In ‘Rumors,’ Lizzo and Cardi B pull from the ancient Greeks, putting a new twist on an old tradition

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In ‘Rumors,’ Lizzo and Cardi B pull from the ancient Greeks, putting a new twist on an old tradition

White supremacists wield the classics

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The classical tradition has been a significant influence in American society. From the branding of Venus razors to the neoclassical architecture in the nation’s capital, the classical tradition is everywhere. However, this tradition has also been used to perpetuate harmful stereotypes and biases, particularly against Black people.

In the 19th century, pro-slavery lobbyists and slavery apologists argued that the presence of slavery in ancient Greece and Rome was what allowed these civilizations to become pinnacles of civilization. This narrative erased the contributions of ancient African civilizations, such as Egypt, Nubia, and Meroe, and instead perpetuated the idea that ancient Greece and Rome were the pinnacle of human achievement.

Black artists push back

At the turn of the 20th century, Black women started reclaiming classical deities of beauty, such as Venus. Pauline Hopkins, a writer working in Boston, played a pivotal role in this movement. In an editorial published in The Colored American Magazine, Hopkins argued that the models for two paragons of classical beauty had actually been enslaved Ethiopians.

Hopkins’ editorial proposed an exciting set of possibilities around how African people and civilizations influenced classical beauty standards. She also wrote several serialized novels, including Of One Blood, which featured a protagonist who discovers a hidden African civilization and becomes the heir to its throne.

Other artists have followed Hopkins’ lead. Toni Morrison’s fiction has reworked stories from the classical tradition, including Euripedes’ Medea and Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In Morrison’s novel Tar Baby, the protagonist is a model who’s depicted as the "Copper Venus" in a magazine spread.

An old tradition with a new twist

Lizzo’s new music video for "Rumors" is a joyful and gleeful reclamation of the classical tradition. In the video, Lizzo and Cardi B deploy the visual imagery, fashion, art, and architecture of the classical era, while also populating it with people and bodies that have so long been excluded.

The bodies of the statues in Lizzo’s video are not the chiseled physiques you’re accustomed to seeing in museums, while the various Grecian-style vases are painted with images of women in bondage gear, performing on poles and twerking. Lizzo and Cardi B also perform in front of statues that are deliberately centered on the buttocks. It’s an allusion not just to classical statues like the Venus Callipyge – which translates to "Venus of the beautiful buttocks" – but also a playful dig at a culture that historically has hypersexualized the bodies of Black women.

Conclusion

Lizzo and Cardi B’s "Rumors" is a powerful example of Black women reclaiming the classical tradition and putting their own twist on it. By populating the classical tradition with people and bodies that have so long been excluded, Lizzo and Cardi B are transfiguring the classical tradition into something new and powerful.

FAQs

Q: What is the classical tradition?
A: The classical tradition refers to the aesthetic and artistic styles of ancient Greece and Rome, which have had a significant influence on Western art and culture.

Q: Why is the classical tradition problematic?
A: The classical tradition has been used to perpetuate harmful stereotypes and biases, particularly against Black people. It has also been used to erase the contributions of ancient African civilizations.

Q: What is cultural appropriation?
A: Cultural appropriation refers to the act of taking elements of a culture that are not one’s own, without permission or understanding of the cultural context. In the case of Lizzo and Cardi B’s "Rumors," some critics have argued that the artists are appropriating Greek and Roman art without proper understanding or respect for the cultural context.

Q: What is the significance of Lizzo and Cardi B’s "Rumors"?
A: Lizzo and Cardi B’s "Rumors" is a powerful example of Black women reclaiming the classical tradition and putting their own twist on it. By populating the classical tradition with people and bodies that have so long been excluded, Lizzo and Cardi B are transfiguring the classical tradition into something new and powerful.