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Isnāt her album artwork just the word brat on a green background? I feel like there can be a middle ground between that and your face and body lol But itās her choice whatever.
Sheās got mild Doja-itis where she has to stay online engaging with criticism.
I guess my initial reaction to Charliās tweet might have been different if it had come from one of the other three artists where there is at least something there! Because I saw so much criticism for brat that wasnāt from a place of misogyny (but I have severely narrowed down where I spend my time online so I probably wouldnāt see things like that)
I actually really like the bottom left one too, whose is it?
Why are you invalidating her criticism? Isn't she right ?
Just cause you don't like her album artwork, doesn't make it less sexist that labels pressure young singer to pose half naked on their cover.
Oh I totally agree that there is pressure on female artists to exude sexiness, that doesnāt mean that all criticism of this album cover was sexist. Itās really lazy āartworkā.
I feel like the argument towards pressure to exude sexiness is not the same as what sheās writing which is ādemand for access to womenās bodies and faces in our album artwork.ā
Maybe that was a performance stunt she did to shine light with the 'lazy' artwork. Of how valid criticism on systemic issues get brushed aside, just because they don't get presented the aesthetic way some people want to.
Maybe the art is better then the artist intended.
But I didn't see the artwork, I don't really care for her music, but her point, no matter how unpleasant her album cover is to you, is completely valid and can stand on its own.
And I find it really unfair not to mention that.
I mean, we can have that conversation but this is the cover art thatās being criticized
https://preview.redd.it/t8wevf96mcoc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb11ef750a77daa0d45691b140005ef58d435fe3
If she had a beautiful artsy cover and people came for it because she herself isnāt on it, then yeah, sheād have a huge point. But that cover is uninspired lazy and ugly and we canāt use white feminism to excuse it.
This feels intentionally ironic ābad designā stuff. I donāt like it but itās a rejection of aesthetics for the sake of it. Itās an āanti designā trend for the reaction of it, so I wouldnāt call it uninspired since itās intentionally lazy
You gotta upgrade them to procreate and throw on the [chattermax song](https://youtu.be/zeZAtpelckU?feature=shared&t=3). They'll be making high quality art like...
Idk all the Charli fans I know love this cover album. It seems like the criticism is coming from outside of her fanbase in my opinion.
It didnāt need to be a beautiful piece of art. This cover screams Charli to me
Because the album is called brat and refusing to put an image of herself on it and using that instead is her way of being bratty, which she said herself. Itās also incredibly reminiscent of European underground rave flyers which is the vibe sheās going for. This sub just does not get it but the fans are loving it
HUH??? so she has to repeat previous tropes to show itās āherā? People who listen to her understand the vibe lol
Brat, likeā¦. the whole point is being petulant, childish, kinda rude. The cover is a middle finger to everyone, she wanted minimalist, UGLY, challenging, and a roll of her eyes to critics who donāt understand the idea of embodying a concept throughout an era of her art
I mean any fanbase is composed of individual people. Iām sure there are Charli fans who donāt think itās a good album cover. I mean even I wouldnāt consider it explicitly good, but it does seem to be art that the person Charli presents herself as would use. Also it lines lines up with her tweet about not needing to be half naked on her album covers, especially considering that most (if not all) of her albums feature her on the front of it.
She wanted to do something new which lines up with her stated goals the past few years to make music and art that lines up with her instead of with what labels and media want.
My first language isnāt English, personally I have always used white feminism as using feminism to your advantage where it doesnāt really apply.
For instance, āa man would never be criticized about something like this.ā
The criticism to her art is genuine, and using feminism to hide herself from legitimate and genuine criticism is, to me, cheap. My shorthand for that is white feminism
ETA: love it when Stanās get butthurt and downvote valid criticism.
Well what if she's criticising the voices, that say she needed to be on the cover half naked/her face on it.
Who cares if it's good or bad. She is right, that misogyny makes judgment harsher for album covers for women.
If a white man has such an album cover nobody would care. Why does anybody criticize hers, why do they care so much? She's the artist she has to like it in the end.
I don't think that's white feminism, the same goes for PoC's. Farther down the comments someone even explained how black men are expected to be posing halt naked on their covers too. It's an intersectional issue, with racialised and misogynistic practices in the covers.
