Everywhere I looked yesterday there were videos about sex toys. First, I watched a news anchor boldly claim that Amazon has exceeded Walmart’s market value because the online vendor sells all manner of sex toys. Then I watched a video of people sampling “beauty products” that turn out to be sex toys. And to top it off, I basked in the glory that is Macy Gray’s new love song, “B.O.B.”—an acronym for battery-operated boyfriend.
Gray is perhaps best known for her single, “I Try,” a vulnerable ballad about the struggle love that won a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2001. Well, Gray is tired of trying, and she’s found everything she needs in a vibrator. “B.O.B.” is a love song, and it’s catchy, upbeat, and convincing.
Gray sings, “He fits like a glove, always up for love” and “I’d go out and kill for what he makes me feel.” With this song, Gray makes her love and the fact that her vibrator “can go all night, dark until the light and we stop when I want to” transparent and invites women to open up about their desire and the things that give them pleasure.
In an interview with Elle, Gray points to the fact that women “have to be so private about [their sexuality] and their periods, whereas guys can just talk about their penises and whatever. Girls always have to be so ladylike about it. I hope girls can start talking…and just say the crudest stuff…You should have a BOB. You should have all kinds of shit. You shouldn’t be so quiet.”
You might not be ready to shout about your love for a sex toy. But “B.O.B.” will at least have you ready to sing along.
Screengrab via YouTube