(no subject)

There is a qualitative difference between the Pussycat Dolls and Aishwarya Rai.

Really.

Here're the Pussycat Dolls. They dance awesome. I like it. It's out there and intense, yeah. This is one of their better ones, in my estimation. There are certain things which annoy me:

- The insertion of a male person in there who exists to ogle the PCD and show how awesome they are
- Shoes on the roof of a car (not sure why this bugs me but it does)
- Hypersexuality

However, I still love the dance sequences, and frankly, I don't think there's enough of dance sequences going on in their music videos - they're REALLY good dancers and I get visceral pleasure out of watching people dance like that. It makes me wish I could too.

Here's Aishwarya Rai. And I'll embed because I can and because she's awesome:

Now, obviously the sequence is different because this is in the context of a movie, so it doesn't shift around as much, but still, Ms. Rai works it. Now, there is the question of where the Male Gaze comes in here (note that there isn't a single male in the scene). The audience of the movie? Maybe. Certainly the dancers dress down enough for it. But because the sequence is nothing but dancing, I get the feel that we're supposed to be awed, not by Ms. Rai's very nifty sexiness, but by her dance virtuousity. She's still sexy, but it's a fun kind of sexy, whereas the PCD's sexiness feels like a power play, trying to grasp at whatever they can by blowing their sexuality out of proportion. PCD's dance sequences feel like they cater to the Male Gaze only, whereas Ms. Rai feels... more inclusive, more inviting to the female watcher to also have fun because anyone can dance like that, given enough practice.

That, and I like billowing skirts.

This is for salzara_tirwen

Awesome people are awesome. I can't believe they didn't win.