Why am I okay with shaking my ass at Bounce shows?

I have been toying around with writing this post for awhile. I wasn’t sure if I should open this can of worms. I know some people are going to read this post and think, “Lauren is such a hypocrite.” Which is fine. You are entitled to your own opinion, because you are totally right in this instance. This week, I am exploring my love for Big Freedia and other gender queer Bounce artists. 

New Orleans Bounce music has been around for about twenty years, according to Jonathan Dee’s article about it in the New York Times. It’s a New Orleans’ flavored rap music with a ton of call and response and repetition of lyrics. Lately, Bounce artists like Katey Red and Big Freedia have brought it into the spotlight.

If you have ever seen a Big Freedia or Katey Red show, then you know the point of the music is to get the ENTIRE audience to shake their asses. Unabashedly shake it. For the entire world to see. Bounce artists want you to fucking lose all inhibitions and MOVE. And everyone does. Every single time. You see men and women vibrating their butts, bouncing on the floor, doing headstands while shaking their asses. 

I lose my mind at every single show, and I am completely fine with that, and I have to ask myself why. Why is it okay for Big Freedia to demand that an entire audience show their asses everywhere? If Nelly, or Jay Z, or Kanye West did that, I would have a problem with it. Maybe it is because Bounce artists expect everyone to shake their asses. Not just women. Maybe it is because the artists themselves dance with the audience. Maybe it is because the music DEMANDS that you vibrate your butt. Maybe it is because the artists are gender queer, so I give them more leeway. I am not sure. But it is something to think about. Why is it okay for CERTAIN artists to tell people to bend over but not others? 

While you are pondering, here is a video by Big Freedia for you to check out:

- Lauren, Bounce lover and questioner