Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie

[aerynn]

I really like the song "Big Girls Don't Cry," but the video really irritated me. The director of the video clearly understood that it was a breakup song, but in the video, Fergie is breaking up with a bad boy boyfriend because he is a drug dealer. In the song, the singer specifically says that she has to leave her boyfriend because he is holding her back from growing up. In the song, it is clear she still loves him, but she knows he is not good for her, because he makes her too safe and protected. She refers to him using a lot of child-related imagery, like playgrounds, jacks, Uno cards, and a security blanket. Because she sees him as a security blanket, she can't take some of the risks she needs to in order to grow up and discover her adult self. The imagery is nice, and wistful, and it captures how hard it is to let go of someone you love because going it alone is the healthier thing, even if it is also harder.

The video undercuts all of that. She dumps him because he deals drugs. I mean, where is the heartbreak in that? I hate that; when the director seems like he didn't even really listen to or think about the song, but decided to do a "story" video anyway.