4.21.2008

natalise's "china doll"


I saw this video a couple weeks back, but I've sitting on it, because I wanted to think of an appropriate response... It's the video for Natalise's "China Doll." In it, she plays this stereotypical Asian female character, starting right off the bat as a bad driver with a terrible accent... and it kind of just devolves from there: dragon lady, tourist, math nerd, masseuse, nail salon worker, you name it. The video is just crammed full of images that'll make you cringe. I mean, I get it. I think.

Now, I'm familiar with Natalise's previous work, and from what I've seen, she's talented and attractive, and has the potential to be a real breakout pop singer. But this song and this video... are awful. I kept waiting for the reversal, that bang moment where all this stuff gets flipped and subverted, and we see that her intention all along was to make fun of these stereotypes, but it never quite happened. At least, it was never apparent to me, in a way that really nailed it. And with lyrics like, "If you want to have a shot at my Fortune Cookie/You better act a little less like a Rookie..." Wow. Sorry, Natalise. Really really really not diggin' this one.

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