Fifty years ago featured a very special guest appearance on NBC's Tarzan, as The Supremes stopped by. Fortunately even network executives and scriptwriters in those days weren't dumb enough to put the Motown stars in potentially offensive roles so the trio of vocalists was cast as a group of nuns. It was, in short, the most politically correct portrayal of nuns on this side of The Sound of Music. Many musicians have donned habits for music videos and very few of them took as kindly to the sisterhood as NBC did. Gwen Stefani, Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga are among the prime offenders.
Some recent examples:
"Wind It Up" by Gwen Stefani (2006)
Speaking of The Sound of Music, Gwen Stefani opted for the film musical as the inspiration for her 2006 music video for "Wind It Up," which came right in the middle of one of her most colorful periods as a pop star. This unfortunately didn't seem to have a Lady Gaga budget so Stefani's clip doesn't actual feature much of a narrative but rather just costumes suggesting the Julie Andrews classic. Her band of Harujuku Girls make an appearance dressed as the Van Trapp children and Stefani takes the role of Maria...a Maria who wears a much shorter skirt than what the nuns at Nonnberg are used to. How do you sole a problem like Maria, indeed.
"I Don't Care" by Fall Out Boy (2009)
It's a question the Catholic Church hoped it would never have to answer: What's less offensive, a hyper-sexualized nun or a male nun? Fall Out Boy has always taken a comical approach to the art of music videos and 2009's "I Don't Care" features its members partaking in a multitude of minor crimes in Los Angeles. One of which features vocalist Patrick Stump and bassist Pete Wentz badly disguised in habits as they attempt to shoplift from a convenience store. Obviously the crime is much less significant than the one featured in 2010 film The Town but you have to wonder if Ben Affleck was inspired while dreaming up the film's costumes.
"Alejandro" by Lady Gaga (2010)
As we mentioned before, Lady Gaga has strong artistic control over the content of her music videos, not to mention a large budget to work with. All that said, perceivable plots aren't necessarily her first concern. "Alejandro" was another single in the "Bad Romance" era to feature a lengthy screen time, running near nine minutes, a few of which feature the pop star wearing a red habit. If the "lady in red" imagery weren't obvious enough in its intent, the robe was also made of a latex-type material. If that weren't bad enough, she swallows a rosary suggestively. We figure this wasn't meant as a tribute to The Flying Nun actor Alejandro Rey, regardless of the similarities.
"I Don't Give A" by Madonna (2010)
Madonna has long been the center of controversies involving her use of Christian language and imagery in her hits, from "Like A Virgin" to "Like A Prayer," so it's a little surprising she didn't incorporate nun outfits until 2010 with "I Don't Give A." The costume change went to Nicki Minaj however, who provided a guest verse for the track. A staged clip featuring the emcee was featured while Madonna performed the song on the MDNA tour, including the bedecked Minaj sitting on a priestly throne while stained glass windows in the background flash Illuminati imagery in the background. We have to wonder if Madge was just responding in kind to the constant accusations against Gaga that the latter had ripped her act from the former.
"Catholic School Girls Rule" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers (1985)
Chronologically we should have included this track much earlier but it seemed wrong to feature the most offensive use of Catholic imagery first. The Peppers only briefly appear in habit at the end of this music video (when they force the title girls upon themselves in bathroom stalls) but this video is packed with controversial content considering its brief two minutes. Other eye-catching moments involve Anthony Kiedis singing as Jesus hanging on the cross, as well as his school girl daydream undressing an baring it all (or at least most of it) for the camera. We're not going to embed it on the page for family values' sake but you can check it out on YouTube here.
"Like A Virgin" by Sister Cristina Scuccia (2014)
Ha, it's a trick! Sister Cristina Scuccia really is a nun and she really did win The Voice of Italy during 2014. And yes, she really did opt for a cover of Madonna's "Like A Virgin" as her first single. No matter her intentions and experience/lack thereof with the subject matter, we can't really see how this doesn't send mixed messages to fans, and indeed the Church agrees with our findings. The music video for the track brought an uproar even if it featured almost no controversial imagery.
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