"Pop music by women, especially lately, is marked by self-surveillance of the sort that John Berger..."

“Pop music by women, especially lately, is marked by self-surveillance of the sort that John Berger had in mind. At the peak of her perfect single “Teenage Dream,” Katy Perry sings, “Imma get your heart racing, in my skintight jeans / Be your teenage dream tonight.” Most of Taylor Swift’s oeuvre is a reimagining of the ways that other people see her: “Say you’ll remember me / Standing in my nice dress, staring at the sunset, babe.” What dis...

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