The Power of "Pynk" Fashion
Anyone who follows Janelle Monáe knows that her fashion is a little eccentric and bizarre, yet she somehow always manages to look flawless while being consistently fashion-forward. Aside from her style, she is most well known for her music as well as her acting roles in Oscar nominated movies such as Moonlight and Hidden Figures. Whether it’s on the red carpet or on stage, every outfit is a statement piece bordering on a work of art. With the release of her new album, Dirty Computer, accompanied by a striking visual album, she has once again proved herself as one of today’s most unique and inspiring fashion icons.
Dirty Computer follows the story of Jane 57821, portrayed by Monáe herself, who lives in a dystopian future society that mandates that all rebellious “computers” (i.e. people) must be cleaned and purged of all their memories. The visual album chronicles Jane’s “cleaning” as she relives her memories and adventures in bold, brash, and vibrant style.
The visual album, or “emotion picture” as she calls it, features many notable looks ranging from hyper-masculine to hyper-feminine, monochromatic to colorful, vintage to futuristic, and sometimes a mix of everything in between. Here is a breakdown of the four most memorable looks from the visual album.
Punk (“Crazy, Classic, Life”)
The video accompaniment for “Crazy, Classic, Life” features Janelle Monáe in the back of a vintage convertible decked out in a studded leather jacket jacket with a matching black leather collar plus multiple buns and rings in her hair. She tops off the look with rainbow eyeshadow that pops against her all black outfit. Janelle’s friends don a similar look with black mesh tops, silver chains, nose piercings, fingerless gloves, and an exclusively black and white wardrobe. She contrasts this heavy punk look with women in white feathery dresses and fishnets, adding a more traditionally feminine feel and presenting a refreshing take on the punk girl/rocker chick look. This bold aesthetic reflects Monáe’s assertion of her identity as a strong and unapologetically black woman in a white, male-dominated society. She uses punk culture and aesthetics to rebrand femininity as whatever you make it, rather than something dictated by society.
Statement Tees (“Screwed” and “Pynk”)
With statement tees sporting slogans like “Subject not Object” and printed underwear saying “I Grab Back” and “Sex Cells,” it’s hard to miss the point Monáe is trying to get at here. These statements blatantly reject the objectification and commodification of women and tie in nicely with the overall feminist theme of the album. In the video for “Screwed,” Monáe wears the “Subject not Object” tank top while she plays guitar and jumps around singing, making it clear that she is indeed the subject of this story with agency and freedom and not simply a passive object. In a similar vein, she wears underwear saying “I Grab Back” and “Sex Cells” in the “Pynk” video to make a statement about the current political situation, particularly Donald Trump’s ignorant and sexist comments about women and the subsequent rise in protests for women’s rights. Aside from it being stylistically admirable, there’s also something very empowering about printing politically charged statements on your underwear.
Pantsuits (“Django Jane”)
Although women’s pantsuits are only gradually coming back into style, Janelle Monáe fearlessly rocks vibrantly colored red, green, and magenta pant suits paired with patent white heeled boots, a bell-boy style hat with gold trim, and a simple skinny black tie. I admire how she incorporates gender neutral looks seamlessly into her clothing, making it seem natural to her while still being undeniably stylish. Her pantsuits take traditionally masculine looks and transform them into something all genders can look good in.
Pink (“Pynk”)
The fashion in the “Pynk” music video is, in my opinion, the most stunning of the entire visual album. With its iconic “vagina pants,” predominantly all pink outfits, and radical combination of glitter, silk, and faux fur, it is undoubtedly pointing to a message of girl power and female empowerment. Monáe wears a velvet pink bodysuit and a pair of large, silk pink pants that are meant to evoke a vaginal image. This piece in itself is emblematic of the entire concept of Dirty Computer: power through uniqueness and individualism while promoting female sexuality and agency. The video also features Monáe wearing a pink fur coat, a dark pink boa scarf, and a structured pink dress, all of which complement the overwhelmingly vibrant, pink-hued video. These looks attempt to reclaim femininity, giving power to stereotypically feminine elements: vaginas, the color pink, and even fashion itself as Monáe uses her own eccentric style to promote gender expression.
Ultimately, Janelle Monáe’s main message in Dirty Computer is one of individuality and acceptance. Aside from the eclectic fashion choices and striking visuals, Dirty Computer attempts to normalize and embrace differences, whether in fashion or identity. Both on screen and off, she owns her identity, reclaiming her femininity, sexuality, and race by dressing the way she wants and unapologetically embracing her difference. From studded leather jackets and bell-boy pant suits to pink fur coats and vagina pants, Janelle Monáe isn’t just preaching acceptance, she’s making it stylish.