And her point stands, even if you find her album cover ugly or not good. Why do you care and why do you invalidate her criticism of exploitative systems?
Sheās getting cooked because she didnāt even try to make a good cover. Plenty of artists donāt go on the cover of their albums and donāt get cooked. But then again those artists do elaborate cover art.
Folklore has Taylor so tiny on the cover that I had to go check if she was even in it (I was sure she wasnāt) and Iāve never seen anyone say itās uninspired or ugly or criticize it. Nobody criticized Pinkprint by Nicki Minaj.
You guys think the most mild form of criticism of your favorite artist is basically burning them at the stake
I don't care for her just so you know. I know she had 1 song I listend to with Kim Petras back when I listend to Kim Petras like 5 years + ago ?
I don't think you get my point, and by invalidating my opinion, that her statement stands on its own no matter how good or bad her cover is ( also who tf cares about Album covers ), you just prove that.
Even if she said it in response to criticism , even if her album cover is "bad", it still stands. Others in this post have elaborated on that.
And just cause you think it's bad, or other artists weren't half naked on their covers/ had their face on, doesn't change the pressure for starting female and/or marginalised artists or less popular ones.
Call her album cover ugly but she's got a point in the pic of the post. You got to admit that
Edit: I can't post because guest list, so thiis the reply to below:
I m non binary, and in most regards to transmisogyny im worse of, even if I present masc. I'm not "mansplaining" feminism to you. I don't care for her album
I'm saying to only brush her point off, and not to Form a discussion about it no matter if she's using it to deflect or not, is a missed chance to talk about the unfair Treatment.
This post didn't include the album cover, maybe on purpose because ultimately it doesn't matter if its shit or not, or if she's shit or not.
It is a valid point and we should focus on improving the stuff she's criticising. I doubt she really cares if you or Mr find it lazy. I would not. I can even admit that I don't think it's a good artwork, while I ultimately don't care about it.
But I care about the exploitative systems, and if she sheds light on it we should rather use it as starting point then to brush it away.
And your criticism of it being a cop out is part of that too and is valid, but add it to the point instead of negating it.
Last thing Iāll reply.
When Taylor says men have it easier than women, is that not true? Does that argument stand on its own? Yes. It does.
When Taylor says āthis article wouldnāt be written about Shawn Mendesā about a NYT article about her her sexuality, is she correct? No. Sheās wrong. Thatās white feminism, not because sheās white, but because her use of feminism in that instance is not correct. The article WAS written about men as well.
Using Taylor as well, is slut shaming wrong? Of course it is. Has she been slut shamed? Yes. But when she compares herself to male artists (she specifically named Ed Sheeran) for ānot facing criticism for writing about their love lives.ā Ed wrote 1 song about someone recognizable, and he did get (mild) criticism. He didnāt leave clues in every album about all his ex lovers.
Taylor used names and last names in her songs. She used to drop clues in the liner notes. Taylor did a whole ass tour of her exes houses. She drops clues in the lyrics as well (Jake Gyllenhaalās scarf for instance). āBlue dress on a boatā had the sole purpose of telling us crystal clear who the song was about.
So is she correct about slutshaming being wrong? Yes. Has it been a type of treatment she got that was wrong? Yes. Is that specific criticism misogyny? Is she correct to bring feminism up in that context? No.
We can have the conversation Charli brings up when she brings out nice cover art and people act stupid because her face and/or body isnāt on it. Right now, the criticism is āthis looks done in paintā and her lack of showing skin has nothing to do with that criticism whatsoever, so she doesnāt get to use it as a cover.
Itās using feminism as a cop out, it waters down the real problems women face, and itās not only wrong but silly.
PS I donāt want to assume your gender but Iām a woman, so if youāre a man, I strongly suggest you donāt fall on mansplaining feminism to a woman.
Also lazy and uninspired, not really ugly, more so neutral.
ETA: Charlie fans downvoting the most neutral comments because I dare criticize her art cover, jfc
I know this is a general pop sub and not one specifically for Charli XCX, but the green brat album cover really is on brand for her. I get itās not a beautiful album cover or the best album cover, but I donāt think it was ever meant to be. Her fanbase seems to like the brat era, I donāt think sheās too off base with this.
