US singer and songwriter Alicia Keys talks to Babita Sharma for the BBC's 100 Women season about why she is sad that girls are still fighting to be themselves, and why she is very disappointed that Donald Trump has won the US election.
No task on the video. Just watch it, enjoy it and try to understand as much as you can.
Alicia Keys, welcome to Women 100.
Thank you.
What happened with you, with the decision that you had, very publicly saying I’m not going to wear make-up anymore?
I was becoming very, very overly concerned with other people’s opinions of me, to the point where I was, you know, I would be freaked out because I was leaving the house and didn’t have make-up on. I was just realising there was so much that I had learned and that I think we all learn as, especially as women, you know, and girls from the second we’re born, from before we even come out, there’s all of these images and these expectations and all of these, you know, particular pressures that are made us to think this is what beauty is, this is what a woman is, this is what a successful woman is, or this is what a famous woman is.
What do you think we, as women, can do to push against that? I mean, what should we be telling our daughters?
I, you know, I’m one just for variety, that’s my thing. I just want myself and my daughter, if I had one, and my sons, you know, to see a variety of what people look like. Here’s what people look like, you know what I mean? And we look a vast array of ways and it’s really not about make-up or no make-up or anything like that. It’s about what makes you comfortable and it’s about also being able to explore different versions of what makes you comfortable and seeing what happens and you should be able to without your dad, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, your husband saying… Shhh! Everybody! Quiet! Just give me a second to have my own experience. It’s all you regardless. And even for myself, when I want to wear make-up, that’s my choice, I can totally wear make-up and no one should be able to say, oh didn’t you say you would never gonna… No! That’s not what I was saying.
It’s a conversation you have on your new album. Congratulations, by the way, here.
Thank you.
Superbly written and performed by yourself.
Thank you.
But one track in particular that stood out for me, Girl Can’t Be Herself, it’s a beautiful song, and everything we’ve been talking about now, there’s bits of the lyric, I’m not going to do it justice by saying it out loud, but I’m wondering if… can you sing it for me?
The chorus, which is my favourite part, says:
When a girl can't be herself no more
I just wanna cry, I just wanna cry for the world
When a girl can't be herself no more
I just wanna cry, I just wanna cry for the world
It’s so beautiful. It’s also quite sad for me, sad that even has to be out there, the message has to be given to girls.
Yeah, it is sad actually, it is sad that girls can’t be themselves, it’s sad that, you know, it is sad that through this whole election process in America that, you know, because Hillary was so strong and clear and tough, you know, how much unnecessary things were said about her being a woman, you know. We, as women, we can be anyway. We can be many ways. And it is sad when you can’t be yourself, you know, whoever that self is, whatever it is, and that’s a problem with girls all over the world, you know. And there’s so much oppression for women, and there’s so much oppression for girls. There’s so many, you know, unequal opportunities for girls and for women. And it is sad.
We’ve gone through one of the most bitterly fought elections in America’s history. You said in the past about Donald Trump that you don’t listen to anything that he says and you said you don’t care about what he says about women. He’s going to be your next president, the 45th president of the United States of American. How do you feel about that?
I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed that such, so much hateful rhetoric and sexism and bigotry and racial slurs and intolerance would be rewarded with the presidency.
Alicia Keys, thank you for being part of our 100 Women season here on the BBC. Thank you very much.
My pleasure.
