PREMIER: Sia - "Elastic Heart" (FULL)

[Spock 20,290]

Mess at the people who have nothing else to do than to scream pedophilia at the video. Shia is not touching her vagina. They're just dancing beautifully in a beautiful video. Sometimes people should just shut the **** up and appreciate.

[Joaco95 1,631]

The original was A LOT better imo.

http://www.video.az/de/video/89043/sia-elastic-heart-ft-the-Weeknd-diplo-directors-cut

[DrewStevens 5,249]

What I want to know is, if she saw the paedophilia claims coming, why did she allow the video to be released? I can only conclude that she wanted the controversy to raise her profile. Let's be real, videos have been halted due to a sudden moral panic - case in point, the DWUW video. And that involved adults. It's not impossible to suddenly decide not to release a video if it could be deemed too controversial or potentially career damaging. It doesn't matter if the audience's perception doesn't match with the artist's. The audience's reaction is the most important and powerful and we are highly inspired by media images. Therefore, I believe the artist has a responsibility to ensure they don't seem to support anything reprehensible in their artistic outputs. Or if they do, state before the video begins that this is an art piece and doesn't actually support anything bad.

Did you not see Maddie spreading her legs (0:55), slut dropping (1:32) and Shia crouching over her (1:54 and 2:43), reaching out to touch her in the proximity of her chest (2:04), Maddie giving him oddly seductive looks as she stands outside the cage and he growls at her (3:00) and Shia grabbing her waist while looking at her longingly (4:23)? These were the moments that had me most concerned. And I think their "nakedness" is highly relevant. I couldn't take my mind off it throughout as it's shoved in your face. And no, actually, I would still make this big a deal if the s-xes had been reversed. I think we do ourselves a disservice by thinking only men are capable of paedophilia. I'm always sickened whenever true reports of female paedophilia are made light of and joked about, actually.

She's 12. I think her perceptions are going to be very different at her age, especially when they've been fed to her by adults. When she grows up and starts learning about how sick some people are and how paedophilia is in the media and showbiz, she might start to see things from another angle. She might even look back on these videos and think she was exploited. I once read a book when I was a teenager about a relationship between a teacher and pupil with some highly questionable happenings in it but I thought at the time it was a simple cautionary tale. But then I re-read it as an adult and was hugely creeped out by some implications and how adults in the book acted. I looked up reviews on amazon and found the section filled with people who felt the same way - ok with it/indifferent as kids/teenagers, disturbed as adults. That's what happens when you grow up and learn more about the world. Maddie's naive now, but when she's older, she may not look back on these videos too fondly.

Thanks so much for your thoughtfulness. I'm not normally a pro-censorship person either, but if the footage contains a child doing questionable stuff, I don't like it being out there for sick people to enjoy. As adults, we have to duty to protect children in our society, and if that means censorsing questionable situations with children, then so be it. I don't know if you know about that girl from the Ark Music Factory, Alison Gold? She made some videos and one of them was highly inspired by Gaga's Telephone video and a lot of people were freaked out by how s-xualised this girl was and how she appeared to be being tortured in prison. The hate was so strong, the official footage was taken down, but some people downloaded it and have re-uploaded it. The same happened with Jenna Rose when she released OMG. These videos didn't actually contain s-xual content, but lyrics and some visual representations creeped out a lot of people. When a child is involved, there's simply a lot of things that you can't get away with.

Well in my opinion there is no s-xual references or positions. But that's just my opinion and it is as valid as yours.

Some people may find this video disturbing and inappropriate but a lot of people think it's fine and even artistic.

And no one is shoving this on your face, you decided to watch it. Sia doesn't have to explain herself because she is not responsible of anything that crosses your mind.

[Mast 980]

That old response: "I find your interpretation the disturbing bit." Interpretations are just that, it only starts to get concerning if you are advocating the behaviour in a disturbing interpretation, which I'm not. I believe we need to scan artistic impressions for anything that could be interpreted as an inappropriate use of children before they are released into the world where paedophiles can see them. I don't really support putting children into media at all unless absolutely necessary and when they are, they must be dressed and behaved appropriately. If I have kids I will never post photos of them online or put them on tv as I don't want perverts looking at them or commenting inappropriately. But clearly, not all parents are this vigilant and are willing to put them out there for money. I think Maddie's getting exploited by this point and it's sad. Yes, if you look closer into the intention behind this song, you'll find out the true meaning, but very few people will do that and just make their own judgements based on what they see. While touching between parent and child doesn't have to be s-xual, this is not a real life parent and child and their touches could be interpreted differently because of that.

