By: Camila Martinez '25
Source: Wikipedia
(G)I-DLE, K-POP girl-group that debuted in 2018 under CUBE Entertainment, released an album on October 17, 2022, titled, “I Love” headlining “Nxde” as their title track. The music video urges women who have been sexualized to take back their power in their bodies and how they are perceived; it showcases that people are more than their appearance. The music video references actress Marylin Monroe, artist Banksy, and other sexualized characters or “promiscuous works”.
Marylin Monroe was an icon in the film and music industry during the 1950s and early 1960s. She cemented her status in the world with her legendary films, but she is now only remembered for her appearance, such as the iconic picture in her white dress being blown up, which one of the idol members imitates within the video. The music video makes multiple references to her in movies like “The Seven Year Itch,”, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,”, “River of No Return," and several other Marylin Monroe films. The music video represented how Marilyn's influence had been watered down to only her appearance, regardless of her success.
Banksy was a well-known activist and street artist, who painted “Girl With Balloon” an image, which is regarded as a symbol of lost innocence. As soon as the painting was auctioned off, the piece was immediately destroyed by a shredder built within the painting’s frame. Near the end of the video, we see a similar painting to Banky’s with the word NUDE displayed in the center. Just as “Girl With Balloon” was destroyed, the “NUDE” painting was shredded, representing a permanent loss in the ideas of nudeness with its connection to promiscuity.
Within the book Leaves of Grass, American poet Walt Whitman depicts a controversial message for its time with explicit images, as he urges others to explore, discuss, and celebrate themselves, your individuality, and their personality. In the music video, we see a reflection on this message as an animation similar to the appearance of Jessica Rabbit who is holding the Leaves of Grass book. There are also references to the book’s characters in the lyrics.
(G)I-DLE incorporates important uses of artists Marylin Monroe, poet Walt Whitman, and graffiti artist Banksy's work as a way to express taking back control of someone's sense of self and importance, beyond their appearance or their sexuality.
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