Peaches’ Jammin New Video Questions Gender Identity and Performance

by Rosa Schwartzburg

Peaches (aka Merrill Beth Nisker), the Canadian sex-and-guts music goddess, has released a bangin’ new video for song “How You Like my Cut” (off of her album RUB). The first of Peaches’ videos to visually star someone other than herself, it features Filipino exotic dancer Eisa Jocson. Th’e female-identifying dancer wear masculine garments and performs “Macho Dancer” choreography (based off of the choreography of male exotic dancers in the Philippines). The video questions traditional expectations of gender performance — both via lyrics and in Jocson’s physicality. When questioned about her choice of Jocson for the music video, Peaches told Dazed,

I first saw Eisa Jocson perform ‘Macho Dancer’ as a much longer and more involved piece for a dance festival in Berlin. Eisa recreates the male exotic dancing that happens in the Philippines only by Filipino men performed in nightclubs primarily for the enjoyment of women. I was struck by how androgynous and delicate this gender specific dance is interpreted.

The video is a powerful examination of themes about sexuality and attraction; about what those concepts mean within the context of gender and performance. It invokes a conceptualization of gender beyond that of the traditional binary, speaks to a fluid view of gender with both clarity and nuance. Besides that, it’s a pretty jammin’ song musically, and definitely worth a watch and a listen.

Photo and video sources via YouTube

More From BUST

Mila Kunis Fights Back Against Hollywood Sexism With Powerful Open Letter

Jon Stewart Reminisces About His Twitter Feud With Human Flaming Trash Can, Donald Trump

What Makes Art Feminist? Janet Mock And The Brooklyn Museum Weigh In

You may also like

Get the print magazine.

The best of BUST in your inbox!

Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter

About Us

Founded in 1993, BUST is the inclusive feminist lifestyle trailblazer offering a unique mix of humor, female-focused entertainment, uncensored personal stories, and candid reporting that tells the truth about women’s lives.

©2023 Street Media LLC.  All Right Reserved.