Are 'Body Positive' Music Videos All That Positive?

Are 'Body Positive' Music Videos All That Positive?
John Legend performs at the BET Awards at the Nokia Theatre on Sunday, June 29, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
John Legend performs at the BET Awards at the Nokia Theatre on Sunday, June 29, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Colbie Caillat, John Legend & Meghan Trainor point out the focus on women's appearance...by focusing on women's appearance.

In two recently released music videos -- Colbie Caillat's "Try" and John Legend's "You & I" -- women of diverse ages, races and sizes earnestly lip-synch to lyrics about the effort women expend on their appearance or evoke vulnerability as they dress, apply makeup or otherwise evaluate their reflections. Whether these videos are more theatrical than transformative is up for debate, but there's no doubt they acknowledge the cultural expectations that torture millions of women daily: You are not beautiful enough. Try harder.

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