Lacy: The Woman of Color’s Sweetest Torture
Lacy, oh, Lacy, skin like puff pastry
Aren't you the sweetest thing on this side of Hell?
Olivia Rodrigo’s long-awaited sophomore album, GUTS, was released on September 8th of this year. The album was generally well received as it debuted No.1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart. Rodrigo maintains her popularity due to her unapologetic vulnerability and ability to convey the emotions that so many young women feel but don’t know how to express. Track four of GUTS, Lacy, in particular, resonated with a lot of people. There has been some speculation throughout social media that the song was potentially about another famous female artist, however, when I heard the song it immediately resonated with me as a woman of color. I don’t believe that Lacy is a specific woman. Lacy to me encapsulates a figment of the perfect white woman who fits the Eurocentric beauty standards that women of color feel like they will never compare to.
Dear angel Lacy, eyes white as daisies
Did I ever tell you that I'm not doin' well?
Every woman of color in the U.S. has probably had a Lacy in their life. She might be your worst enemy or your best friend. Maybe she’s both. The way that Rodrigo describes Lacy causes listeners to create a clear image in their heads of what she looks like. “Eyes white as daisies,” “Bardot reincarnate,” “ribbons in your hair.” She resembles Bridget Bardot, a doe-eyed French singer who’s known for her luscious blonde hair. She’s the ideal Eurocentric beauty standard with a darling opulence. When I listen to this song I think of the Lacies in my life. Mine were always gifted with a certain delicacy like Rodrigo discusses in the song. They’ve always had an endearing quality solely associated with young white women. My Lacies don’t suffer from the same adultification bias that black girls like me face from the moment we’re born. Adultification bias is the phenomenon of black children being treated as if they are older than they are. Adults associate young white women with innocence, which often prevents them from getting in trouble. They are allowed to make mistakes, and they usually gets a second chance. Black women seldom get the same grace. We’re told we should know better, even as children. My Lacies were nurtured. My Lacies ges sympathy and they aren’t tossed to the side. They are desirable. Watching Lacy move through life can truly feel like the “sweetest torture” one could bear.
But it takes over my life, I see you everywhere
The sweetest torture one could bear
It isn’t Lacy’s fault that she possesses an enchanting quality that Rodrigo describes as “angel dust.” Rodrigo despises her “jealous eyes” for constantly obsessing over her, and so do I. How could you feel anything but love for Lacy? She’s smart and she’s sexy and she’ll shower you with compliments, so why do they feel like bullets? I adore Lacy for her sweet sentiments. However, the embodiment of all the things you lack looking you in the eyes and telling you how beautiful you are– that can feel like a slap in the face from her dainty hands. The harsh reality is that she has something that can feel impossible for women of color to obtain due to the centuries of imperialism and colonization that have caused whiteness to be idolized in Western society. Because of this, even the most gorgeous women of color do not experience pretty privilege in the same way that white women do. The way that Lacy seemingly moves through life so easily is merely the fault of a society celebrating her beauty without uplifting those who do not match it.
Smart, sexy Lacy, I'm losin' it lately
I feel your compliments like bullets on skin
Lacy is someone that you are not meant to hate. Every woman, regardless of their race, will most likely always feel like there is a standard of beauty that they cannot meet. Lacy herself might even have a Lacy in her life. Rodrigo is a woman of color who meets numerous beauty standards yet she is very vocal about her insecurities throughout her discography. It can feel unfair to project anger towards a flawed society onto one person, but it’s also a natural thing to do. Rodrigo, whether this was her intention or not, precisely describes the complex emotions that women of color can feel toward other women with a graceful voice and poetic language.
And I despise my jealous eyes and how hard they fell for you
Yeah, I despise my rotten mind and how much it worships you.
Sources:
https://www.aecf.org/resources/listening-to-black-women-and-girls
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2019/02/06/685506578/is-beauty-in-the-eyes-of-the-colonizer