I don't get the opportunity to write about Jane Austen as much as I'd like to. I'm a big fan. I appreciate the intrusion of her authorial voice in place of the narrator to comment on society and gender roles. Emma, especially, works as a piece of satire (though I think her strongest satire is Northanger Abbey, but of course I would: it's Austen tackling the Gothic novel). Emma is so strong in theme and character that it's spawned many creative adaptations. Top of the heap for me is Clueless, the 90s classic about popularity-obsessed teenagers in Beverly Hills. It's kind of hard to believe, but the "As if!" of it all is 4 months away from turning 19. A generation of children has reached high school since the film was released in 1995.
Rapper Iggy Azalea is, mercifully, old enough to at least recognize Clueless. I got scared when I saw the video for her new single "Fancy" that she might be a teenager who first watched the film on her iPhone off a grainy file uploaded to YouTube.
"Fancy" is as close to a shot for shot remake we're going to get of Clueless anytime soon. Iggy Azalea takes on the role of Cher Horowitz in a highlight reel of some of the film's most memorable moments. The video opens with the computerized wardrobe and hits the big party, the freeway scene, the quad, and beyond. It's a rush of nostalgia from a film best remembered for its cast and catchphrases rather than its satirical spine.
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To be perfectly honest, I'm not crazy about the song. The beat and the chorus are strong. I think Iggy Azalea has had better verses on other songs. However, the execution of the video is perfection.
The anachronisms are actually rather charming. Everything is so painfully 90s high fashion, but the classroom has a dry erase board instead of a chalkboard. Iggy nails the body language for the fashion computer, but the computer is an iPad. The kids are twerking on the tennis courts and wandering around with cellphones in the hallway. It's just enough modernization to open up the video to the post-Clueless generation.
The best part about the video is how well it showcases Iggy Azalea. She's upfront and center every time she raps on the track and her flow and voice stand out among the ridiculous clothes. Not many rappers can rock a yellow plaid skirt suit and walk away with more cred.
"Fancy" is the video that's going to make the already popular Australian rapper a household name around the world. Clueless is just the hook to get you to look closer.
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