Hello readers! Hope you’re all doing well. I’m back in Austin and tidying up the house after visiting parents in Houston and Fort Worth. I got to see The Old 97’s at Sons of Hermann Hall. I kinda missed the boat on this band during their brief foray into mainstream modern rock at the end of the 90s as nu metal was taking hold, but they were great and really capture how it feels to grow up, drink beer, and get laid in the Lone Star State. Also, if you’re ever in Dallas and have the chance to go to this venue, I recommend it. It’s nice and intimate and has great acoustics. And it’s an upstairs venue, which I always love because it makes me feel like I’m going to a concert in an attic.

As I approach the new year, I’m also going to be celebrating another milestone in January — my six-year annivesary with my partner. In that time, I’ve seen lots of friends get married. And while I’m the sort of feminist who believes in choice and is happy to celebrate weddings, I am the sort of feminist who has a lot of ambivalence toward marriage in my own life. Suffice it to say that I’m not married though I do feel married, don’t have the desire to officially get married, feel weird about a culture that necessitates marriage, and would feel a lot more comfortable with the idea if everyone who wanted to got to do it.

Now, I’m fine with my girlfriends being excited about their weddings, getting married, and taking ownership of wifehood (note: for an interesting take on how wifehood is potentially empowering for lesbians, I recommend Audrey Bilger’s op-ed in Bitch‘s Art/See issue). That said, I also fully support the ladies who have no interest in walking down the aisle and becoming wives. In their honor, I thought I’d highlight some music videos from female artists who have a complex take on happily ever after (if you’re looking for Gwen Stefani’s bridal longings in No Doubt’s “Simple Kind of Life,” click here to view a previous entry). Click on the names and enjoy!

Tori Amos
“A Sorta Fairytale”
Scarlet’s Walk
Directed by Sanji

Kelly Clarkson
“Behind These Hazel Eyes”
Breakaway
Directed by Joseph Kahn

Katy Perry
Hot N Cold
One of the Boys
Directed by Alan Ferguson

Leona Lewis
“Happy”
Echo
Directed by Jake Nava