Janelle Monáe’s “Lipstick Lover” is a groundbreaking celebration of Black queer joy

In her video for Lipstick Lover, Janelle Monáe pays homage to the “Everyday People” parties with whom she collaborated. These inclusive and celebratory parties were founded by Dj Saada Ahmed and Roble Ali with the intention to create a safe and welcoming space for people from diverse backgrounds to express themselves freely through music, art and fashion. 

The aim is to break down barriers and foster a sense of community by embracing cultural diversity, particularly focusing on Black culture and the LGBTQ+ community.  In an interview with Youtuber, Zack Campbell, Monáe revealed her inspiration for the video was to recreate a Pan-African diaspora oasis where anyone could show up dressed in a swimsuit or completely naked and feel safe, explorative and supported.

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From the initial glimpse, the audience receives a voyeuristic experience as the cast engages in a range of intimate and erotic activities: Monáe being willfully dragged through a crowd of captivating body-painted and swimsuit-clad women after receiving a sensual kiss from a stunning woman; simulations of orgies; indulgence in fetishes; and the embrace of the act of pleasure through the use of sex toys and masturbation.

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The hypnotic video celebrates fierce love, joy, and beauty. With references to acceptance, self-love, and self-expression woven throughout, it makes a powerful statement about the importance of Black queer representation in media. A world of unapologetic pleasure and sensuality is captured in the cinematography, showcasing the rich spectrum of melanated skin tones, from butterscotch to deep cocoa. 

The world of a free ass motherf**cker

Monáe is originally from Kansas but has become a role model for Black and queer people worldwide. Since coming out as pansexual in 2018 (and specifically as a queer Black woman interested in men and women), Monáe has used her platform to speak about LGBTQ+ and Black rights.

For people unfamiliar with queerness, it could seem like Monáe is re-inventing herself. Instead, she is merely sharing her journey as a self-proclaimed FAM, or “Free Ass Motherf***er.” Monáe triumphantly uses the empowering and self-affirming term to celebrate freedom of authentic expression, individuality, self-acceptance, and the refusal to conform to societal norms or constraints.

Monáe also recently announced her preferred pronouns are “she/her” or “they/them.” As a gender non-conforming individual, Monáe invites the viewer to embark on a path of self-discovery and re-imagine who they can be in all aspects of life, from their style of dress to the way they feel about themselves to the way they express their sexuality.

The explosive magic of free love

The Lipstick Lover video’s sensual theme depicts a beautiful and softer facet of queerness in contrast to the aggressively raunchy and violent scenes of the Blaxploitation era.

The era refers to a period of predominately low-budget films featuring Black actors and targeting Black audiences. The movies often portrayed urban crime, action, and exaggerated stereotypes. But the films also served as a platform for Black cultural expression and a way to challenge societal norms. Pam Grier, the face of that era, was lauded for her strong and empowered portrayals of Black women, with many of her scenes highly charged with unapologetic sexuality. We haven’t seen this level of Black femme representation since Pam Grier’s iconic performances, namely her portrayal as a bisexual woman in “The Big Doll House” and “The Big Bird Cage.”

Enter Monáe. In “Lipstick Lover,” they take every opportunity to indulge in hedonistic behavior, from voyeurism to orgies. The viewer is invited to succumb to the unadulterated pleasure the screen occupants (all people deeply embedded in the singer’s real life) enjoy. The sensual imagery serves as an exploration of liberated pleasure while celebrating the diversity of the Black form, all the while urging viewers to embrace and appreciate the beauty of the multifaceted nature of sexuality and uninhibited desire.

The sensual video is reminiscent of the Blaxploitation era cinematography and threaded with aesthetic imagery of natural Black beauty, free love, and self-exploration. 

A transference of strength

The singer, songwriter, actress, and fashion icon is a beacon for people unafraid to be themselves. Monáe filmed the video in a picturesque indoor and outdoor space in LA,  hoping to capture the explosive magic of free love and the gradual release of inhibitions, as she explained to Campbell. The video is a stark contrast to the extreme degradation and objectification that Black women are subjected to. In Monáe’s world, roles are enacted with subtle and graceful sexual innuendos and hint at the greatest pleasures of life: love, food, anticipation, freedom and the (em)power(ment) of sexual release. 

From start to finish, the audience is inundated with glimpses of soft, sweaty skin as Monáe is enveloped with kisses from beautiful women. At one point in the video, we share a transformative moment as a topless and cigar-smoking older woman gently cradles Monáe, reminiscent of a moment in time that many Black women can relate to: sitting gingerly on the floor or a chair in front of an older family member while getting their hair braided. Images like these invoke the transference of strength, energy, and unconditional love from one generation to the next.

An inspiration to the LGBTQ+ community, Lipstick Lover is a reminder that it is possible to be unapologetically Black, creative, sensual, and proud of who you are during every stage of life.