Katy Perry’s Dark Horse Music Video Offensive to America?
Recently Katy Perry released a music video for her new song ‘Dark Horse’ where we witness a design and Egyptian theme to the video for the song. Rather than just throwing on makeup and lip-syncing her lyrics, Perry is one of few artist that takes time to be creative with her work, and display the telling of an actual story or representation of something in her videos for her music. Not many artists do such a thing. However, an Islamic symbol, which Perry uses within the online version of her music video, is said to be offensive to the Muslim religion after an online petition claimed so. (@foxnews.com/entertainment)
The video itself is actually well scripted and designed. Perry takes us to Egypt and the entire video is made up of the traditional Egyptian fashion, the Egyptian servants, the statues, architecture, etc. In the original online version, at exactly 1 minute and 15 seconds, a man is being burned by Perry, and the pendant he is wearing is what speculated the offensiveness. The pendant the man is wearing is the word “Allah” which means “God” in Arabic, and because the pendant was also being burned to pieces with the man wearing it, made viewers of Muslim belief take it offensively. “Such goes to show, that blasphemy is clearly conveyed in the video, since Katy Perry (who appears to be representing an opposition of God) engulfs the believer and the word God in flames,” said Shazad Iqbal who took part in the online petition to have the video removed from YouTube.
It’s amazing how one small pendant can cause such uproar in the formation of an online petition, removing the video, and posing Perry as a terrible artist. But what exactly is considered to be offensive in today’s society and, in our generation? Looking back at previous and recent songs and videos celebrities released, there are tons, even thousands of other videos that are considered more offensive than the “burning” of a pendant.
A quick look on just a few past and present videos and songs artist have released to the eyes of America that should have been more of an argument in why such a performance was offensive than that of Katy Perry’s:
Robin Thicke ~ Blurred Lines
Blurred Lines is one of those songs you just cannot help dance to or move around once you hear that first beat. Though it is a great song, the original version is a bit shocking. Thicke got very creative, and a little over on the sexy, spontaneous, not to mention erotic with the toys, and a WHOLE LOT of nudity! Not only did Thicke’s wife decide it was okay to have three models walk around in literally nothing but nude thongs, and white platform sneakers, but there are plenty of sexual demonstrations going on from the melting ice cream cone, to the giant balloons spelling out “Robin Thicke Has A Huge D*ck”, and exotic dancing. It couldn’t be more on the offensive side. 
Nicki Minaj ~ Lookin’ A** N*ggas
Recently Nicki Minaj release a song entitled “Lookin A** N*ggas” that more than HALF of her male fans took offense to. It wasn’t so much as her video that was offensive, but the cover art she decided to use for it. The single cover was a picture of historical icon Malcolm X holding a gun while looking out the window. Her song came off as degrading, assaulting, and disrespectful to the black community. Her song was taken as “a reductions of all male-female relationships to dollar signs,”stated by Kevin Powell’s BK Nation. She eventually initiated an apology for both the lyrics and the cover art of her choice. However she remained confident in her belief of the truth she spoke within her lyrics to the song.
Miley Cyrus ~ We Can’t Stop
From Hannah Montana, to starring in a few films, then making a huge comeback with new hair, new fashion style, new everything, Miley Cyrus shocked America when she returned to the studio and presented her first degrading video of “We Can’t Stop.” When the single was first released, it was something you would expect for Miley Cyrus to sing about. The song itself is catchy, partying rockin’, good time having, and all around the kind of song you’d listen to just to “turn up” quickly to and have fun. However, when the video was released, viewers were madly appalled and blown away. Miley, many LOVE your style, however what was with all the twerking? The showing of the tongue? The small, tight shorts, explicit swimsuits, not to mention the few acts of humping a teddy bear that occurred, and the actions you expect from a “thrown off” teenager. We understand big stars like Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Hilary Duff, Raven Symone, they are not going to forever be our sweet Disney channel stars and eventually grow up into sophistication. Although, is this the right way to show us you’re growing up Miley?
Lady Gaga ~ Judas
Now, at this time we are all use to seeing some assets and lots and lots of skin from Lady Gaga, just when exactly is it going to be enough. If there was a rule that clothing is not a mandatory item, Lady Gaga herself would be the first to embrace such. Although her video she incorporated for her song ‘Judas’ that was released back in 2011 reached havoc with the Catholic community. In the video, Gaga portrays Mary Magdalene in a promo that re-imagines Jesus (who by the way was dressed up as a biker gang leader, with a crown of thorns on his head, and feet being washed) and his 12 apostles as a “biker gang”. Seriously, it was bad enough the title of her song “Judas” made everyone question what kind of song it would be, followed by the reference to God, the lyrics, and finally a video. To top it off “Judas” then pours a can of liquid onto Gaga’s booty and she screams out pleasure.
Rihanna ~ Pour It Up
When the Barbadian native singer finally released her video for her single “Pour It Up,” fans were anxiously waiting for, and it definitely turned out to be more than we had anticipated. The video is explicit, raunchy, sophisticated, not to mention kinky, Rihanna definitely took the theme of this video to a whole new level, nothing like her previous videos. We witness strippers, corsets, Rihanna giving fans a little bit of action on the pole, lots of booty, weed smoke, and other explicit actions that actually got her video banned within 10 minutes of it being released. This isn’t shocking considering at some point her video for “S&M” was banned back in 2011 for it also being too explicit, and raunchy with her use of sex objects such as whips, ropes, handcuffs.
There you have it guys and gals! There are tons of videos every day that are released by artists that are much more controversial and worth the talk than that of Katy Perry’s Dark Horse video. The burning of a pendant that represents the Muslim God “Allah” can be taken offensive, however there are more offensive things being done in music videos than that. Surely Perry’s intentions were not as such.
