IanadeIrey

I get what you feel but I don’t think it was…I think the truth is that the American people voted where their heart’s concern is (the economy) and the Democrats alienated the largest voter base——those who make between 50K and 100K annually. Bernie Sanders said it best: “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them.” I obviously don’t agree with who was elected, but I accept the results. I get why people voted for him and it just goes to show that rhetoric around “fixing the economy” goes a long way. Even in the absence of any such policies!

Oooh good catch with the shirt! Mystery potentially solved 🤓. All we need is for her to emerge with brown or blonde hair now lol

Are we sure this is 2024? I feel like it could be from November 2023 when she was in Nashville. She had a similar manicure back then, as we can see in this photo below - or even December 2023 when she shot the Skims campaign. Same manicure (note the shape of the French tips)

Thank you for your kind and thoughtful reply and perspective as someone who lives there. I see what you mean and I apologize, I definitely spoke reductively and I’m glad you got what I was trying to say. Yes, emphasis on racism appearing and functioning differently across regions. That was what I was trying to convey, how in the case of contemporary pop culture I often think of southern aesthetics being co-opted without a sensitivity towards the region’s history.

Regardless of what her stances are, I do think this recent descent into the culture of the South isn’t without some sort of internalization of the popular beliefs there, even if it’s not an entirely conscious thing. The people you spend the most time with are bound to impact you. The person you marry says a lot about you. I personally would not develop an affinity for the American South as someone who knows the history there and isn’t white. I have never thought that Lana is someone who doesn’t mean well but her positionality affords her the luxury of not having to take too strong of a stance on anything bigger than herself, at least publicly. And that’s fine, she doesn’t have to. I think the insight she shares through songs are a commentary on American social life—a particularly distinct account of white American womanhood—and that’s enough. Of course, this perspective she writes from certainly resonates with all audiences and transcends all kinds of identity markers. We wouldn’t all be here if that weren’t the case. But Lust for Life was, indeed, just one reactionary album to the status quo and captures the cultural shock of Trump’s first win. A lot has changed since 2017, and even since 2021 when Biden was inaugurated. The American people have only grown more divisive and perhaps we can take Lana’s static disposition to be representative of that. Nothing more, nothing less.

It’s so interesting to see this happen in real time as a Canadian because, while obviously not American, I’m in the country that is the most culturally similar to the States. And it’s interesting to see, while people didn’t necessarily agree with everything Obama did, what his presidency represented for America’s social progress and the image that America imparted to the rest of the world. But now that feels like an exception to the American rule of politics, and perhaps what was always an ultra-conservative nation is now heading towards an extreme fulfillment of its form. The pendulum has swung back again and the line between cause and effect is blurry. America exists as a paradoxical nation in so many ways, and to semi-outsiders like myself, it’s always going to both dazzle and dizzy me.

The irony that those touting Trump as the saviour of the economy are not the ones he’s giving tax breaks to. Some bought into his rhetoric and some became so radicalized that there’s so much cultural whiplash here that’s finally been released after a long, basically eight-year build-up.

Why is it always the least relevant states that cause the most stress…the west coast and northeast stay consistently blue and that’s why they are comprised of the best states. I’m calling into question Lana’s penchant for the South and (most of) the Midwest lol.

Looking at the map and feeling worried but hopeful that things will turn around…I’m surprised to see how areas Biden won are areas that Harris is losing. What’s the variable here…did people forget what 2017-2021 was like..

Rhetoric and policy aren’t usually too far off in Trump’s case…I’m just appalled at how stupid some voters can be. Especially those who vote for Trump even though they’re the last people to benefit from his proposed policies. There’s no need to find an overcomplicated explanation for that kind of dissonance, it’s just futile and that’s why it’s so easy to be disillusioned with and jaded by the way politics go. I really don’t know what to expect…

I don’t believe in idealism when it comes to electoral politics. Personal ideologies, grassroots movements, and general advocacy, sure, by all means, let the ideals prevail. But either way, the institutions we live in remain monolithic and change moves at a glacial pace. It’s better that progress occur at a glacial pace and the overall trend line be progressive and positive than there be great upheaval and an undoing of the progress we’ve made—like having Trump in office. So yes, while criticisms of any political candidate—Democrat or Republican—are valid, I will never understand those who don’t vote strategically so as to prevent the candidate they least prefer from entering office. Good luck to all those voting and those who live in America. May the results be in the country’s—and the world’s—favour.

