Hey Kayla! I did see those last two videos, and they were fantastic! Especially the Baby Reindeer one. It’s honestly one of your best yet! I appreciate your unique perspective on what’s a very popular topic currently.
I'm glad you pointed out the people who keep using her alleged abuse for views with her photos I never saw the video of Maddie in Chandelier I just saw that thumbnails of Maddie looking wide eyed in thumbnails I didn't watch them because I won't watch videos of people profiting off of SA, Pdf or grooming
Even crazier is that Sia herself admitted that Maddie was uncomfortable playing the role, apparently breaking down crying saying, 'I don't want people to think i'm making fun of them!' And Sia convinced her otherwise. How does a 14 year old have more self-awareness than you?
@@jagp135 she was much younger when production began in 2015, this movie was being reworked for several years. She was 14 and even then very uncomfortable at the beginning (to Sia's own admission)
Friendly reminder grooming isnt always s*xual. Controlling the roles Maddie can get and essentially only allowing Maddie to work with her is a form of financial grooming in which Sia is taking contorl over Maddie's future and career completely
Yeah, and I agree that people shouldn’t talk over Maddie, but that clip of Maddie looking back on her time with Sia fondly doesn’t really prove anything.
@@NerdySwedeGrooming is when someone builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them. Nowhere does this say that the abuse has to be sexual or that any of this has to be with a sexual goal.
Hiding her face was so smart from a marketing perspective and as a way to possibly have a semi-normal life while enjoying the perks of fame/wealth. Idk why she gave that up. She could have been a real life Hannah Montana lol
2013 SIA didn’t have the money, power connections, or ego that 2018 SIA had. She probably felt she was big enough of an untouchable star that she didn’t need it anymore, especially with Maddie being her “proxy” for multiple years.
It doesn’t make sense though because her face and music had been out there for years prior. You could easily Google her to see what she looked like. She definitely did it as a gimmick to crack the American market
I think it was during the time when Twitter was an absolute blood bath and she knew she would be heavily criticised for her looks. She’s openly admitted to being trolled on social media and how she had to get a thicker skin - only that backfired majorly and now everyone hates her 🤨
there were so many other ways Sia could have realized the project: it's about the music sequences. The main character did not need to be autistic. She could have been a hopeless dreamer with a rich inner world.
That could be interesting. While it would be ideal to have more ActuallyAutistic voices in entertainment on all sides, it’s fascinating in the meantime how autistic coding is more representative to autistic people. I’ve seen dozens of people who claim Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice as autistic or at least dealing with social anxiety (and I get it!) and there’s been similar discussions with the latest season of Bridgerton, and how two siblings can manifest those traits in different ways.
My take is Sia did it because people cripping up usually gets lots of praise and awards and that would have skyrocketed Maddie's career. The only reason that didn't happen is because Sia created such a dumpster fire.
I’ve always thought she could have had an actual autistic actor play the main role, and had Maddie do the dancing still. Like Maddie is the main character’s stand in, in their head. But that wouldn’t change everything else that was wrong with the film…
Imagine what would have happened if Sia chose Jojo as her #1 dance moms girl, they'd have so many awful ideas together, they'd be like a house on fire.
I love how Sia felt exploited, so she chose a teenage girl to represent her, as if that wasn’t exploitative. Sia has come out saying since that she has been diagnosed autistic, which just makes Music even more awful. She just doesn’t care about anyone but herself.
Like of course getting death threats over it is definitely not ok. Doesn't negate any serious critiques Autistic people have of her. However any good faith criticisms do not include threatening to kill someone (which honestly are more likely from people just looking for an opportunity just to send hate regardless of who it is)
Sia just makes me SO upset because in the past, I did enjoy some of her songs, but the movie of Music just COMPLETELY made me unable to stand by her ever again as an autistic person - especially given that it was endorsed by Autism Speaks, which has had a RICH history of extremely hurtful and damaging advertisements, documentaries and general marketing that just helps no one at all.
Not to mention before the movie even released and Sia was still “researching” autism for the movie, people found out that Sia was consulting with Autism Speaks and made her aware of how bad and damaging AS is for the autistic community. Sia said she wouldn’t use them anymore and that she was sorry blah blah blah. Only for the movie to release and have the movie end up like it did, no doubt with Autism Speaks’ dirty hands all over it. That’s what initially grossed me out about Sia, the fact that she was so fake in her understanding of wanting to listen to autistic voices yet couldn’t bear to hire an actual autistic person to be the main character over her little controlled puppet, Maddie.
