12 Shocking Music Videos You Won't Believe Actually Exist

4. Lily Allen - Hard Out Here

The first of several "what were they thinking?!" videos in a row to appear on this list is Lily Allen's infamous Hard Out Here video. While Allen's powerful critique of music industry sexism must be applauded, the video unfortunately falls into the trap of perpetuating another form of prejudice: racial stereotyping and exploitation. The video was criticised in the media for its use of exclusively African-American back-up dancers, particularly given that they are treated effectively as nameless twerking props. It was a similar uproar to the one that followed Miley Cyrus (another white female pop artist) after she was accused of using black back-up dancers as "accessories" for her own image. Allen denied the criticisms, stating that she did not even cast the video herself. The controversy has lingered though, primarily because of the fact that the video contradictorily claims to be offering a progressive message about one heavily victimised social group while simultaneously completely exploiting another. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0CazRHB0so