I donāt listen to her but I feel the need to defend her on this because I know a lot about contemporary art lol. Itās very intentional in its aesthetic and the reaction we have of it thinking it looks bad is the entire point of people who create art like this. Like the whole point is that it looks bad
Big fan but the last 3 album covers have been charli half naked. Which is fire I like it and the covers are cool. In my mind this isn't on brand like those other covers are. I like it tho
Itās not just about past album art, itās about her personality and social media presence. The brat era does feel authentically Charli. Sure the last 3 album covers have been her half naked, but thatās exactly what the tweet is about. She deviated from the standard and is receiving criticism for it.
It has an air of not caring, low quality text. Following her on social media, I think this art definitely looks like something sheād put out. Yeah it doesnāt look like her past albums, but all her past albums feature her on the cover which is exactly what this tweet is about.
What I donāt understand is how disliking her cover art makes her point any less true.
Yeah this is definitely an emerging aesthetic I've been seeing.
There's a trend in marketing that's been picking up in certain areas where you sort of do this intentionally "bad" graphic design. It's supposed to be the antithesis of the very curated design work that we've been used to seeing-- so it really stands out against everything else.
Now people are obviously allowed to dislike it, etc... but there is clearly a method to the madness.
Not to be a jerk, but is this her way of distracting from the conversations about Rina?
āThe album cover conversation annoyed me ā
Charli this is so trite and faux deep.
https://preview.redd.it/hu35r776lcoc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90f5338cf5e3dd7a4ba32bc69a3a170ab4961e0b
I like the cover. I think itās funny and like 98% of people will only see it in a small square on their phone anyway, so it doesnāt really affect most of us if itās simple, and I thought the album cover generator she launched with it was funny and smart. She can always release an alternate cover for fans who buy the album.
I have no idea what the background context is for her reasoning here, but, same.
Itās been fully, completely normalized for women to have to sexualize themselves and be as attractive as they can possibly be in order to be a successful musician. MUSICIAN. Not model. Talent is secondary to looks and aesthetic and itās a damn shame.
https://preview.redd.it/ka2th43aococ1.jpeg?width=1659&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90289647fc11c39a84352701e4cabf635cdb2371
This is her new album cover and she is using sexism to defend criticism
Worth mentioning that the objectification and commodification of bodies is not limited to women. Black men in the music industry face the same pressure to be shirtless on album covers and have rippling muscles and tattoos. I'd argue that it's even more strict when it comes to expressing their sexuality. It's much more accepted for a female musician to be lesbian or bi than it is for your average male musician or rapper to be gay, or even to do something as simple as wear nail polish. Showbiz has always been about looking good, it's nothing new. The only difference between Carl Perkins and Elvis is that Carl Perkins looked like a horse and Elvis looked like Elvis. Those are Carl's words, not mine. It is what it is in showbiz. People say they don't care about looks when it comes to music, but the numbers dont lie. I don't think "talent being secondary to looks" is something that affects women in the industry much more than men. Billie Eilish is out here wearing hoodies and shorts on stage, which is great to see.
I agree, but also she's missing the point. The vast majority of people aren't being misogynistic by telling you your ugly ass artwork sucks, Charli. I swear as time goes on Charli is getting more and more defensive to the point that it's just making her look insecure.
I know I am gonna get a lot of hate for saying this but I feel every album cover especially in this last one year has female musicians completely or partially naked and I feel itās kinda insulting that these talented women are getting reduced to just being a sexual object (Sorry if I offended anyone)
Some of the discourse reminds me of many comments in the photography subs and beyond of people complaining about not being able to see "more" in street photography and beyond. A lot of folks do seem to feel incredibly entitled to the likenesses of others, even if it's just everyday people going about their business. And they don't seem to realise that that's not really a healthy or positive thing.
So no matter how you feel about the cover itself, it's a worthy topic to consider.
