British girl group Little Mix’s music video for their latest single, “Woman Like Me,” has a not-so-subtle message for the world: Women do not need to conform to your standards.
The video, released on Friday, shows the girls in a finishing school learning to balance books on their heads, practice perfect posture while seated, sip soup politely, and perform “women’s chores” like ironing and vacuuming – but the girls soon flip this message on its head.
The group assumes “unladylike” positions more commonly referred to as “manspreading” and chews with their mouths open.
Both in its lyrics and video, “Woman Like Me,” which features rapper Nicki Minaj, pushes back against all the things girls are told they should or should not be — outspoken, insecure, sexually forward, “trouble.”
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Where the song asks, “Could you fall for a woman like me?” the message the girls send in their music video is that they actually don’t care if you could or not, they’re still going to be themselves.
Delighted fans have been posting their reactions to the music video on social media and praising Little Mix for challenging stereotypes.
Representing women, being who you are, loving who you want to love, being independent, destroying the stereotypes of society, having fun when you want to. Women aren't OBJECTS, WE are an army together. I'm proud to be a woman because of women like you. I give you @LittleMix ♥ pic.twitter.com/WJQNDXVdNR
— woman's world🌹 (@Rhi_LittleMix) October 26, 2018
Let this day be remembered in history to mark the monumental occasion when 5 queens came together and said 👋🏻🖕🏽👋🏿 to the patriarchy. Amen. #WomanLikeMeVideopic.twitter.com/doxRGyRmWt
— Woman like K̟e̟n̟d̟r̟a̟🌹 (@Drunk_Perrie) October 25, 2018
I'm so happy with the music video. After years and years, we got a storyline from the girls where they were all trained to be what women should do according to society, but broke those stereotypes, and just becoming themselves. The production was just great, thank you @LittleMixpic.twitter.com/57DzK3FXV6
— niki 🌹 (@baepsaejerrie) October 26, 2018
Personally I always suffered with stereotypes, they all told me how I should behave or how I should dress "correctly". Because of you girls, now I can not care less. Thank you for this great video, thank you for sharing this powerful message with us @LittleMix#WomanLikeMeVideopic.twitter.com/2nK2d9qgPu
— Karol ZC 💜🌹 | STREAM TAKI TAKI 🌋 (@Cmzc19) October 26, 2018
a lot of middle aged women are mad about the clothes little mix are wearing in their music video and shaming them for the way they dance i- the video is literally a big fuck you to society’s idea of a perfect woman. ya’ll want women to be fully clothed, quiet, and lady like 24/7
— grace (@remthirl) October 26, 2018
the lyrics says “could you fall for a woman like me?” and the video shows what she is like, she’s a woman, she’s independent, she’s gonna wear what she wants, she’s gonna do what she wants and she’s not gonna accept the stereotype created by the society. 🌹 #WomanLikeMeVideopic.twitter.com/6D8JkLCVbX
— nina ◟̽◞̽ (@thirlwalarrie) October 26, 2018