Rosalind Wiseman

Editor’s Note: Many of the links in this article lead to music videos that are explicit in nature and not safe to watch at work or around young children.

With the recent surge in risqué  music videos (i.e. Lady Gaga’s “Telephone”, Erykah Badu’s “Window Seat”, etc.), you’d think we’d be used to, or at least not surprised, when another unsettling or inappropriate video hits the airwaves.  But when I heard Kiely Williams’ new song “Spectacular” and shortly thereafter saw the accompanying music video, I was confused and disgusted.  Could this really be the Kiely Williams I’d grown up with? The same girl that my younger cousins admired and loved?

Kiely Williams, former member of the girl pop group 3LW, and the famed Disney Channel-spawned foursome The Cheetah Girls, has recently decided to change her image…dramatically.  3LW’s songs were flirty and playful, but never explicit or improper.  And with song titles like “It’s Gonna Be Alright” and “Girl Power,” the Cheetah Girls were about as positive and squeaky clean as you could ask a musical group to be.  But Kiely’s newest song is a complete departure from the qualities and themes that used to characterize her music.

“Spectacular” is all about casual sex, alcohol abuse, and partying.

While this subject matter is not uncommon in many of today’s top 40 hits, I was distressed by the explicit nature of the music video, especially since many of the singer’s fans are young girls.  Some may ask why I’m being so hard on Kiely when many of her counterparts (like Katy Perry or Rhianna) are broadcasting similar messages.  My answer is that Kiely has more influence over a younger audience (tweens) than the other performers because of her past affiliations, and those affiliations should hold her to a higher moral standard.

If you were to visit Kiely Williams’ website, you’d see that she is still profiting from Cheetah Girls’ music, memorabilia and merchandise and that she still attends events as a representative of the group.  Williams also has a regular vlog called “Dear Kiely” in which she answers questions from young girls who write to her asking how they should handle their life and relationship problems.  So, not only is Williams still affiliated with Disney and the Cheetah Girls (whose target audience is undeniably very young); her fans, all presumably pre-teen and teenage girls, write to her for help with problems they can’t even speak to their parents about.  I’m no expert, but I think Kiely should really stop and take a look at her recent decisions, and ask herself if she’s being as socially responsible as someone in her position should be.

Fortunately for parents, teachers and concerned individuals like me, the song has not yet become very popular. It has, however, been quickly gaining popularity online.

YouTube is riddled with hundreds of people weighing in on how surprised they were to see Kiely’s new video, and with titles like “Cheetah Girls Gone Wild,” the general consensus seems to be in agreement with me.

Whether or not you’ve seen the music video, I want to leave you with a little food for thought: Where does social responsibility begin and end? Should it be acceptable for a young woman to represent herself as Kiely does in this video when she knows younger girls will be watching? And lastly, is this kind of representation of women in mainstream media really ever ok?

Below is a recent news story dissecting some of the issues and questions I raise above.  It includes a brief interview with Kiely herself, as well as the news anchors own reactions to the video.