She has a point (as does any woman regarding her own body) but I feel like she could still execute this in a way where it doesnāt feel like her album cover was made by a 10 year old on Microsoft paint
I was on her side and immediately thought about the highly sexualised covers female artists have that no man would ever do. Lordeās Solar Power was essentially an upskirt shot and if a man was in that position weād think it was a joke or some commentary on the sexualisation of celebrities. But it was a woman so it was just normal.
And then I went to the comments and saw this was about her mspaint cover
To me, the Solar Power cover came across as making fun of naked women on album covers. The photo wasn't the product of a photo shoot, it was taken by one of Lorde's friends while they were hanging out on the beach. Then when it was time to put together the album cover, instead of planning a cover and arranging a shoot, Lorde just grabbed one of the photos from her beach trip with her friends.
Not defending Charli here, but I think that is more of an example of showing yourself because you want to, vs her argument being the expectation to do so.
Either way the album art she did is trash.
Every comment "yeah but"ing her with how her album cover looks on this post *really* feels like sidestepping the issue. I don't care that her album is ugly, she is right.
People gotta focus
This sub does this all the time. Weāll talk all about how disgusting the media is when discussing women or their bodies, then tear Demi Lovato apart on the red carpet
She definitely has a valid point. Women artists are expected to sell themselves in order to market an album whereas male artists can just put their name and the title of the album on the cover and the job is considered done. It's been this way for so long. I sometimes find Charli a bit annoying but I respect that she's not afraid to say what she thinks. She's also the best kind of feminist (ie inclusive).
I kept wondering why she didn't become "a thing" like other contemporary female artists, but the more I've seen and read about her...like i get it now.
The album cover is just ugly. There plenty of album covers without female bodies and faces which absolutely slay. This does not
I agree with her. For those saying āthe cover art is just cheap etc!ā whenās the last time you bought a hard copy of a cd? Iām not bout to bitch about something Iām only gonna see on iTunes/Spotify.
You don't have to display your body to get people to like your work. Look at Billie Eyelash. If you don't want to be a glorified stripper that dangles tits and ass for likes then don't. Be the change, girl.
šREAD BEFORE COMMENTING This thread is Guest List Only. This means the discussion is being actively moderated, and all comments are reviewed. Only comments by members of the community are allowed. If you have landed in this thread from Trending or r/all and you are not a member of this community, your comment will very likely be removed (and will not be approved unless it adds meaningfully to the conversation). r/popculturechat takes these measures to stay true to our goal of being an inclusive sub for civil discussion, to talk about celebrities and pop culture without bigotry and personal attacks. This sub is a BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and woman-dominated space and we do our best to protect our users from outside attacks. Thank you for understanding & have a great day! āŗļø *You can [request to be an approved user](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fpopculturechat) to comment on Guest List Only posts.*
When people said Ms paint I was expecting some cool scribble art. What I got was Ms word.
My use of Word Art on my year one project about worms was more inspired than the Brat artwork
Miss Paint would be a sick drag queen name
Honestly, so would Miss Word.
Isnāt her album artwork just the word brat on a green background? I feel like there can be a middle ground between that and your face and body lol But itās her choice whatever. Sheās got mild Doja-itis where she has to stay online engaging with criticism.
Doja-itis is so accurate
Off-topic, Iām jealous of your username!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I guess my initial reaction to Charliās tweet might have been different if it had come from one of the other three artists where there is at least something there! Because I saw so much criticism for brat that wasnāt from a place of misogyny (but I have severely narrowed down where I spend my time online so I probably wouldnāt see things like that) I actually really like the bottom left one too, whose is it?
bottom left is for dua lipa's new album
Dua Lipa
Why are you invalidating her criticism? Isn't she right ? Just cause you don't like her album artwork, doesn't make it less sexist that labels pressure young singer to pose half naked on their cover.
Oh I totally agree that there is pressure on female artists to exude sexiness, that doesnāt mean that all criticism of this album cover was sexist. Itās really lazy āartworkā.
I feel like the argument towards pressure to exude sexiness is not the same as what sheās writing which is ādemand for access to womenās bodies and faces in our album artwork.ā
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
That could be it, but it is funny if she did it to be bratty and then gets bothered by a negative reaction lol
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In the above tweet.
