITH AND BEYONCE, NORMAL

SAM SMITH AND BEYONCE, FACE SWAPPED

by Tamar Anitai 7 mins ago

The VMAs are this Sunday, which you probably know because you were born knowing and ready. You’re well aware that Beyonce, Ariana Grande, 5SOS, Taylor Swift, Her Minajesty, Sam Smith (ready your feels!), Maroon 5 and Usher are performing live, and you’d sooner knowingly drink a thumbtack smoothie than miss a VMA lineup like that.

Yet surprisingly, there does seem to be a small, perplexing subset of the population that may choose not to watch the VMAs. Their reasons aren’t fully clear or realized, but I have a few anti-VMA theories, which I’ll share in a moment. Also, if you or someone you love find yourself strongly relating to the criteria below, maybe the VMAs just aren’t for you. That’s fine, I guess. There are lots of boring alternatives for you to enjoy. Like forced solitude or hateration.

Not gonna watch the VMAs? Maybe that’s because…

1. You’ve accepted a dreary life of boredom.

2. You somehow hate fun. Rude.

3. You’re okay with missing the biggest night in pop music.

4. You didn’t realize the VMAs are free to watch.

5. You’re fine with not being able to relate to everything everyone will be talking about for the next three months, minimum.

6. You’re in a cult. Please stop reading this and seek help. (Unless the cult involves pure surrender to Beyonce.)

7. ...

Read More →