 

 

That's the bit that concerns me: Maddie's being controlled by adults here. A lot of kids in the media are and it's sick. Just because parents and guardians sign a permission slip does not make it ok. Not all parents have their child's best interests at heart and a lot of such parents in the media are just after money and fame. Maddie can't have had full control over how she was represented here. An adult dressed her and choreographed her and as a child, she just had to follow along and say yes. Isn't that not problematic to you?

 

 

I'm not reaching whatsoever. It jumps out at you blatantly. A child dressed to look naked, spreading their legs and slut dropping, an adult crouching over them and grabbing them in passionate embraces and giving them longing looks screams inappropriate to me. I'm judging it purely based on what I see, not twisting it whatsoever. It fills me with fear that lots of people are not seeing how inappropriate this is and can't see how it can be misinterpreted. You don't possibly consider that a paedophile could misinterpret this? And once again, I see no obvious implication that they are father and daughter. Could someone please point out where it is as I don't see it. I think it's coming from biased fans who know Sia's backstory and know exactly what each video means before they even see it. Most of the public are not in that group and you've got to see it through their eyes.

 

 

Which is also the concerning part. It's like Stockholm Syndrome. It was almost like he fell in love with her and she slowly reciprocated. I didn't interpret it as father/daughter love at all. It just looked like s-xual teasing and mild romance to me. Which is completely inappropriate. My interpretation may not be the artist's intention, but it's an interpretation nonetheless and I don't think interpretations can be right or wrong.

Of course not, authorial intention is completely different. I would still wait for Sia to confirm the meaning though. Even though the consumer is the one that makes meaning in the end, it's always nice to know where the author stood.

 

To me, the father/daughter connection exists in a growing-up theme. At first, Shia is scared of Maddie, as she's pretty wild much like a young kid. As the video progresses, Shia tries to touch Maddie as he feels like she's becoming independent and growing apart from him. She snaps at him, causing his to become enraged too, simulating a teenager/parent relationship, when kids begin to resent their parents. She then finally walks out of the cage, upsetting Shia. Kind of like leaving home and finally detatching from parents. Seeing how upset she is and realizes she still needs him, she goes back into the cage and they begin to play again. This resembles how many adults realize how much they truly nee their parents even after the grow up and wish they could go back to their younger live. At the end, Maddie tries to relive this by walking out of the cage and trying to get Shia out, but realizes he can't leave the cage no matter how hard they both try. In other words, Shia cannot escape his responsibilities as easily as his kid can, the childhood part of him is missing. Shia eventually stops trying, suggesting he either gives up or dies. 

[faux 2,190]

People who say this is pedophilia are on the same level as the ones who say homos-xuals are pedophiles...

[Canon 672]

The video is giving me Deadman Wonderland Carnival Corpse teas minus the blood powers 

[faux 2,190]

This. I never saw a pinch of it or a little reference either.

The choreography is not s-xual at all and their "nakedness" is irrelevant. People would never make such a big deal of this if it was a woman and a boy. I think people should stop labeling men as predators every time they interact with a child.

Used your post to comment on the video :laughga:

[gagaisitalian 3,573]

 

I'm not reaching whatsoever. It jumps out at you blatantly. A child dressed to look naked, spreading their legs and slut dropping, an adult crouching over them and grabbing them in passionate embraces and giving them longing looks screams inappropriate to me. I'm judging it purely based on what I see, not twisting it whatsoever. It fills me with fear that lots of people are not seeing how inappropriate this is and can't see how it can be misinterpreted. You don't possibly consider that a paedophile could misinterpret this? And once again, I see no obvious implication that they are father and daughter. Could someone please point out where it is as I don't see it. I think it's coming from biased fans who know Sia's backstory and know exactly what each video means before they even see it. Most of the public are not in that group and you've got to see it through their eyes.

 

 

You're honestly kind of disgusting me a bit. Maddie is a very well trained dancer, she is not "slut dropping". What the hell even is that? They are not giving looks of "longing" ffs, they are giving looks of desperation, sadness, love. You need to chill out. I don't think I, or any of the other 3 people who you have now picked fights with, care about your horrible interpretation.

 

[caseymonster 424]

she needs to be bigger...like adele big..sia is amazing! so powerful! her music is so great!

