Janelle Monae-Pynk

Janelle Monae-Pynk

            The society appears to judge men and women differently in the expression of sexuality. It is common to see a large part of society respect a man for bragging about big manhood but brand a lady who brags of her womanhood as a prostitute. The album Pynk has been branded by many as a celebration of womanhood and the power of the woman’s body. The title Pynk has been used in place of the pink color for different reasons. The song involves the interpolation of some lyrics from the famous song Pink, by Aerosmith. The main idea behind the release of the song is much associated with championing for social justice rather than pure entertainment. The song addresses women on taking confidence in their sexuality. Also, the song is used as a tool to insist on the message from previous songs like the dirty computer by the same singer on championing despite the risk of facing a lack of social acceptance. Janelle Monae uses her song Pynk to sensitize the women on the power they possess and the need to ignore society’s view of life concerning female confidence.

The choice of the title of the song is symbolic. As much as the title is meant to represent pink as a color, there is more to the meaning of the term Pynk as could easily be understood. Pynk is a valuable beer brewed from fruits, and its value is appreciated across the United States. Also, the pink color is used by several organizations in campaigns on sensitization regarding cancer-related complications (Mart, Sarah, and Giesbrecht). The artist could be aiming to change the pink color from a representation of negativity and show that pink still represents a great part of the powerful sexuality of women. The use of Pynk in place of Pink can, however, be seen as a strategy of creating uniqueness since a famous song with the same title by Aerosmith already exists. The repetition of the word Pynk throughout the song implies that it is fit to be the title of the song. The impact of the title is that there is a bit of suspense upon hearing an offensive word like Pynk and the listener is curious of getting the meaning unlike if it was the popular pink which would most probably be ignored.

The driving idea behind the release of the song appears to be a championing for social justice concerning femininity. The description of the song, for example, is “PYNK is a brash celebration of creation, self-love, sexuality and [‘female’] power! [PYNK] is the color that unites us all, for pink is the color found in the deepest and darkest nooks and crannies of humans everywhere… [PYNK] is where the future is born…,” (Angelica). The release of Janelle Monae’s last hit, ‘dirty computer’ was preceded by an emotional picture featuring Janelle trying to break loose from a society that was against the idea of feminine freedom Janelle presents the society as one that forcibly makes her comply to their beliefs without questioning. The attempt to express her individuality makes Janelle to be depicted as an enemy of her own community. The fight for freedom gives Janelle a glimpse of what other ladies could be facing daily and therefore can be said to have motivated Janelle to release the song, Pynk.

Pynk appears to be addressing a variety of audiences. The main audience targeted is the female population. Janelle uses the word ‘baby’ to give the female impression. The use of the word ‘us,’ in the line ‘Leavin’ traces of us down the boulevard’ implies that Janelle is addressing a population group where she belongs, and since the singer is a lady, then it is fair to conclude that ladies are being addressed in this line. The main message being sent to the ladies is that they should be proud of their pink bodies. In the video, ladies are seen in pant underwear with embroidered phrases like, ‘I grab back’ which seem to be like a counterattack on men’s bragging about penis sizes. In another scene, a lady confidently portrays pubic hair protruding the underwear, and there is a sense of pride in the way the presentation is done. Janelle also addresses the male population by saying that men should not brag about having blue since ladies also have pink and are proud of the color.

The song by Janelle Monae is not a hundred percent original idea. The artist has appreciated ideas from other artists. For example, the song is an interpolation of a past song written and released by Aerosmith who used pink to describe his lover. The idea borrowed by Janelle is that pink is beautiful on women and can be used to define the undefined value hidden behind the female gender’s bodies. Also, Janelle uses ideas from her previous song ‘dirty computer.’ Dirty computer, addresses the society’s position on the idea of female confidence and the idea that it is the whole society and not purely men who make females feel unconfident. Janelle decides to release the song that is crystal clear concerning the need for female power. Despite the risk of criticism from society, Janelle goes ahead and releases the song, and the reaction is quite overwhelming. The reactions are full of comments appreciating Janelle’s bold celebration of female sexuality in the song. The efficiency of creating a new idea from existing ideas is made strong by Janelle’s video which brings out the ideas raised by the lyrics.

The idea behind every song is to pass a particular message to a specific audience. Pynk, in this case, is no unique and has achieved the standard of giving the intended message. The message here is clear that female sexuality is not an issue to ignore. The only missing bit is the sensitization on the ladies to stand up and be proud of their femininity. The uniqueness of Pynk begins with the choice of the topic. Also, the song supports the championing of social justice for female sexuality. Social acceptance risk does not hold Janelle back from releasing the song and efficiently reaches her intended audience. The song is correctly represented to pass the intended message boldly.