A few of you have already had things to say. I’m going to wait and pass judgement when the show airs.
A few things though:
- I don’t hate this song, as ridiculous and offensive as it is. It’s not going on my iPod though.
- Rachel gets to be gay and not gay all at once, and this is consistent since Season 1.
- Kurt and Blaine just. JUST.
- Rory and the other guys leering — that’s what this song is about. So maybe Glee are going to be smart about it.
Deconstructing Glee 
When Katy Perry licks a girl and likes it she can get back to me…aren’t there better expressions of lesbianism than ‘this’ personally I think it might be an expression of the other girl’s lack of grasp of that emotional connection-but as Santana takes part in it, it shoots that theory all to hell. On the other hand it’s how Santana yields her power over men-so it could be a reflection of her using her sexual appeal to combat the torment she’s getting at the hands of the bullies (I believe this song stems out of her being abused by the jocks) …it’s what she’s done in the past. And Rachel!!! she’s always been up for it, has anyone else noticed her sex kitten persona goes through the roof when she’s singing to a girl (Take me or Leave me Anyone?) I know she shows more chemistry with anyone other than Finn but this is awesome. I have to wonder if that’s just great acting on behalf of Miss Michele or has she got the potential to be a bit more sexually fluid. If the spin off ever gets off the ground put it at a later air time so she can explore her other self with a cute beatnik girl in New York.
1: I think that before anyone gets offended, we should maybe watch the whole episode?
2: Honestly, this *is* the song *Santana* would pick.
3: The only guy I see leering is Rory, and he seems more incredulous than anything. I’ve watched it a bunch of times trying to find this gross male gaze I keep hearing about, but, I don’t see it.
I think the scene works because while the guys are drooling, the fact that they are is framed as embarrassing. And I also don’t feel like the girls are playing it up for the entertainment of the boys — I feel like they are actively enjoying themselves, maybe in that silly “aren’t we naughty” way teens can be outre about really mundane stuff, but still. They seem more empowered than pandering; the boys drooling look ridiculous/inappropriate; and the approval of Kurt and Blaine also serve to put a sort of stamp of queer approval on the whole thing.
Hadn’t seen this yet, and, uh: Oh. Gosh. Mixed feelings.
When I found out the ep was called “I Kissed a Girl,” I rolled my eyes but thought, “Hey, first on-screen Brittana kiss if nothing else!” When I found out they were singing the Katy Perry song (again!) rather than Jill Sobule’s, I was bummed. The news that Rachel would be singing co-lead, though, was the worst.
But then I saw this, and I’m glad Rachel was there to take over the boyfriend line, and I even enjoyed the number. (Wow, do they ever look like they’re having fun.) Ryan Murphy’s first teen show, Popular, featured a number of putatively straight heroines who turned out to be sexually ambiguous. And, well, I do like this song. Politically, I feel like I shouldn’t, especially as a queer lady, but it’s loud and fun and actually celebrates same-sex encounters, however commercial-friendlily. I agreed with Curve magazine’s initial response, which was essentially, “Problematic, but didn’t some of us start out this way, dallying with women under cover of it being acceptable at parties?”
Bonus: Glee’s version appears to remove the arguably worst line: “It’s not what good girls do, not how they should behave!” Still, I want to see something way more clearly lesbian-and-bi-positive in the other 40-odd minutes, not to mention some time with Brittana as a couple. We’re due for it!
I agreed with Curve magazine’s initial response, which was essentially, “Problematic, but didn’t some of us start out this way, dallying with women under cover of it being acceptable at parties?”
Importantly, I think this is how *Santana* started, which is why I think this IS a song her character would chose, and why the performance makes sense.
Santana has made a lot of choices and bargains regarding how she negotiates her sexuality in an unsafe world, just like Kurt and Blaine and Brittany have. She’s worked very hard to pass it off as unimportant, illegitimate, a joke–and we’ve seen the cost that’s exacted, and that ultimately it didn’t work.
I actually think that’s a really powerful statement to be making. A lot depends on how the story is concluded–and I don’t mean next week, but how Santana’s story in general ends–but I don’t think that’s something we’ve ever really seen before, either. And it’s a story that matters.