This week on The Deep Dive: Swagger Jagger jolted us out of our 2010s party music coma, how traditional femininity rebranded aspiring to housework as “not dreaming of labor,” TLC’s bizarre evolution, why the West needs human rights theater to exert its power abroad, and what happened to commentary YouTube?

Don't forget to check out all the newsletter-recommended video essays to date in The Deep Dive’s YouTube playlist!

MUSIC

The Weirdest Hit Song of 2011 by Alfo Music (11:32)

How did Kesha, The Black Eyed Peas, Taio Cruz, and Lady Gaga’s contributions to post-recession party music play a role in the creation of the most 2011 song ever? Swagger Jagger by Cher Lloyd embodies its exact moment in music history, 2010 would have been too early, 2012 would have been too late. In this video, Alfo Media makes me realize just how bonkers early 2010s pop music was – and how all of its defining aspects were thrown at the wall to make Swagger Jagger what it was, sending music fans reeling into a spiral of rage triggered by the song’s catchiness. 2011 may have been a time of obnoxious pop music, but it was MY obnoxious pop music, goddammit.

CULTURE

The Patriarchy Pick-Me SCAM by Foreign Man in a Foreign Land (48:46)

If you’re like me and have experienced a combination of confusion and concern at the growing popularity of content on TikTok idealizing traditional femininity, boy oh boy do I have something for you to watch. In this video, Foreign Man in a Foreign Land (with a little help from creators like Fab Socialism, Tara Mooknee, and more) analyzes how feminism has been co-opted by the “soft life” and stay-at-home camps – and left my jaw on the floor. What’s behind the idealization of traditional femininity on social media? Which of TikTok’s so-called “feminist heroes” aren’t who we think they are? And how easy can the soft life be if it requires constant work to maintain a physical and domestic standard?