La Roux

I meant to write this a while ago. But I forgot. It's written on an index card of things to write about in my room. But onwards I say.

Well. I appreciate if you're a musical artiste, it should be for you 'all about the music' - which is unfortunately a massive joke, because THE WORLD DON'T WORK LIKE THAT. Do you think Girls Aloud would have sold so many records if they were ok looking, with a dash of mascara, with their videos comprised of them sitting on stools with some in-time thigh slapping? No. The image is what sells. Commercially, unfortunately, it is less about the music. Anyone who wants to become a top successful recording artiste should be aware of that. Not saying that that is WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT. But it's part of the whole package. And I quite like Girls Aloud, their catchy rhythms and nonsense lyrics bring a smile to my face.

La Roux aka Elly Jackson is a bit of a tosspot. So she's cool and edgy. She looks like a boy. She has hair, that sticks up like Edward Cullen's after it's been electrocuted (I wish my hair could do that). She's all about the music. Whatever, lying git.

She did an interview for Quietus magazine, which was duly noted in the Guardian music blogs (OPINION IS FREE DONTCHA KNOW). I would quote her, but I don't really want to. So in brief, she states that:


"There's far more ways to be sexy than to dress in a miniskirt and a tank top … I think you attract a certain kind of man by dressing like that. Women wonder why they get beaten up, or have relationships with arsehole men. Because you attracted one, you twat."

Oh. Whoops. Guess I just quoted.
Charming Elly, very charming. She also says in the london paper (yes all lowercase, because they are DEFYING CONVENTION) that she's all about the music, alas I can't find the direct link but she stated that she's all about the music, 24/7 music, and if she could make music 365 days a year she'd be happy. You have to admire that kind of passion, and also want to flick her on her forehead for being such a numbnut. She needs to get some publicity training stat. Making comments like that, you're just asking to get ripped into. Why? Because people will comment on your look, on your videos, regardless of what input you had into them. YOU ARE BEING A SILLY BILLY.

Back to the 'short skirts' comments. Being a git, I am going to generalise what she said. She may not have meant it about all women who get battered by their partners, but being my pedantic self, I will take it how she said it.

I'd like to highlight the case of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, you may remember this (meaning you won't remember this) which was made into a movie called 'PROVOKED!' (ok there's no ! mark, but the title is just....fail), where Aishwariya Rai (someone who wears short skirts in her films eh La Roux? Is she asking to be battered?) plays Ahluwalia, which is SOOOOO a stupid casting choice, just because Rai seems to be the *only* Bollywood star most of Middle England has heard of, you don't give her EVERY ASIAN ROLE (or ethnic, delete as appropiate). Beauty queen playing average housewife? NO.

ANYWAY, in a nutshell, Kiranjit Ahluwalia was verbally, physically and sexually abused by her husband for 10 years. Her case is especially famous because of the media attention it generated. One night, when she had gone to sleep after cooking Deepak's dinner, he woke her up and demanded money. When she refused, he tried to break her ankles by twisting them. He then picked up a hot iron and held it to her face. Eventually Deepak fell asleep and Ahluwalia was consumed with the rage she had suppressed for 10 years. Approaching him with a can of petrol, she poured it over Deepak's feet and set them alight. "I couldn't see an end to the violence," she says now. "I decided to show him how much it hurt. At times I had tried to run away, but he would catch me and beat me even harder. I decided to burn his feet so he couldn't run after me." (Thanks Guardian).

Ahluwahlia was sentenced for murder, but had her sentence reduced in 1992, on the grounds of diminished responsibility, termed the 'slow burn effect' - she just cracked. And who wouldn't? Ahluwalia arrived in Britain in 1979 from India, aged 24, following an arranged marriage. She spoke little English when she moved in with her husband Deepak's family in London, where Deepak immediately began to abuse her. Thankfully to the Southall Black Sisters, a non-profit organisation based in formed in response in April 1979 during the Southall race riots, which occurred on the 23rd April 1979. The Black sisters were established in order to defend the human rights of Black and Asian women who are the victims of domestic violence or perceived injustices in the legal system. (Safe Wikipedia)

10 years. Of constant abuse. She had two sons, who were witness to this abuse. She came to the UK for a new life and family. What did she do to deserve any of it - NONE OF IT.
"I did not want to say anything and spoil my family's excitement,"

Women's Aid states that 1 in 4 women will be a victim of domestic violence in their lifetime – many of these on a number of occasions. One incident of domestic violence is reported to the police every minute. On average, 2 women a week are killed by a current or former male partner. One misleading statistic, which is often repeated, is that - while one in four women experience domestic violence - so do one in six men. These figures are, however, based on single incidents, of a criminal nature, and without regard to:

* severity of violence
* whether or not it was repeated - and if so, how often
* the complex pattern of overlapping abuse of various kinds
* the context in which it took place.

They also exclude sexual assaults - which are overwhelmingly perpetrated against women, by men - many of whom are partners or former partners of the victims. Finally, emotional abuse - which is often not regarded as a crime, but which survivors often find even more destructive - is excluded from these statistics.

Was she or any of the nameless women that heartbreakingly make up these statistics, asking for it? Do you think when Kiranjit, when she got married, thought all that would happen to her?
NO YOU IDIOT, SO THINK BEFORE YOU STUFF YOUR FEET AND LEGS SO FAR INTO YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU'RE MUNCHING ON YOUR LADYBUSH.

And also you backwards grazing nincompoop of epic proportions, if you do your research, or if you paid attention in class, you would know that miniskirts, epitomised by Twiggy, are a symbol of revolution. Generations of females before fought for their right to have rights in a patriachal world. Yes, unfortunately there are downsides to wearing miniskirts as to be objectified by men, but it's not just the miniskirt. We live in a society where sex is everywhere. The age of puberty gets younger and younger, children are becoming sexualised more earlier. Take the especially cuntish example of Bratz dollz (IRONY), whose bright idea was to give them come-hither eyes and DS lips???

I could write a bit more, but I'm a tad sleepy. But all in all, La Roux, you are a twat. And people made fun of me the way I dressed and looked when I was younger (and now) but now everyone wants to dress like me. Go figure. Be more confident in yourself and don't hit out just because girls like that merked your life back in the day. LOOK ATCHU NOW, you got a song remixed by Skream, and posters on the tube with your KARAZEE HAIR.

Just think before you open that mouth next, twit. Unless you're about to belt out 'In For The Kill' - by all means GO FOR IT

You've just set feminism back say ooh 100 years? THINK ABOUT THAT LA ROUX.

Read the original article from Quietus with Elly Jackson here

Interview with Kiranjit Ahluhwalia in 2007 on the release of Provoked.

La Roux: Why Women get beaten up