The transformations in female attitude that happened in the beginning of the decade could be felt in cinema as well. The teen movies that Hollywood produced at the time (the American Pie series and the likes) showed girls who are sexually loose, and independent in any other way as well. This after years when promiscuity was regarded as negating independence. This change enabled the revival of Charlie's Angels, the trio of sexy detectives from the seventies. When we watch the old TV series today, we see that their sexuality was indeed shown from a rather exploitative prism, because the sexual revolution of the sixties failed to release the Western psyche from some of its chauvinistic tendencies. But several decades later, Western culture has reached a point where we can once again celebrate female sexuality without fearing the exploitation of women, and Drew Barrymore, one of the young actresses who embodied the new spirit, decided to bring the Angels back to life on the big screen. The new Angels are sexy and sassy like the old ones, but they have as much skills as male action heroes, and are essentially female versions of James Bond. One of the fresh things in this movie was that the girls show a warm and positive attitude towards men, and enjoy using their sexuality to give them pleasure. We didn't see that from "liberated women" in movies in the two preceding decades.
The Destiny's Child girls were asked to write the theme song, and it fell on them in perfect timing, because the band just went through personal changes and turned from a quartet into a trio, and could project themselves on the Angels. This identification was also accompanied by a change in the attitude and style of the band. Their first album from 1999 created a new kind of R'n'B, a brilliant conflation of broken beats, strings and vocal harmonies, and male-bashing songs. Here, there is still a lot of the old style, but the rhythm is steadier and bouncier, allowing the vocals to be more driven and soulful, and the lyrics are still taunting men, but focus more on the woman herself, and the joy of being independent. Another small step on the road to full liberation.
A couple of months after 'Lady Marmalade' came this record, and it was even saucier. Riding a sampled Stevie Nicks guitar riff, thus enfolding the history of rock feminism into the message, the Destiny's Child girls tease us that we are not men enough to handle their sexuality. On the way, they also internalize rap's dirty talk: "bootylicious" was a word first used by Snoop Doggy Dogg, and Beyonce, the songwriter, gives the term a new meaning, and shows us that a woman can talk just as dirty as male gangsta-rapper.
The record in itself is a victory for explicit rap over the dominant culture that always tries to censor it. In the nineties, the feminine look was dictated mainly by fashion designers, who regarded women as clothes racks, and preferred skinny models on the verge of anorexia. It was unhealthy for women, but there was no one to tell them that this is not what most men want, because men were afraid to express their dissatisfaction publicly, lest they would be accused of treating women as "sex objects". Practically the only ones who dared tell women what they really want were rappers, who don't give a damn about conventions, and they demanded full-figured ladies, especially in that area most loved by black men, the area known as the booty. It took time for the message to get through, and for women to realize that to be attractive they should not look like a stick, but on the contrary, curve up. In the late nineties, the tide began to turn, and the model for female sexuality was Jennifer Lopez, with the extra baggage in the trunk. But J-Lo didn't have much to offer beyond that, and the need arose for someone who would add some class to the ass. Beyonce, who at the time grew up from a skinny talented girl to a ripe and creative woman, celebrated her knew curves in a record that is a pure treat, and coined a new term to describe them.
Destiny's Child was the leading girl-group of the decade, and one of the greatest girl-groups of all times. But when I saw this video, it became apparent to me that the story of Diana Ross and the Supremes is about to repeat itself. It was obvious that one of the girls is a lot more talented, a lot more ambitious, and what's most important, a lot more bootylicious.
