An American singer and songwriter who built her reputation on music videos with patriotic fervor now says she is “uncomfortable” with displays of the American flag.
Lana Del Rey, in a lengthy interview with Pitchfork magazine, suggested she feels less safe since Donald Trump was elected president – and less patriotic. While also admitting this is a “transition” time in America, and that she has not personally experienced “discrimination,” she wonders if “this could be the end of an era? The fall of Rome?”
Noting she has changed the backdrops on her tour videos to remove the American flag, Del Rey said it would be inappropriate to be in France, for instance, with the stars and stripes.
“I’m not going to have the American flag waving while I’m singing ‘Born to Die,’ It’s not going to happen,” Del Rey said. “I’d rather have static.”
Decrying what she calls a cultural shift since Trump took office, Del Rey cited that as her reason for speaking out on politics.
“Women started to feel less safe under this administration instantly,” she said. “What if they take away Planned Parenthood? What if we can’t get birth control? Now, when people ask me those questions, I feel a little differently.”
— Joni B. Hannigan is an award-winning writer, editor, teacher, PR specialist, and the author of thousands of news and feature articles. She is also an accomplished photojournalist. In 2015 Joni won the Frank Burkhalter Award in Religious Newswriting at the Wilmer C. Fields Awards Competition. She is a U.S. Navy veteran. Follow her on Twitter and and Facebook
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