Braids - “Miniskirt” (Official Video)

When I wrote about “Miniskirt,” the first single off of Braids’ Deep In The Iris, I claimed that it was a feminist anthem, an aggressive bone-chilling takedown of misogyny told through a personal story. Raphaelle Standell’s lyrics lack subtlety, and that’s what makes them so powerful. “In my position I’m the slut/ I’m the bitch/ I’m the whore/ The one that you hate.” Based solely on Standell’s performance and brazen lyricism, I stand by the claim that “Miniskirt” might be the most important and accessible pop song I’ve heard this year, and the accompanying video by director Kevan Funk is a nuanced take on its violent imagery. Standell embodies both the caged woman reminiscent of Rapunzel, blatantly trapped in her ivory tower, and the so-called liberated — or as Standell says in the song “unfairly choked” — one dancing in a garden. But this garden is a greenhouse, suggesting that its prisoner is just as oppressed as her dark twin, contained and made complacent.