"Hey, you know what this movie that's allegedly about understanding autistic people's needs? ABA! Yeah, conversion therapy with EXTRA physical abuse! That's uplifting!" -Sia, apparently
The movie actually wasn't endorsed by Autism Speaks. I don't know what their involvement was but when all of the backlash happened they put out a statement that said all the right things about supporting autistic people (if you didn't know what they are actually like you would have thought they are an organisation that cares for and really helps autistic people). Seeing as it looks like Sia's research was watching autistic children having meltdowns (that is what she got Maddie to do for research), I wouldn't be surprised if Autism Speaks was telling the truth that they weren't involved as it was something that Sia said during the backlash and other things that she said during that time frame have been fact checked false.
While not a massive fan I do like some of her songs but I definitely haven't delved into her discography nor won't I ever give her any financial support
didn’t she also admit that maddie was crying to her super upset about how she thought people would be mad at her for the Music acting…like if the fourteen year old gets it, so should the 30 year old
If I allowed the 2 autistic people in my home help me make a movie about autism, it wouldn't go over much better than Music- probably worse. So much worse. but in different ways.
Hiding her face while shoving Maddie in the spotlight is, like, idk. As someone who was in an emotionally abusive theatrical relationship with a director that is similar to the vibe of Sia and Maddie, it took me until I was 28 to realize I had autonomy to not be around it anymore. So I’m interested in seeing how Maddie evolves.
COVID made every year after that feel like the same. Which also seriously I still visualize in my mind people born in the late early 2000s as being kids and babies with the youngest now being in their early teens
Sia's fanbase is extremely toxic. They act like she's done nothing wrong and say "but she's autistic" when defending her, autism STILL DOESN'T EXCUSE what she did to the autistic community. I am autistic myself, and I had respect for Sia and was mad as hell when she turned out to be ableist.
Yes I had one person reply to one of my old comments saying that she now has an autism diagnosis so it was written by someone autistic. I said back to them that before you are diagnosed you don't know that the things you are saying/doing are autistic so no she wasn't bringing an autistic experience to her writing.
I strongly agree, some of these musician fanbase can be soo feeble-minded in addition these artist don't at least try to de-escalate by telling the zealous fans, not to threat or doxx people who don't like their music/movies and other projects shouldn't result in this tribalistic response, which in consequently to the artist can result in, if they say or do ONE thing wrong, in their eyes (fanbase) will be very quick to turn on them.
I wasn’t diagnosed with Autism until I was in my 20s, yet growing up I was often restrained. It always made it worse. Seeing it being portrayed in this film gives me goosebumps, and not in a good way, in a way that’s as if I’m viewing what ended up being another layer of trauma I’ve had to work through.
Same except I was diagnosed at age 17. And it was back in 2005 so I wasn’t considered “autistic” back then. DSM-IV Asperger’s Syndrome. Was folded into the Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2013 (?) DSM-V. Edit: I still haven’t accepted the spectrum part. I have more problems getting help than I used to. Should have kept it separate.
I haven't seen it in a long time, but the Maddie/Shia LaBouff music video never felt s*xual to me. Yeah, the nude costume was a bit of an odd choice, but it seemed to convey more of a paternal relationship, maybe an overprotective/controlling one, maybe an ab*sive one, but not in that way. And I always assumed that the costumes were so barebones because they wanted to focus on the movement instead of flashy clothes That said, creeps can turn antthing creepy, and Maddie's parents had a duty to protect her from that while she was growing up
Anything cannot be turned creepy. A nude leotard on a child is inherently revealing and suggestive.. INHERENTLY. Noone need read in to far on that.. dance often overtly sexualizes young girls and Abby miller's studio is KNOWN for doing just that.. zero reason for young kids to be performing say.. burlesque performances. That is inherently sexual. So I'd say you're incorrect when people just label things "creepy" or "sexual" as hyperbole, it's not hyperbolic it's inherent and inappropriate.
Same. I always interpreted it as specifically being the child of an alcoholic/addict. Specifically, the part where she breathes in his breath and exhales it back out. That booze smell on a drunk parent's breath sticks with you if you ever lived through it. Also, there's something there about how children can escape the cage that is childhood trauma, but that the parent will always be stuck there, because it's their prison, their life. You can only watch them from the outside.
I think there was an interview where Maddie explained they were werewolves in a pack together? Maybe I’m misremembering. I also interpreted is as a father and daughter, but the song is about sis’s alcoholism and they’re meant to represent two different sides of sia.
I’m glad to see more people see it that way too, because I have MANY bones to pick with Sia, but that video never made the register. At the time it came out, I never saw it as scandalous or sensual; I definitely saw it as a raw, sad, artistic view about a father and daughter, with the former having some sort of issue (addiction, mental illness, rage, etc). I completely agree that the leotards are just to keep everything minimal and focus on movement.
