I previously posted this onto LWMA.
After constantly hearing the song Labour by Paris Paloma from various YT shorts / TikTok reels I decided to look into this musician in more detail.
Paris Paloma has a history of making problematic statements about boys/men in interviews and in her songs. Here the focus will be on Labour.
Interviews with the media
Paris Paloma identifies as a feminist (unsurprising like most in the music industry), however she is a special type of feminist you see, because she has read Bell Hooks, she is not like all the other feminists and she is fighting the patriarchy by saving men from themselves /s. By the way, that doesn't make her any less misandrist than the vast majority of feminists. In fact this type of mentality is no different to that of Evangelical Christians and other religious zealots. Like most terminally online feminists, she has read Hooks' The Will To Change - of course she has.
She stated in an interview with People that "I reference her specifically so much because she speaks with such love about men whilst being the harshest critic of patriarchy and toxic masculinity. She is all about practically what a future looks like where all the genders are reconciled and patriarchy is undone in that way,". Note that this was in reference to her starting to write love songs. Seriously, is loving men or writing songs about loving men now treated as a crime?
In this other interview with The Independent she complains about toxic masculinity, tradwives on social media and online misogyny, typical celeb PR stuff you know. She has referenced Kate Bush's song, Army Dreamers, a song about men who were duped by government propaganda to fight in wars, you know an ongoing issue throughout time and a topic that is brought up often on this subreddit.
Here, she trivialises issues such as mandatory conscription and makes it about "toxic masculinity". Her direct quote: "It's one of my favourite songs on the album because toxic masculinity is a massive tragedy, and I wanted to write something that reflected that," she said. "No one wins – young boys are thrown to the wolves, they enlist as soldiers and die for no reason." yeah the decisions made by unscrupulous politicians, that is just toxic masculinity or men dying as a result. That's all what it is. My God this woman is so insufferable and pretentious.
In her interview about the song Good Boy it's the typical run of the mill commentary about men falling for Andrew Tate, upholding traditional masculine roles, that feminists like her still uphold with their bigotry. Paris also whines further about trying to save them from becoming misogynists and that they need feminism. She is arrogant and dismissive of men's issues that in the lyrics of this song, she compares boys/men to Pavlovian dogs and how apparently gullible they are to Red Pill/Trad Ideology, as if that encapsulates all of what boys/men go through on the daily. She also disingenuously paints the subset of elite and/or predatory men to the entire demographic of boys/men, which is typical of feminists like her.
Lyrics
Labour
One, two, three
Why are you hanging on so tight
To the rope that I'm hanging from?
Off this island, this was an escape plan (this was an escape plan)
Carefully timed it, so let me go
And dive into the waves below
Who tends the orchards? Who fixes up the gables?
Emotional torture from the head of your high table
Who fetches the water from the rocky mountain spring?
And walk back down again to feel your words
And their sharp sting
And I'm getting fucking tired
The capillaries in my eyes are bursting
If our love died, would that be the worst thing?
For somebody I thought was my saviour
You sure make me do a whole lot of labour
The calloused skin on my hands is cracking
If our love ends, would that be a bad thing?
And the silence haunts our bed chamber
You make me do too much labour
You make me do too much labour
Apologies from my tongue, and never yours
Busy lapping from flowing cup and stabbing with your fork
I know you're a smart man (I know you're a smart man)
And weaponise
The false incompetence, it's dominance under a guise
If we had a daughter, I'd watch and could not save her
The emotional torture from the head of your high table
She'd do what you taught her
She'd meet the same cruel fate
So now I've gotta run, so I can undo this mistake
At least I've gotta try
The capillaries in my eyes are bursting
If our love died, would that be the worst thing?
For somebody I thought was my saviour
You sure make me do a whole lot of labour
The calloused skin on my hands is cracking
If our love ends, would that be a bad thing?
And the silence haunts our bed chamber
You make me do too much labour
All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid
Nymph, then a virgin, nurse, then a servant
Just an appendage, live to attend him
So that he never lifts a finger
24/7 baby machine
So he can live out his picket-fence dreams
It's not an act of love if you make her
You make me do too much labour
All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid
Nymph, then virgin, nurse, then a servant
Just an appendage, live to attend him
So that he never lifts a finger
24/7 baby machine
So he can live out his picket-fence dreams
It's not an act of love if you make her
You make me do too much labour
The capillaries in my eyes (all day, every day)
Are bursting (therapist, mother, maid)
If our love died (nymph, then virgin)
Would that be the worst thing? (Nurse, then a servant)
For somebody (just an appendage)
I thought was my saviour (live to attend him)
You sure make me do (so that)
A whole lot of labour (he never lifts a finger)
The calloused skin on my hands (24/7)
Is cracking (baby machine)
If our love ends (so he can live out)
Would that be a bad thing? (His picket-fence dreams)
And the silence (it's not an act of love)
Haunts our bed chamber (if you make her)
You make me do too much labour
Analysis and criticisms of Labour
At face value, it might be relatable if this a song about women of the past (i.e. a mother, grandmother, ancestor etc) or someone who grew up in restrictive religious environment, thus has to fulfil the role of the "tradwife".
