By: Kyle Saavedra//
Charli XCX is no stranger to the pop atmosphere, and her latest single and video for ‘Boys’ displays her influence over the industry. With over sixty men assembling her star-studded cast, Charli has created a unique take on the ‘male gaze’ by placing men in roles that typically objectify women in male-artist videos. With names ranging from Khalid, to Joe Jonas, to G-Eazy, Charli reaches every corner of the modern pop culture atmosphere in ‘Boys.’
Instead of focusing on mainly A-list celebrities, Charli shines light on the alternative/indie crowd of boys that she personally finds comfort in. Accompanying the video is one of Charli’s most bubbly tracks yet, featuring signature sounds of the latest PC music movement. In fact, the small noises and simplistic production scattered through the track add to the dreamy atmosphere, helping the viewer partake in Charli’s flirty feelings towards boys.
What makes the track unique is that she sings about boys the way that men tend to objectify women in their music, singing, “In every city I’ve got one with different ringtones/Flyin’ from L.A. all the way to Puerto Rico.” In many male pop-stars’ tracks, they tend to reference how women are dying to sleep with them around the world, or that they desire romantic affection from them in some capacity. However, Charli wants to exploit that sexist theme in pop music with ‘Boys’ and show men that women can treat them just the same.
In addition to her message about objectification, Charli also celebrates body diversity, queer identities, and POC men in her video. It’s refreshing to see a video where the cast is not full of ripped, white, straight jock archetypes, but rather everything in between. She normalizes body figures and queer identities that are not displayed as prominently in the music industry, and it gives viewers a sense of hope that people still love and adore them – regardless of how they look.
As far as song of the summer goes, I feel that Charli has some more gems under her sleeve. Although ‘Boys’ is a cute ode to high-school crushes, I feel that Charli released stronger tracks on her mixtape, ‘Number 1 Angel,’ earlier this year. With collaborations with numerous female artists on the mixtape, such as MØ, ABRA, CupcakKe, and Uffie, it’s hard to feel that ‘Boys’ is up-to-par with her previous releases.
Last October, Charli released her single ‘After the Afterparty‘ with Lil Yachty, which was supposed to serve as a lead single for her third record. The track was an up-beat party anthem, serving as an ode to party culture in Charli’s life. Unfortunately, the album has been delayed and won’t be released until 2018, but that isn’t stopping her. ‘Boys’ seems to be a launching point for Charli’s upcoming project, and she’s definitely managed to catch the public’s attention with the video. Check out the music video, PLUS the list of male hotties that are featured in it below!