[Evan Peters 10,298]

Adore this video Anyone who thinks this is s-xual clearly didn't take the time to look into the song nor what the music video represents. Seems people are ignorant to the fact that nude leotards are used so you aren't distracted and are focused on the dancing. 

 

If I remember correctly, her father has multiple personality disorder (though there's a few going around that just say he had a mental illness so I'm not entirely sure if multiple personality disorder is actually correct) and the cage represents the illness. The rest of it is pretty self explanatory. 

This. I never saw a pinch of it or a little reference either.

The choreography is not s-xual at all and their "nakedness" is irrelevant. People would never make such a big deal of this if it was a woman and a boy. I think people should stop labeling men as predators every time they interact with a child.

 

People should pull their minds out of the gutters--the fact that so many assume this is pedophilia is honestly concerning. 

[swakby 4,069]

Amazing song, amazing video.. It has a big chance to become a #1 hit in the USA. Beautiful art.

[monsterdreams 1,529]

My interpretation (best I can do) is that Shia is a body being attacked by Maddie (who could be alcohol or disease)

Also it's about father-daughter stuff too apparently

[henaub 191]

That's an amazing music video, so powerfull...

 

this and Chandelier have the kind of concept / artistry that I was expecting from ARTPOP...

this tbh

[FameHungry 146]

I cried at the end, he couldn't escape his mental illness (the cage) even though she tried her hardest to rescue him. The look on his face, the hope draining from him was so sad. This video is stunning

[StrawberryBlond 13,262]

There truly does need to be a discussion on where we draw the line. As much as I'm sure a lot of people would love to turn their heads to it happening and post pictures of their children doing whatever with the ignorant airiness that nothing is wrong or nothing bad will come, the truth is that there are some sick people out there. This particular instance is polarizing to me. I understand Sia and what she's trying to get across with her art but it's definitely right that most people will watch the video and think two things: "weird" and "pedophilic". Certainly pedophiles will be watching this video. I do know about Allison Gold as well, although I never noticed the video was taken down.

 

Indeed - there should be a law set down as exactly what is unacceptable so we're not left wondering. Obviously, it should be illegal to depict a child having s-x, real or simulated. This also covers s-xual poses. It should also be illegal to depict a child naked, half dressed or in a way that gives the illusion of nakedness. It shocks me that it's legal to put a child in a nude leotard and put it out into the media. I even argue that babies and infants should be covered as well. It doesn't matter that a child has nothing to show at that age because this is precisely what paedophiles are into. There was a case of a woman who put up a picture of her toddler on FB topless, wearing a diaper and wellingtons, and it got removed from the site due to breaching the terms of service. And I applaud FB for doing that. More parents need to have the hindsight to realise that there are some sickos out there who could repost those photos on a paedophile site and once those images are on the net, they're there forever as they can be downloaded and replicated. I don't know what goes through a parent's mind to want to post photos of their half dressed infants online. There's nothing particularly wrong with taking them only for seeing by the parents. I think there's an old VHS in the house of me running round naked as a toddler back in the early 90's before we considered the implications of such footage but no one other than my parents saw it. But I certainly wouldn't do anything like that for my own children nowadays as we live in a time where this type of innocent, embarrassing family home video is no longer viewed as appropriate. I would urge anyone who has a child to keep photos and footage of them private and not to put their images out there - there's too many bad things that can happen.

The Alison Gold video is called Shush Up - there's some reuploads on YouTube. Be warned, you will feel unclean and need a dose of brain bleach afterwards.

 

Of course not, authorial intention is completely different. I would still wait for Sia to confirm the meaning though. Even though the consumer is the one that makes meaning in the end, it's always nice to know where the author stood.

 

To me, the father/daughter connection exists in a growing-up theme. At first, Shia is scared of Maddie, as she's pretty wild much like a young kid. As the video progresses, Shia tries to touch Maddie as he feels like she's becoming independent and growing apart from him. She snaps at him, causing his to become enraged too, simulating a teenager/parent relationship, when kids begin to resent their parents. She then finally walks out of the cage, upsetting Shia. Kind of like leaving home and finally detatching from parents. Seeing how upset she is and realizes she still needs him, she goes back into the cage and they begin to play again. This resembles how many adults realize how much they truly nee their parents even after the grow up and wish they could go back to their younger live. At the end, Maddie tries to relive this by walking out of the cage and trying to get Shia out, but realizes he can't leave the cage no matter how hard they both try. In other words, Shia cannot escape his responsibilities as easily as his kid can, the childhood part of him is missing. Shia eventually stops trying, suggesting he either gives up or dies. 

