This week I have been listening non stop to Chris from Christine and the Queens.
I got intrigued by her lyrics and her gender non-conforming style, which made me think of the increasing representation of women beyond the clichés and stereotypes in pop culture. What is to be a man or a woman in contemporary societies? I have the privilege to navigate in different social bubbles, having friends from diverse contexts, which allows me to question my “progressive” bubble, and provoke “conservative” friends or family.

Heloise Letissier, formerly known as Christine and the Queens, and now Chris. Composite: Suki Dhanda for the Guardian

The other day people at the office were discussing “girls” and “boys” clothing, and I was just there sitting and thinking about what or when I “broaden” my understanding of gender. Was it me identifying as a queer person? Do I needed to “understand more” because I didn’t want to follow scripts? Certainly my personal take on queerness involves a lot of questioning. In any case, I am particularly interested in the topic because I love complexity (but not making things complicated, which is different). So, that time at the office my lunch break was about to finish so I didn’t feel the need to drop a bomb talking to my co-workers about non-binary stuff and social constructs. Yet.

Back to Chris. In an interview for the guardian she mentions about how she talks in her songs about women’s desires, and she got some backlash in France (and I think just the world in general) for addressing it so openly.
“A huge taboo now is still a woman’s desire. We are forgotten – it’s like we are supposed to sustain other people’s desire because we are desirable objects. What if we desire ourselves? So I feel like what could be shocking is not even me being naked, but me wanting to fuck someone and talking about it really simply – ‘I just want to fuck your bones.’”

Oh but that is not very lady-like. Probably some conservative friend would say. Well, fuck that. And I saw that theme in Fleabag as well, that is the open sexuality of the protagonist, just as a woman with desires. Like in this funny scene. That was a refreshing aspect I liked to see represented in mainstream pop culture. I don’t know how mainstream but it is something.

Similarly with Chris, apparently one of her most famous songs is Tilted, “The whole song is built around this very image of being tilted. I chose this word because it’s ambivalent : am I talking about falling ? About being twisted ? Is it playful or dangerous ? I guess I like you to inhabit the song with your own mood […] The song is about trying to embrace this weirdness, awkwardness of yours, all those thoughts and details that make you feel like you don’t belong. This is not tough, beautiful, fitting enough? Very well then. We shall dance for those who can hear the music”.

In The walker, according to a Pitchfork interview, she talks about finding courage and exposing yourself. There are many visual elements in the video that I find provoking, like when she encounters with the bull. I felt as if she is embracing this part of herself instead of fighting it.

I read somewhere else her statement on how there is still so much to dream about. And I couldn’t agree more. If we don’t get to abolish gender, at least we can get more representations of people in general doing, dressing, singing, loving in many ways.