Janelle Monáe Shakes Off the Haters in the “Yoga” Video
Janelle Monáe in the new “Yoga” music video. (Photo: Wondaland)
Janelle Monáe is our new queen—and she knows it, proven by her gold crown and serpentine braid in the new “Yoga” video, in collaboration with Jidenna and part of the label compilation Wondaland Presents: The Eephus EP. On April 13th, the singer-songwriter’s Twitter went viral when she shut down a guy who tweeted, “Girl stop being so soulful and be sexy.” Her response was swift: “Sit down. I’m not for male consumption.”
Janelle Monáe in the new “Yoga” music video. (Photo: Tumblr)
True to her words, Monáe has just released her new empowering “Yoga” music video showing the singer and her fantastic band of backup dancers (all of them with gorgeous hair, too—sign us up for these sun salutations!) bringing the club to the yoga studio. The women—all with diverse body types, natch—are performing chakras and asanas in the all-female studio. Monáe even hints at the #FreeTheNipple movement, which is a worldwide feminist movement working to desexualize the female body—“You cannot police me, so get off my areola,” she sings directly at the viewer, wearing the ornate crown on top of her enviable braid and fanning the haters off her breasts.
Janelle Monáe in the new “Yoga” music video. (Photo: Wondaland)
The CoverGirl brand ambassador is famous for rocking a pompadour hairdo stolen from the boys and perfected by the ladies. In a 2014 interview with Essence, she said, “I haven’t always paid much attention to my hair, but as I grew older I found the beauty in it. I’ve been natural for many years now. I’m an ideas type of girl, and being natural allows me to have more versatility. Hair is about options and showing diversity.”
Janelle Monáe and her backup dancers/fellow yogis in the new “Yoga” music video. (Photo: Wondaland)
Her new hairstyle in “Yoga” is ultra-feminine, channeling Rapunzel’s long locks. As the fairy tale goes, Rapunzel was trapped in the tower and used her supernaturally long (and strong enough to hold a man) hair to gain her freedom—and Monáe, like her fairy tale counterpart, is using her hair to enthrall and empower. “#Elevate and levitate with me!,” she Tweeted with the video’s launch.
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