Paris Paloma Knows What It Means to Be "Pre-Raphaelite"

Photo by Phoebe Fox

You may already know Paris Paloma from her viral song, “Labour,” the feminist anthem that threw the alternative pop singer-songwriter into the spotlight. Since then, Paris has continued to refine her craft, putting her gift for weaving myth, longing, and modern womanhood into songs that feel both timeless and urgently of this moment on full display. Her latest single, “Pre-Raphaelite,” is the fifth from her sophomore album, Fatal Flaw, where through her use of 19th-century art history, Paris explores the female gaze, feminine beauty and the complexities of admiration, all within a modern context.

The Pre-Raphaelites were a group of artists in the 19th century who rejected the rigid, idealized styles promoted by the Royal Academy and academic painting. Rather than work within the norms of idealism, they drew inspiration from nature and intense realism, an extremely controversial choice within an art landscape driven by the classical. Pre-Raphaelite muses, like Jane Morris and Elizabeth Siddal, were known for their strong features, subjects that were in deep contrast to the idealized portrayal of women, but were always depicted in ways that showed multiple sides of feminine beauty.

To Paris Paloma, this philosophy means appreciating feminine beauty without sexual attraction, appreciating what they look like as if they’re in a painting. “I feel that we’re in a time where now more than ever men’s appreciation of women’s beauty is totally out of touch and uninspired. I wrote the song “Pre-Raphaelite” as a celebration of the uniqueness of women’s beauty.”

Simultaneously, while “Pre-Raphaelite” is undoubtedly a love letter to the female gaze, it’s interestingly also an examination of the envious feeling often birthed from admiration. There’s nuance within female relationships; while there is adoration and sisterhood, there can also be twinges of jealousy. Along with the song, Paris released a gorgeous music video inspired by The Three Muses of Greek mythology, reimagined to portray the women Paris has observed throughout her life.