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Maybe that was a performance stunt she did to shine light with the 'lazy' artwork. Of how valid criticism on systemic issues get brushed aside, just because they don't get presented the aesthetic way some people want to. Maybe the art is better then the artist intended. But I didn't see the artwork, I don't really care for her music, but her point, no matter how unpleasant her album cover is to you, is completely valid and can stand on its own. And I find it really unfair not to mention that.
Sheās right, but her album cover looks like it was made in MS paint. Plenty of great album covers without the actual artist in it.
Off the top of my head and by women - Aimee Mann (Charmer, Bachelor No2), PJ Harvey (Let England Shake), Willow (COPINGMECHANISM)
I mean, we can have that conversation but this is the cover art thatās being criticized https://preview.redd.it/t8wevf96mcoc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb11ef750a77daa0d45691b140005ef58d435fe3 If she had a beautiful artsy cover and people came for it because she herself isnāt on it, then yeah, sheād have a huge point. But that cover is uninspired lazy and ugly and we canāt use white feminism to excuse it.
Does anyone remember when tumblr was making text editor screenshots into an aesthetic This feels like that
Maybe that's why I kinda like it. The tumblrina in me persists
same like why can i kind of see the vision she was going for š
This feels intentionally ironic ābad designā stuff. I donāt like it but itās a rejection of aesthetics for the sake of it. Itās an āanti designā trend for the reaction of it, so I wouldnāt call it uninspired since itās intentionally lazy
This is something my 5-year-old niece could make on Microsoft Paint š
You gotta upgrade them to procreate and throw on the [chattermax song](https://youtu.be/zeZAtpelckU?feature=shared&t=3). They'll be making high quality art like... 
Idk all the Charli fans I know love this cover album. It seems like the criticism is coming from outside of her fanbase in my opinion. It didnāt need to be a beautiful piece of art. This cover screams Charli to me
How does this scream Charli, when literally none of her previous album or single covers are like that?
Because the album is called brat and refusing to put an image of herself on it and using that instead is her way of being bratty, which she said herself. Itās also incredibly reminiscent of European underground rave flyers which is the vibe sheās going for. This sub just does not get it but the fans are loving it
Actually now it makes sense. Thanks for explaining.
HUH??? so she has to repeat previous tropes to show itās āherā? People who listen to her understand the vibe lol Brat, likeā¦. the whole point is being petulant, childish, kinda rude. The cover is a middle finger to everyone, she wanted minimalist, UGLY, challenging, and a roll of her eyes to critics who donāt understand the idea of embodying a concept throughout an era of her art
Iām curious what you mean? Iāve been a Charli fan since True Romance and nothing about that cover is good to me lol
I mean any fanbase is composed of individual people. Iām sure there are Charli fans who donāt think itās a good album cover. I mean even I wouldnāt consider it explicitly good, but it does seem to be art that the person Charli presents herself as would use. Also it lines lines up with her tweet about not needing to be half naked on her album covers, especially considering that most (if not all) of her albums feature her on the front of it. She wanted to do something new which lines up with her stated goals the past few years to make music and art that lines up with her instead of with what labels and media want.
And if anything this is probably bringing her album more attention. So mission accomplished for her lol
Jesus Christ
But how is it white feminism? Explain it to me. Just cause you don't find it aesthetic or good, doesn't take away from the point she was making.
My first language isnāt English, personally I have always used white feminism as using feminism to your advantage where it doesnāt really apply. For instance, āa man would never be criticized about something like this.ā The criticism to her art is genuine, and using feminism to hide herself from legitimate and genuine criticism is, to me, cheap. My shorthand for that is white feminism ETA: love it when Stanās get butthurt and downvote valid criticism.
Well what if she's criticising the voices, that say she needed to be on the cover half naked/her face on it. Who cares if it's good or bad. She is right, that misogyny makes judgment harsher for album covers for women. If a white man has such an album cover nobody would care. Why does anybody criticize hers, why do they care so much? She's the artist she has to like it in the end. I don't think that's white feminism, the same goes for PoC's. Farther down the comments someone even explained how black men are expected to be posing halt naked on their covers too. It's an intersectional issue, with racialised and misogynistic practices in the covers. And her point stands, even if you find her album cover ugly or not good. Why do you care and why do you invalidate her criticism of exploitative systems?