 

Sia has already made it clear that it's about her relationship with her dad and his mental problems. But how she chose to represent this concept is problematic. I've experienced what it's like to not quite get the end result you want from your artistic vision or feeling like the ideas in your head aren't translating into the art. And we're not all meant to be directors either. Sia is taking her first steps as a co-director and that can be tricky and she should be prepared for people saying that they don't think her concept worked with the video.

 

I think your interpretation works just fine too. After I'd watched it and I looked at other summaries of it, I did see what others were seeing. But I think it's a video with a very unfortunate dual interpretation, not helped by outfits that give the illusion of nudity. I really don't think contemporary dance should be executed between adult and child. Contemporary, due to its acrobatic elements and flinging legs about and spread-eagling, can have s-xual connotations, particularly if it's danced with someone else. A lot of contemporary dances between man and woman are romantic in nature and sometimes very s-xually charged, whether directly or indirectly. Sometimes it almost looks like a mating dance or foreplay. Not saying it turns me on or anything, but you can't deny its s-xual energy. So, when I see some of these movements carried out between adult and child, I'm creeped out. And then there's the situation of a child doing moves that in their mind are innocent, but to an adult, not so. I just think there are so many ways this video could have been handled that didn't involve scant dress and questionable dance moves. And then, I would likely have interpreted the message as it was meant to be.

 

People who say this is pedophilia are on the same level as the ones who say homos-xuals are pedophiles...

 

Really? Seriously? Did you just go there? Are you even aware of how offensive an allegation like that is?

 

You're honestly kind of disgusting me a bit. Maddie is a very well trained dancer, she is not "slut dropping". What the hell even is that? They are not giving looks of "longing" ffs, they are giving looks of desperation, sadness, love. You need to chill out. I don't think I, or any of the other 3 people who you have now picked fights with, care about your horrible interpretation.

 

 

I'm not criticising her dance skills, I'm criticising her choreographer who gave her some inappropriate stuff to do. Slut dropping is dropping to a squat with your legs wide apart. Usually executed fast, this is done slow and with her back to the viewer, but it's there. 1:32, check it out. And expressions can have dual meanings. Looking up from under hooded eyes can look menancing, but it can also look seductive. Desperation can easily look like lust. It's a fine line and I don't think they were directed as well as they could be. And I'm not picking fights, I'm discussing. I don't care if you find my interpretation horrible: I don't have to justify my response to art. Our brains work differently and we pick up on art differently. Sometimes we can't see things that are obvious or others or get a message that others simply cannot process. But that's what makes art so interesting: the responses it incites in people. I'm not saying anyone else's interpretation is wrong, but I will still fight for the right to speak my personal thoughts on it.

 

Adore this video Anyone who thinks this is s-xual clearly didn't take the time to look into the song nor what the music video represents. Seems people are ignorant to the fact that nude leotards are used so you aren't distracted and are focused on the dancing. 

 

Art doesn't work that way. Sometimes even when you know what the "true" representation is, you still can't help but see things from your personal perspective, especially as the initial perception is very difficult to change. I do see what Sia intended, but I still can't shift what I gathered from my first viewing with no context. I don't quite understand how dressing in a way that gives the illusion of nudity is non-distracting. Nude leotards give nothing away and you can see the outline of everything. This is actually the reason why I avoid wearing pale colours up top in case my nipple suddenly becomes obvious, as has happened before. I always made sure to wear black or dark colours when appearing in front of people as they disguise anything like that as well as making you look slimmer. I'd argue that black leotards are the best option. Personally, I would have Maddie dressed in a long sleeved black top and black leggings. Perfectly age appropriate and doesn't distract from or limit her dancing. Even cnahing her leotard to black alone would be a whole lot better. I'm sick of the basic concept of "naked = stripped bare, symbolising the true you and ultimate emotion." It doesn't have to be that literal, especially when it's a child involved. Black is also a symbol of a clean slate and going back to basics and the cover of Sia's album (a platinum wig against a black background) and the name of one of her tracks (Dressed In Black) would certainly suggest that people in her videos should be wearing black if anything. I would also question dance institutions who insist that dressing in nude tones isn't distracting. As far as I'm aware, humans brain receptors respond very highly to perceieved nudity and in a nude leotard you can see the outline of everything.