The 2013 Video Music Awards were promiscuous, to say the least. Between Miley Cyrus’s bump and grind routine with Robin Thicke and the emergence of twerking as a cultural statement, I wasn’t sure if I was even allowed to watch the VMAs. This year, when I agreed to pen an article about the VMAs, I had several descriptive words and phrases in mind. After reminiscing over last year’s show, I did some brainstorming. My train of thought led me to scribble down words like obscene, morally ambiguous and overtly sexual onto some sticky notes while watching the pre-awards red carpet.
I expected the 2014 performances to be equally scandalous. I anticipated viewing the VMAs through my fingertips, only uncovering my eyes long enough to see Taylor Swift perform a tasteful number clad in high waisted shorts and/or polka dots. I predicted my article would lament the loss of integrity in today’s pop culture and that it would document the woes that plague an entertainment industry driven by image rather than by musicianship.
I am very pleased to say this year’s VMAs gave me something to look forward to in pop music.
I love awards season. I watch the Grammys, the Emmys, the Tonys and the Oscars more religiously than any regular television show. I hold high expectations for those in the limelight. As a writer, I have a great appreciation for lyrically strong songs. As a singer, I have great respect for singers who actually have the pipes to thrive in music. As a musical theatre snob, I have a great appreciation for the production aspects of awards shows. And as a human being, I have a mild obsession with Beyoncé.
It is refreshing to see an artist such as Sam Smith stand humbly before a microphone and let his voice carry the weight of his words into an audience. It is refreshing to see Swift embrace her clumsiness and refuse to pull dangerous stunts on live television. It is refreshing to hear Beyoncé empower women for fifteen minutes and then embrace her husband on stage. It is refreshing to hear Ariana Grande effortlessly spill musical runs from her vocal chords. And it is refreshing to see Cyrus speak for the homeless instead of grinding with a foam finger.
As a rule, the Video Music Awards are outrageous. The fashion trends that have appeared at the show in the past have been the ones that have carried us through autumn and inspired our Halloween costumes (here’s lookin’ at you, Britney and Justin Timberlake circa 2004). The songs are typically the ones we blare in our cars, and the dance moves (such as twerking) quickly become the ones we either imitate (if we have the curves) or mock (if we do not).
The VMAs are iconic, and, whether we like it or not, we rely on celebrities to form a sense of cultural identity and social relevancy. We search for commonalities with them, and we draw on the similarities we discover to form a personal sense of self. Because we depend heavily on celebrities to form a personal identity, it is so important for the media to portray hard-working, talented individuals.
