“Thunder Thighs” by Miss Eaves is a song aimed at empowering women, especially those who don’t fit society’s norm of the female body. The lyrics focus on “thicker” or bigger women, but the video is inclusive of all body types, as well as different races and a wide age range. The song references “chub rub”, and the lyrics “big butt, these pants are tight enough, high cut, want ‘em to cover my gut” and “I’m stuck, they only go halfway up” are struggles that many women can relate to. The lyrics “thick thighs, sundress, I’m looking good” and “mom jeans all day, why you mad?” shows how women should feel good in their body and what they wear, regardless of others’ opinions. The video starts with a group of girls dancing and singing the lyrics together in a neighbourhood and eventually walking throughout the city. By the end of the video, more girls join them. This implies the purpose of the song, to spread the message of body positivity. The colours and clothing in the video are bright, expressive, and unique, signifying that women shouldn’t be afraid to be true to themselves and have fun/feel good doing it.
Miss Eaves music video for Thunder Thighs represents intersectionality by relating to a variety of women from all ages and races. Intersectionality has to do with specificity of experiences and intersecting identities that often reinforce one another (Morrison.J,10). The video showing women of different ages and races coming together throughout the video creates a positive experience of being a woman that is bigger than society's “ideal” body size. Thunder Thighs are representing feminism and body positivity. The women featured in this video are happy and comfortable, in diverse clothing and are promoting self love. In Kimberle’ Crenshaws Why intersectionality can’t wait, she states that “Intersectionality has given many advocates a way to frame their circumstances and to fight for their visibility and inclusion.” (Crenshaw,57). Miss Eaves Thunder thighs music video advocates intersectionality and body positivity for all ages, sizes, and races.
This music video contained a lot of examples that tie directly back to the theme of feminism. First of all the music video features women of all shapes, sizes, races, ages and sexualities. Giving viewers a broad spectrum of all the different people who are celebrating how they look and sharing body positivity to everyone. This was a very important part to the music video because it didn’t separate or call out different people, but instead included women of all walks of life. Another important aspect of the music video was the women all supporting each other and being happy for eachother even though their thighs might rub, their pants might be too tight, or they're wearing mom jeans. This music video was a very happy, celebratory message for everyone and they really brought that message across to all viewers.
In viewing Miss Eaves music video, “Thunder Thighs,” it is obviously seen that that video with its lyrics, it is an anthem for all plus-size women. It denounces the stereotype, that to be beautiful and sexy, you need to be skinny. The video features plus-size women, of various ages and races, dancing outside. There is so much confidence shown while these women dance, they are comfortable in their skin, and that is so wonderful. Since the early twentieth century and even in today's world, the media and society have given us the impression that to be beautiful and sexy you have to be skinny, have a flat stomach, have ‘smaller’ body proportions, etc., of course that is not true. Beauty is not defined by one’s body, nothing defines beauty; it just exists, because everyone is beautiful. Stereotypes in some way affect everyone, they do not discriminate and music videos like Miss Eaves, “Thunder Thighs,” are important; they denounce the stereotypes that can make us feel ashamed of bodies, and embrace our own personal beauties through dance.
Feminist pedagogy is a “specific set of theories and teaching practices which direct teaching towards feminist goals” (Morrison. J,5). In the music video, “Thunder Thighs,” Miss Eaves addresses body positivity by featuring a diverse group of women with different body shapes and sexualities. The video uses lyrics to describe her experiences of having thunder thighs saying “mom jeans all day” or getting “chub rub” during warm days and having your thunder thighs rub together “boom clack. They smack when I stride”. An important aspect of feminist pedagogy is educating about the different forms of inequality and influences. This relates to the video because the term “thunder thighs” does not always have a positive connotation; however, the music video teaches people to embrace your “thunder thighs” by including women of all ages with various body sizes. It is also saying that all women can have an issue with their “thunder thighs.”
This unit relates to other class units. It relates to the central theme of the class, which is about the women's movement. This video features women of all shapes, sizes, colours and ages who are having good times of their lives, also how women are stereotyped in the society to have a particular shape or size and that being big is seen as deviant in community. This video describes and encourages body and positivism. It does not depend on your age to look beautiful that every woman should feel confident and beautiful in their skin no matter their age.
Work Cited
Morrison, Josh. “W2P2 Feminists Pedagogies” Introduction to Women and Genders studies: WGST 112, Slide 5, September 10, 2020. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aHxNh5EpFJM1y9tUWmdpXa8DF2ow_a8k-8yvDLeUcCA/edit#slide=id.g95d638e38b_0_2
Morrison,Josh. “W3P1 Intersectionality” Introduction to Women and Genders studies: WGST 112, Slide 10, September 15th, 2020. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Do4pIPJ8bFsz1YOgvrFxPN7fUrO4eaojxhcOWHcy-KA/edit#slide=id.g98908234e1_0_176
Crenshaw,Kimberle. Part 1B: Diversity and Intersectionality. Chapter 6, Why Intersectionality Can’t Wait, page 58.(2015, September 24). Retrieved from Gender and Women’s Studies: Critical Terrain. Second edition. Edited by Margaret Hobbs and Carla Rice.
Thunder Thighs - Miss Eaves. Dir. Shanthony Exum and April Maxey. YouTube. 2017. Web.