Don’t bring up feminism when you’re around Lana Del Rey or risk being met with an exasperated eye-roll. Speaking recently to Fader, the Ultraviolence singer explained that she’s “not really that interested” in feminism and is far more excited about the human race’s “intergalactic capabilities.”
“For me, the issue of feminism is just not an interesting concept,” she told Fader. “I’m more interested in, you know, SpaceX and Tesla, what’s going to happen with our intergalactic possibilities. Whenever people bring up feminism, I’m like, god. I’m just not really that interested.”
The Los Angeles-based singer, whose songs like Video Games and Born to Die have been accused of glorifying female submissiveness and endorsing outdated and archaic gender roles, explained that her idea of a “true feminist” is “a woman who feels free enough to do whatever she wants.”
When the interviewer asked Del Rey why she’s often seen being choked in her videos, she explained, “I like a little hardcore love.” In the same interview, she explained that scenes of her crying in the clip for Video Games were the result of a mystery illness that doctors “can’t figure out.”
“I’d been sick on tour for about two years with this medical anomaly that doctors couldn’t figure out,” she said. “That’s a big part of my life: I just feel really sick a lot of the time and can’t figure out why.” Del Rey’s second full-length album Ultraviolence is currently slated for a June release in the UK.
Back in March, British singer Lily Allen felt the wrath of feminists after she told UK men’s magazine ShortList that feminism “shouldn’t even be a thing anymore.” The comments resulted in a flurry of editorial pieces criticising Allen’s stance. The singer later battled one of her critics over Twitter.
Listen: Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence