Today's is International Women's Day. An event we hope is inescapable. To celebrate this and highlight some of the issues and pressures women continue to face in today's society, CAT (formerly one half of The Pierces, now a solo entity) is releasing "Hard to Be a Woman" with the accompanying video, premiering below. Splicing vintage footage and photos (70s women's lib protests, Gloria Steinem and Michele Wallace, fists in the air), with current day news clips (Melania's face falling the second Trump's back is turned), plus more traditional images depicting beauty and women's place in society, CAT hopes "to represent all kinds of women from different points in time, different cultures, living within different social norms."Musically, this is a sparkly cut of pop with some sharply observed lyrics, delivered in CAT's signature sultry, knowing purr over a dusty beat: "Claw your way to the top get honey / And when they make you the boss they'll pay you less money / Eat right, look hot, work out, stay young, meditate, concentrate, get a date, have fun / Slim your waist, change your face, with some lace you're done," she sings, before wryly adding, "no second place you've won.""It's incredible to see the standards and pressure that's been placed on women throughout time to achieve success, but not be too threatening, to work hard but accept less pay, to have children, but to keep a perfect body and never age," adds CAT. "I wanted to play the pageant queen in this video because it's such an outdated focus on the exterior, but somehow it's still considered somewhat normal. I love being a woman and I appreciate the expression of all kinds of femininity, but it's confusing and challenging in a world that sends mixed messages about our sexuality and has at times denied us our basic rights. I'm releasing this on International Women's Day in honor of women that persevere despite the challenges we face everyday. It's also dedicated to the men that support women's rights and see us as equals."Watch below. March on.
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