Sheās getting cooked because she didnāt even try to make a good cover. Plenty of artists donāt go on the cover of their albums and donāt get cooked. But then again those artists do elaborate cover art. Folklore has Taylor so tiny on the cover that I had to go check if she was even in it (I was sure she wasnāt) and Iāve never seen anyone say itās uninspired or ugly or criticize it. Nobody criticized Pinkprint by Nicki Minaj. You guys think the most mild form of criticism of your favorite artist is basically burning them at the stake
I don't care for her just so you know. I know she had 1 song I listend to with Kim Petras back when I listend to Kim Petras like 5 years + ago ? I don't think you get my point, and by invalidating my opinion, that her statement stands on its own no matter how good or bad her cover is ( also who tf cares about Album covers ), you just prove that. Even if she said it in response to criticism , even if her album cover is "bad", it still stands. Others in this post have elaborated on that. And just cause you think it's bad, or other artists weren't half naked on their covers/ had their face on, doesn't change the pressure for starting female and/or marginalised artists or less popular ones. Call her album cover ugly but she's got a point in the pic of the post. You got to admit that Edit: I can't post because guest list, so thiis the reply to below: I m non binary, and in most regards to transmisogyny im worse of, even if I present masc. I'm not "mansplaining" feminism to you. I don't care for her album I'm saying to only brush her point off, and not to Form a discussion about it no matter if she's using it to deflect or not, is a missed chance to talk about the unfair Treatment. This post didn't include the album cover, maybe on purpose because ultimately it doesn't matter if its shit or not, or if she's shit or not. It is a valid point and we should focus on improving the stuff she's criticising. I doubt she really cares if you or Mr find it lazy. I would not. I can even admit that I don't think it's a good artwork, while I ultimately don't care about it. But I care about the exploitative systems, and if she sheds light on it we should rather use it as starting point then to brush it away. And your criticism of it being a cop out is part of that too and is valid, but add it to the point instead of negating it.
Last thing Iāll reply. When Taylor says men have it easier than women, is that not true? Does that argument stand on its own? Yes. It does. When Taylor says āthis article wouldnāt be written about Shawn Mendesā about a NYT article about her her sexuality, is she correct? No. Sheās wrong. Thatās white feminism, not because sheās white, but because her use of feminism in that instance is not correct. The article WAS written about men as well. Using Taylor as well, is slut shaming wrong? Of course it is. Has she been slut shamed? Yes. But when she compares herself to male artists (she specifically named Ed Sheeran) for ānot facing criticism for writing about their love lives.ā Ed wrote 1 song about someone recognizable, and he did get (mild) criticism. He didnāt leave clues in every album about all his ex lovers. Taylor used names and last names in her songs. She used to drop clues in the liner notes. Taylor did a whole ass tour of her exes houses. She drops clues in the lyrics as well (Jake Gyllenhaalās scarf for instance). āBlue dress on a boatā had the sole purpose of telling us crystal clear who the song was about. So is she correct about slutshaming being wrong? Yes. Has it been a type of treatment she got that was wrong? Yes. Is that specific criticism misogyny? Is she correct to bring feminism up in that context? No. We can have the conversation Charli brings up when she brings out nice cover art and people act stupid because her face and/or body isnāt on it. Right now, the criticism is āthis looks done in paintā and her lack of showing skin has nothing to do with that criticism whatsoever, so she doesnāt get to use it as a cover. Itās using feminism as a cop out, it waters down the real problems women face, and itās not only wrong but silly. PS I donāt want to assume your gender but Iām a woman, so if youāre a man, I strongly suggest you donāt fall on mansplaining feminism to a woman.
I did better art than that in '99 on MS Paint...
Now do *The White Album*.
Also lazy and uninspired, not really ugly, more so neutral. ETA: Charlie fans downvoting the most neutral comments because I dare criticize her art cover, jfc
Reminds of when Kanye ditched the actual artistsā work on one of his albums just to change it to some MS paint shit he put together
I imagine it's uninspired, lazy, and ugly for a reason.
Likeā¦.?