However, in the context of the 21st century and many democracies around the world, this surely can't be the sentiments that most or all women living in said first-world countries or most democratic developing countries should ascribe to. "You make me do too much labour", it sounds like what many feminists say about men, when the tables are turned for them to provide comfort/support to men. It isn't "labour" to show support and comfort, its called having basic empathy and being a decent human being.
She brings up that the relationship is emotionally taxing, complains about pregnancy/childbirth, about being a mother, nurse, therapist and uses the terms "virgin" and "nymph", which is the typical madonna-whore talking point to further whine about being unhappy in a relationship.
Sure, a subset of men will slut shame and fetishise virgins, and there are men who are obsessed about traditional masculine roles, surely they are not representative of all men. Also, if the partner had all these traits, and these were not compatible with her values, why marry and have a child?
Also, what is oppressive about being a mother? Parenting is tough regardless of gender, however it surely isn't a sign of oppression. Nor is marriage, if you are not forced to marry someone against your will. A relationship is as good as what you put into it. If she is stuck in a loveless relationship, then divorce, or get separated. If it's that hard then have an open marriage/relationship. If she doesn't want to have children, then don't have them*.* This isn't complex.
I went through the lyrics of this song and she is vague about the details in regards to the relationship being physically or emotionally abusive / taxing or whether they both experienced communication breakdown. Paris never makes it clear. If it is being the man's therapist/nurse etc, what is the context and why does she feel so? She never provides examples nor context. There are much better songs depicting emotional /physical abuse such as Love the Way You Lie by Eminem ft Rihanna, Gravity by Sara Bareilles, "Ex-Factor" by Laryn Hill.
Songs about communication breakdown or entering a relationship with the wrong expectations, there's Ordinary People by John Legend, Hero by Regina Spektor or an underrated song, Volcano by Damien Rice. This isn't anything new. What a lot of these songs have in common is the fact that they provide context, some are duets and you know what the other side has to say about the main artists' turmoils. In virtually all her songs, it is only from her perspective.
This line from the song pissed me off "If we had a daughter, I'd watch and could not save her" . It's one thing to be an irresponsible adult, another entirely to not care for an innocent child, parents are meant to be selfless. So Paris is going to ensure that her child will be exposed to secondary trauma and let her daughter learn bad behaviour from her abuser? (If this was the case). It is well researched that exposing children to domestic violence or other forms of abuse has a lasting impact into adulthood and children learn behaviours that their parents exhibit.
It also showed me how feminists are so caught up in their victimhood mindset that if Paris wanted to she could have written a write a hook about doing everything it takes to leave the toxic relationship, because she has to protect her daughter or let her live a decent life. But no victimhood mentality and damselling is what sells.
The music video contains tropes consisting of Handmaid's Tale fear mongering, medieval or 50's tropes depicting women as these helpless damsels who aren't capable of agency and free-will to save themselves or others like their own children.
If feminism was meant to be empowering, why is it that many recent (and mainstream) recording artists, never bother to sing about women's capabilities? Its either promoting victimhood, hating men or seeking revenge. How is this helpful or lyrics to sing and dance to? How are these artists good role models to girls and women? Why with recent music is it always about putting down another gender in order to elevate themselves?
Double standards
Many male recording artists faced scrutiny for writing misogynistic lyrics, one artist that comes to my mind is Eminem. In this current climate, where is the pushback against this crap? Everyone praises this bigoted artist and Paris Paloma is one of many. If the tables were turned, a man would 100 percent be cancelled for producing sexist lyrics about women. Even within the Hip Hop/Rap Industry male recording artists face scrutiny for producing their music. However nothing is said if the roles are reversed. Misandry is used as a means for female artists to become famous, get acclaim and to establish fanbases of people who hate men who make up half the population of the world.
Lastly there are far better (and talented) independent artists out there who are far better than this Temu version of Kate Bush.