Lana del Rey: I have always been extremely inclusive without even trying to
It honestly felt like Lana del Rey spent most of 2020 talking about her new album, Chemtrails Over the Country Club. She did so much advanced promotion for it, I thought for sure the album came out at some point in 2020 and I just missed it? But no, she’s only releasing it now, in 2021. Perhaps she wanted to get some distance from her entirely self-made mess where she was “advocating” for delicate, fragile white women at the expense of women of color or something. I honestly still don’t understand what Lana was trying to do, but she offended so many people.
So she got some distance from that, and now here we are, with Lana releasing the art from Chemtrails. As you can see, the album cover features Lana with a gaggle of ladies at a picnic table. Lana wrote: “There’s always turmoil and upheaval and in the midst of it- there’s always beautiful music too…introducing my new album chemtrails over the country club.” Okay. Then she commented on her own post with this:
I also want to say that with everything going on this year! And no this was not intended-these are my best friends, since you are asking today. And damn! As it happens when it comes to my amazing friends and this cover yes there are people of color on this records picture and that’s all I’ll say about that but thank you.
My beautiful friend Valerie from Del Rio Mexico, my dearest friend Alex and my gorgeous friend Dakota Rain as well as my sweetheart Tatiana.
these are my friends this is my life. We are all a beautiful mix of everything- some more than others which is visible and celebrated in everything I do. In 11 years working I have always been extremely inclusive without even trying to. My best friends are rappers my boyfriends have been rappers. My dearest friends have been from all over the place, so before you make comments again about a WOC/POC issue, I’m not the one storming the capital, I’m literally changing the world by putting my life and thoughts and love out there on the table 24 seven. Respect it.
Deep sigh…Okay. So…I have no idea why I think I’m some kind of Lana-to-English translator, but my read on this is that she was trying to get ahead of a criticism which hadn’t even appeared, the criticism of “is Lana’s album cover just Lana with a group of white women and one token woman of color?” But when you try to “get out ahead of an issue,” you often make it worse. “In 11 years working I have always been extremely inclusive without even trying to.” Girl. What. “I’m not the one storming the capital, I’m literally changing the world by putting my life and thoughts and love out there…” Girl. What. Why is she so bad at this?
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Instagram.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmb3FmZoZze8uapZqXlJq5oL7Espail5iWw6arwKWumrGjlK%2Bmsc2YnLGsopq6prjYmKCnm5yqwKrCxJiuoqyYpMK1q8SvnKeXpKfGqrrGmKuoZw%3D%3D