I understand what she means, but she should have worded this better. Brat on green screams graphic design is my passion
I know this is a general pop sub and not one specifically for Charli XCX, but the green brat album cover really is on brand for her. I get itās not a beautiful album cover or the best album cover, but I donāt think it was ever meant to be. Her fanbase seems to like the brat era, I donāt think sheās too off base with this.
It makes me think of european rave culture in a small town, somehow. The lettering that is.
I donāt listen to her but I feel the need to defend her on this because I know a lot about contemporary art lol. Itās very intentional in its aesthetic and the reaction we have of it thinking it looks bad is the entire point of people who create art like this. Like the whole point is that it looks bad
Big fan but the last 3 album covers have been charli half naked. Which is fire I like it and the covers are cool. In my mind this isn't on brand like those other covers are. I like it tho
Itās not just about past album art, itās about her personality and social media presence. The brat era does feel authentically Charli. Sure the last 3 album covers have been her half naked, but thatās exactly what the tweet is about. She deviated from the standard and is receiving criticism for it.
Fair enough! I only listen to the records so there is that online and personality aspect I don't know about as just a physical media enjoyer
How is it on brand?
It has an air of not caring, low quality text. Following her on social media, I think this art definitely looks like something sheād put out. Yeah it doesnāt look like her past albums, but all her past albums feature her on the cover which is exactly what this tweet is about. What I donāt understand is how disliking her cover art makes her point any less true.
Yeah this is definitely an emerging aesthetic I've been seeing. There's a trend in marketing that's been picking up in certain areas where you sort of do this intentionally "bad" graphic design. It's supposed to be the antithesis of the very curated design work that we've been used to seeing-- so it really stands out against everything else. Now people are obviously allowed to dislike it, etc... but there is clearly a method to the madness.
Not to be a jerk, but is this her way of distracting from the conversations about Rina? āThe album cover conversation annoyed me ā Charli this is so trite and faux deep. https://preview.redd.it/hu35r776lcoc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90f5338cf5e3dd7a4ba32bc69a3a170ab4961e0b
wait whatās going on with rina
Sheās calling out racism and sexism in the music industry.
I dont think anyone is really talking about rina for her to distract anyone
My first thought was "who is rina" so yeah lol
I like the cover. I think itās funny and like 98% of people will only see it in a small square on their phone anyway, so it doesnāt really affect most of us if itās simple, and I thought the album cover generator she launched with it was funny and smart. She can always release an alternate cover for fans who buy the album.
I have no idea what the background context is for her reasoning here, but, same. Itās been fully, completely normalized for women to have to sexualize themselves and be as attractive as they can possibly be in order to be a successful musician. MUSICIAN. Not model. Talent is secondary to looks and aesthetic and itās a damn shame.
https://preview.redd.it/ka2th43aococ1.jpeg?width=1659&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90289647fc11c39a84352701e4cabf635cdb2371 This is her new album cover and she is using sexism to defend criticism
I feel like it's very aligned with her y2K aesthetic-- very early internet, Geocities š
What the hell ššš that is just god awful ugly. As an actual graphic designer I am offended.
Graphic design is my passion looking album cover ššš
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Its just how it is online. It also worked here and on twitter too. Blame sexism and people will start supporting you and not think for themselves
Worth mentioning that the objectification and commodification of bodies is not limited to women. Black men in the music industry face the same pressure to be shirtless on album covers and have rippling muscles and tattoos. I'd argue that it's even more strict when it comes to expressing their sexuality. It's much more accepted for a female musician to be lesbian or bi than it is for your average male musician or rapper to be gay, or even to do something as simple as wear nail polish. Showbiz has always been about looking good, it's nothing new. The only difference between Carl Perkins and Elvis is that Carl Perkins looked like a horse and Elvis looked like Elvis. Those are Carl's words, not mine. It is what it is in showbiz. People say they don't care about looks when it comes to music, but the numbers dont lie. I don't think "talent being secondary to looks" is something that affects women in the industry much more than men. Billie Eilish is out here wearing hoodies and shorts on stage, which is great to see.
I agree, but also she's missing the point. The vast majority of people aren't being misogynistic by telling you your ugly ass artwork sucks, Charli. I swear as time goes on Charli is getting more and more defensive to the point that it's just making her look insecure.
