Nine-time Grammy-winning soul artist John Legend’s new video is a beautiful, provocative ode to women–to mothers, wives, daughters, all. The camera acts as a mirror capturing woman after woman in poignant moments. The audience gets glimpses of what the women see in themselves. The images are striking and intimate. We’re so close that it feels at first like an invasion of privacy, until we realize what a privilege this close-up view is, how the intimacy makes us see even more poignantly the immeasurable beauty and dignity of the lives behind these very different faces, inside these very different bodies.
Joy, fatigue, nervousness, excitement, and courage alternate on these faces as the camera takes us into the lives of brides, weightlifters, cancer survivors, runners, artists, children–and allows us with just these glimpses to feel all the strength their lives contain. Family and friendships, self-assessment, and self-satisfaction–we see it all as Legend sings an homage to acceptance. A song for the dignity of every life with love in it. “All of the stars,” Legend sings, “don’t shine brighter than you are.” And he’s not just singing it to supermodel Chrissy Teigen, his wife, who makes a cameo. #YesAllWomen may have a new video theme.
