Lana Del Rey has become the internet's favorite laughing stock. Although she has done some questionable things to make some fans roll their eyes, it isn't completely her fault.
You know it's bad when an artist can't even release an album without getting some flak about something as little as cover art. Very few take her seriously anymore. They see her as nothing more than a crazy cat lady who's been canceled so many times we've lost count. No matter what she does, fans have an opinion about it. She can't even send her condolences to The Queen after Prince Phillip died without getting haters on her back.
Her music career, lifestyle, and everything in between have fueled many debates over the last year, including the long-standing debate whether or not her lyrics really insight violence and abuse. While some condemn her music, her fans continue to defend her without success. She can't even defend herself. Every time she tries, she gets shut down.
Yes, we think we can all agree that her mesh mask was not the smartest decision, but some things in her life have been taken out of context. Unfortunately, it might be too late for the artist to recover from all the backlash. Even some of her fans have started to turn on her. So it might be safe to say that Del Rey is still considered in the cancel pile.
Her Controversial Lyrics
From day one, we knew Del Rey's music was different, to say the least. There is a darkness to Del Rey's music behind the dreamy aesthetic and the old Hollywood vibes. She shocked the world with songs like "Summertime Sadness" and "Cola," so there's always been a bit of controversy with her.
But without any reason, Del Rey released a statement about her lyrics that came out of nowhere.
In May 2020, she called out the mainstream for glorifying artists like Doja Cat, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, and Cardi B, who sing about "being sexy, wearing no clothes, f***ing, cheating, (etc.)."
"Now that Doja Cat, Ariana [Grande], Camila [Cabello], Cardi B, Kehlani and Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé have had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, f---ing, cheating, etc.," she wrote, "can I please go back to singing about being embodied, feeling beautiful by being in love even if the relationship is not perfect, or dancing for money, or whatever I want, without being crucified or saying that I'm glamorizing abuse?"
"I'm fed up with female writers and alt singers saying that I glamorize abuse," she continued, "when in reality I'm just a glamorous person singing about the realities of what we are all now seeing are very prevalent emotionally abusive relationships all over the world."
The internet did not take her unprompted letter to the mainstream lightly. In fact, it only made fans hate her more, as they accused her of being a racist. One user replied, "Just because you're getting negative feedback doesn't give you the right to hate on other artists (also don't (minimalize artists' careers) to be about the same thing)."
What followed was a very confusing and complicated argument between Del Rey and the internet that left her integrity damaged.
We can't deny that the singer's music deals with many sensitive topics, everything from unhealthy relationships, addiction, and abuse; it's all there. Some fans have even accused her of being an anti-feminist, which she's denied, even though she's said in the past that she's not "interested in the topic."
So it doesn't sound like she'll ever stop getting the flak for her lyrics, even as she retires some of the more graphic songs.
The Mesh Mask Didn't Help Her Case
For five months, Del Rey remained quiet about her letter and the response it got. She postponed her album, promoted her poetry book, Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass, and then...angered fan once more.
In October, she hosted a book signing at a Barnes & Noble in Los Angeles and posted a video of the event on social media wearing a mesh mask with obvious holes. It didn't exactly look like it protecting her or anyone else around her.
While her fans were nice about it and begged her to get a real mask, her haters rolled up to say that she was selfish. For some, this was the last straw. Some fans, who have supported her for years, were angered by the mask and questioned their loyalty to her.
She later responded to the backlash, saying the mask was plastic on the inside, but the damage had been done by then.
More recently, she put her foot in her mouth again when she released the cover art for Chemtrails Over the Country Club. She released another unprompted comment explaining that the people with her on the cover were her friends and that, yes, she has friends of color.
"My best friends are rappers, my boyfriends have been rappers," she wrote. "My dearest friends have been from all over the place, so before you make comments again about a WOC/POC issue, I'm not the one storming the capital, I'm literally changing the world by putting my life and thoughts and love out there on the table 24 seven. Respect it."
This didn't help her case, and once again, people accused her of being racist.
Then, shortly after, she hit rock bottom when she said that Trump didn't know he was inciting violence at the capitol. Since then, she's tried to double down and defend herself, but it doesn't look like it's helped much.
We're not sure where Del Rey will go from here, but we hope she can just focus on expressing herself through her music. It's hard to keep track of everything she's said and what fan's reactions have been, but all we can do is remember that there are always two sides to every story. Either way, there's so much controversy surrounding her it'll be a miracle if she can get out of all the mud.