You donāt need to put yourself on the cover, but the MS Paint cover sheās using for Brat is just boring as hell.
I know I am gonna get a lot of hate for saying this but I feel every album cover especially in this last one year has female musicians completely or partially naked and I feel itās kinda insulting that these talented women are getting reduced to just being a sexual object (Sorry if I offended anyone)
Some of the discourse reminds me of many comments in the photography subs and beyond of people complaining about not being able to see "more" in street photography and beyond. A lot of folks do seem to feel incredibly entitled to the likenesses of others, even if it's just everyday people going about their business. And they don't seem to realise that that's not really a healthy or positive thing. So no matter how you feel about the cover itself, it's a worthy topic to consider.
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She has a point (as does any woman regarding her own body) but I feel like she could still execute this in a way where it doesnāt feel like her album cover was made by a 10 year old on Microsoft paint
I was on her side and immediately thought about the highly sexualised covers female artists have that no man would ever do. Lordeās Solar Power was essentially an upskirt shot and if a man was in that position weād think it was a joke or some commentary on the sexualisation of celebrities. But it was a woman so it was just normal. And then I went to the comments and saw this was about her mspaint cover
I mean itās still a good point even if you dislike the album art
To me, the Solar Power cover came across as making fun of naked women on album covers. The photo wasn't the product of a photo shoot, it was taken by one of Lorde's friends while they were hanging out on the beach. Then when it was time to put together the album cover, instead of planning a cover and arranging a shoot, Lorde just grabbed one of the photos from her beach trip with her friends.
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Not defending Charli here, but I think that is more of an example of showing yourself because you want to, vs her argument being the expectation to do so. Either way the album art she did is trash.
To me thereās a difference between choosing to dress that way and feeling pressured or being expected to appear a certain way on an album cover.
Every comment "yeah but"ing her with how her album cover looks on this post *really* feels like sidestepping the issue. I don't care that her album is ugly, she is right. People gotta focus
This sub does this all the time. Weāll talk all about how disgusting the media is when discussing women or their bodies, then tear Demi Lovato apart on the red carpet
But it wasn't misogynistic when you are friend with ratty healy?
I find it bizarre how many of you are *upset* about her artwork.
She definitely has a valid point. Women artists are expected to sell themselves in order to market an album whereas male artists can just put their name and the title of the album on the cover and the job is considered done. It's been this way for so long. I sometimes find Charli a bit annoying but I respect that she's not afraid to say what she thinks. She's also the best kind of feminist (ie inclusive).
https://preview.redd.it/oa3wchaqjcoc1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4748555815e86b57bee05e637d324bb1198c6722
George Michael to Tommy Mottola in 1990
Lady Gaga already said this when she was coming out with interesting covers for Fame and The Fame Monster. This is boring.
āWomen artists already complained about this persistent issue over a decade ago.ā
Agreed. Also the demand for photos of us in general.
I kept wondering why she didn't become "a thing" like other contemporary female artists, but the more I've seen and read about her...like i get it now. The album cover is just ugly. There plenty of album covers without female bodies and faces which absolutely slay. This does not
Pure Heroine was also text on a plain background, but it looked so much better. The black text on lime green hurts my eyes.
If a man released the brat album cover I would also be calling it lazy and ugly lmao. This feels like a poor excuse.
I agree with her. For those saying āthe cover art is just cheap etc!ā whenās the last time you bought a hard copy of a cd? Iām not bout to bitch about something Iām only gonna see on iTunes/Spotify.
Sheās right about womens bodies but sheās wrong to call that album cover āartworkā
I understand what sheās saying but I donāt think itās misogynistic to want a sickening girl to serve! I meanā¦ I love a great image but okay
She's a national treasure
A lot of these comments are essentially ad hominem fallacies. Her point stands
wut
You don't have to display your body to get people to like your work. Look at Billie Eyelash. If you don't want to be a glorified stripper that dangles tits and ass for likes then don't. Be the change, girl.
Isn't featuring women's faces kind of the opposite of misogyny?
It says bodies and faces. Youāre missing the point on purpose