One of the great joys of my life is being a Godmother. It’s so much fun to be able to enjoy the benefits of having children without having to assume most of the headaches… I have the utmost respect for good parents. For real.

Anyway my Goddaughter who is a pre-teen loves to read this blog. She finds most of my ranting entertaining. Yesterday she e-mailed me a link to Britney Spears’ new video for her song “Criminal.” She only wrote one sentence in her e-mail, “What do you think about this song and video Auntie?”

I have to admit that I had not seen this video before nor had I heard the song. Here are some sample lyrics:

He is a villain of the devil’s law
He is a killer just for fun, fun, fun, fun
That man’s a snitch and unpredictable,
He’s got no conscience
He got none, none, none, none

All I know, should let go, but no
’cause he’s a bad boy with a tainted heart
And even I know this ain’t smart
[Chorus]

But mama im in love with a criminal
And this type of love
Isn’t rational, it’s physical
Mama please don’t cry
I will be alright
All reasons inside
I just cant deny
Love the guy

I have written previously about the fact that hip hop culture's stand by your man in prison cultural expectation can be detrimental for some young women. I see this Britney Spears song and video as following more in the tradition of the Bonnie and Clyde romanticized view of crime. In fact, the current king and queen of hip hop Jay-Z and Beyonce, offered their modern interpretation of Bonnie and Clyde in their 2003 video for a song of the same name:

The concept of young women being attracted to “bad boys” is an old trope. When this is confined to the realm of fantasy, it is innocuous. Unfortunately for too many marginalized young women of color, a relationship with a young man who by necessity engages in a life of crime for survival is all too real a choice. This is of course not the audience that Britney Spears is addressing herself to. I’ve written about the fact that young Black girls are the fastest growing population of incarcerated youth in the US. This is in large part due to the War on Drugs which has been primarily responsible for the exponential growth of women in prison. These young women are often initiated into the drug trade by their boyfriends. In these cases, being in love with a “criminal” takes on a tragic dimension.

So Nina, my love, I think that as you listen to Britney Spears’ song and watch this video, please keep in mind that for many young women the consequences of being “in love with a criminal” can cause great psychological, emotional, and economic harm. Life is not a movie.