The vagueness makes her a true enigma…it would not be on brand to give a direct statement.

This was really sweet to watch. It’s nice to see her with her loved ones and get a glimpse of the tour life. It’s not like this is a new revelation at all, but she’s just so humble and uplifting of all the people around her.

I love the photos so much - very 60s, very on brand with Milan as a fashion capital in the midcentury. The interview is also full of so much insight and it’s interesting to see her psyche shift with her own geography. She reminds me of Joan Didion in that way; so much of what they both write is coloured by the surrounding landscape. I like the idea of Lana’s “eras” being classified according to geography. I think what we, at this point in time, might call her “Golden Age” is the period during which she released those California albums. She flirted with the heartland a little bit on Chemtrails and Blue Banisters, almost inching towards it, but never quite getting there. Ocean Blvd, to me, transcended its geography and even returned to California at times. It now appears that this upcoming record—whether its final title will be Lasso or not—will mark a more pronounced geographical shift to her new home in the South and will usher in a new way of operating that is characteristic of the region.

I’m intrigued at what’s going on behind the scenes or psychologically - there’s such a contrast between the way she talked about Ocean Blvd and how she’s talking about this upcoming record, and I’ve noticed an increasing tentativeness or reluctance in her public disposition over the last year. It’s interesting to see her shift in real time. Time will tell all…

I wonder if it’s McCreary County where she’s going to meet the people and have breakfast with them

I feel like country music in the mainstream cultural conscience is over now…it had its moment earlier this year and was Lana’s chance to “ride the wave”, so to speak (even though she’s had her finger on the pulse, saw the country hype coming well in advance, and never needs to adhere to the trends in music), but now the window of country being the thing is kind of done. I guess she’s caught onto that - and the longer she DOESN’T release the album, the more time she has to tweak it. And life has certainly happened since she announced the record in January! So I’m imagining that songs addressing things that have happened for her since then exist. It’s kind of like how everyone was wearing cowboy boots a few years ago and it was a little fashion trend. I feel like nobody cares that much about cowboy boots anymore - at least not as much as they did in 2021, for example.

Senseless off-key noise

I just feel bad if her marrying him was a move out of desperation. Given how fast it all happened (from what we know), it definitely seems brash. The entire situation has made me recommit to an idea I've always had: I would be happier alone than with someone whom I was settling for. In this case, it's beyond settling. It's like a contradiction of her own morality. The entire family being Trump supporters...I don't even know what to say to that still. I'm in shock lol.

Nothing new! Just the same anti-trans post :/

I keep thinking about the lyrics “sometimes love is not enough” and “they said that love was enough but it wasn’t” and how they are true in real life — there is so much more than just “love” as an abstract feeling when it comes to picking a partner. I don’t even think most people know what love abstractly is. Love is a choice in a lot of ways, which may or may not be an unpopular opinion.

I’m sure she’s seen it - as others have pointed out, she wouldn’t have intervened in how fans talk about it if she hadn’t. Also, it’s 2024 - who isn’t stalking online lol. It’s disappointing because she’s certainly not the kind of person to endorse those kinds of beliefs. But complacency with it can be telling and it’s just a reminder that even if we feel such resonance with Lana in so many ways, we still may come from distant worlds where we feel a stronger aversion to hateful rhetoric and troubling politics.

Ah, I see - I get that. Thanks for explaining. I just thought you should know in case you didn’t

I feel like I have to point this out since, from reading your posts, you seem to be someone with a strong moral instinct - but you do know that Marilyn Manson is a known abuser, right? So it’s not like listening to him is better than not listening to Lana lol.

She looks so beautiful and classic. I hope life pans out the way she would like for it to pan out, regardless of how we all feel about who she chose. I can't say this is who I expected her to choose from a morals/values standpoint based on what she's stood for. Nonetheless, she is an agentic person and I trust that she has a clear idea of what her life ought to look like for herself since she is her own visionary and always has been.