All it took was an open letter for Lana Del Rey to immerse herself into the center of a bonafide controversy. While it could be argued that she knew exactly what she was getting into, the Norman Fucking Rockwell songwriter has never been one to bite her tongue. In case you missed it, Del Rey initially sparked the madness by directly naming Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Camila Cabello, and more in a complicated open letter meant to highlight the hypocritical views many hold toward female songwriters in the game.
Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images
It didn't take long before people began accusing her of being racist, a narrative that quickly began gaining steam on social media. With things seeming to spiral out of control, Del Rey took to Instagram to further elaborate on her position -- once more drawing a comparison with another prominent female songwriter. But first, she doubled down on the thesis statement. "I just want to remind you that in that post – my one and only personal declaration I’ve ever made, thanks for being so warm and welcoming – was about the need for fragility in the feminist movement."
“I just think it’s sad the women I mentioned, whether they sing about dancing for money – the same stuff, by the way, I’ve been singing about chronically for 13 years, " she continues. "Yes, they are my contemporaries, yes they are my friends. The difference is, when I get on the pole people call me a whore, but when [FKA] Twigs gets on the pole, it’s art. I’m reminded constantly by my friends, that lyrically there are layers and complicated psychological factors that play into some of my songwriting," she continues. "But the culture is super sick right now. People want to turn my advocacy for fragility into a race war -- it's really bad."
Check out her full PSA below, and sound off -- do you think Lana Del Rey has a point?