Video star: I admit I don’t really get the Lana Del Rey thing, meaning I understand neither the vitriol directed in her direction nor the passionate defenses of her—rather, I don’t understand why her music has spurred such discourse. That said, the discourse is interesting, particularly this piece at Tiger Beatdown: “[D]udes are angry because they have been exposed to the artifice; because seeing Lana del Rey perform, they cannot claim that there is such a thing as a ‘unique natural femininity.’ They hate her, of course, because to acknowledge the artifice would, inevitably, lead to questioning the artifice behind their own notions of femininity and, again, inevitably, their own stereotypes of masculinity.” I just sort of wish her music was as interesting as what people are saying about it. (I do like her music, for the record; I just don’t how it’s sparked this kind of discussion. Then again, I never understand music lyrics, ever, so maybe that’s why she’s lost on me? She could be singing in Cambodian for all I know.)

—Autumn Whitefield-Madrano