I was a huge fan of Sia, and then she did MUSIC! As an autistic person myself, it really hurt to see "her version of austism". I like her voice bt her image in my mind was tarnished after that. Then I got to see the ugly side of her, for e.g. her creepy relationship with maddie and the whole elastic heart with Shaia thing, then this! Maddie wasn't at fault, she was just a 14 yr old n i have seen her in the other film called fallout. she's not a bad actor at all but Music shouldn't have been her first film.
If you were a real fan of hers you would have understood her , sia is human she has done a lot of mistakes and bad things , music was a huge mistake of hers and the way people are using it to portray her as an evil woman is just so bad , when you think about it as a celebrity why would she intentionally make a movie to offend people causing huge controvercies that's like shooting yourself in the foot
Sure her relationship with maddie was a bit creepy , but that's was monitored by maddies parent , and she loved sia , she always said it her interview and if she really did abuse the girl by now it would have been exposed because she is an adult
Lol comment after comment anytime someone says something about Music, they have to precursor it with “I’m autistic and…”. Like just stare your opinion without needing to qualify it; there’s no way all of you are being genuine.
"Elastic Heart" imo is a textbook example of how the general public is fucking terrible at digesting modern dance. So many comments and discourse about the video completely ignored the great moments of choreography or heartbreaking conceptual points and instead just focused on inventing some gross sexual interpretation between Shia and Maddie or just reductively calling it weird. I will say I'm not sure if Shia was the best choice as a counterpart for Maddie, but you can't deny how devastatingly beautiful his acting was by the end of the video.
THANK YOU!! the one thing that makes me feel *slightly* off was the fact that it was Shia to be completely honest but the video itself was such a piece of art
This! Personally, I probably wouldn't have chosen to have a 12-year-old girl wear a nude-colored leotard, but the video otherwise is so captivating and emotional. I never saw anything sexual about it.
@@taypiper4534 the fact it was Shia was the only thing that made me never want to watch the music video until two years after it came out, it paints a good picture of a substance abuse ruining a paternal relationship in my eyes to the point I could ignore it was Shia
BTW, I love this series. You always present them in a very non-sensationalized, but entertaining way. That’s extremely hard to come by in media analysis.
Fr her (iirc) degree/job in journalism really comes across in the tone with these videos It’s one reason I like these videos (and her intro scratches my brain in a good way lol)
As a Survivor fan, just saying that most of the fandom agrees the Sia money is weird. At the very least though, in Season 39 she did award money to the people who were trying to vote out a dude who sexually assaulted someone on the show. So that's a step up. The bar is still in hell though.
As someone with trauma I saw the elastic heart video as a father daughter interpretive dance where the dad is neglectful and the daughter acts out, I was so annoyed when I found out the real inspo :/
@@priskruger314 as far as I know, Sia has said the "real meaning" behind the video is two versions of herself fighting with each other. Idk how that's problematic or whatever either.
Ngl I don't think she can have a definitive opinion of her relationship with Sia until she gets a little older. I just turned 25 and it's crazy how much my perspective on things I've experienced has changed in just a few years. This isn't to say that she's too young to know how she feels, but your view on how/why adults form relationships shifts a lot once you hit a certain age. That being said, I can't help but view Sia's relationship with her as inherently "off" - maybe not necessarily malicious, but definitely a huge lack of boundaries on her part.
Yes it was very concerning when Sia was saying that Maddie was her muse and she didn't want to create art if it doesn't contain Maddie. The pressure that is on Maddie that she either stays so that Sia has a continued career or she gets to go and explore what she wants to do. Couple that with that Sia said that she always wanted to keep Maddie safe and the best way that she could think of to do that was to keep creating projects for Maddie. Sia also said that she advised Melissa on what projects Maddie should or shouldn't take. One good thing from Music being such a dumpster fire is that hopefully Maddie and Melissa got a realisation that Sia doesn't always know best.
@@dlilwon That doesnt really mean much. The brain develops and changed the entire time we're alive, it Just reaching it's Most defined state at 25 doesnt mean people cant make rational choices before that, and it doesnt mean that people suddenly start degrading Afterwards. Ive come to hate that factoid because people Just use it as If it means anything groundbreaking.
My perception of Sia and Maddie has flipped now that I'm closer to Sia's age than Maddie's--when i was younger i saw it from maddies pov and sia seemed like a fairy godmother and the whole thing was an uplifting disney movie situation Now that im in my mid thirties i cant not see it from sias pov and like imagining a reality where i went out of my way to pursue and establish a relationship w a child i would otherwise have no involvement with is just fuckin weird Like imagine if justin said he went over to ushers house for sleepovers and they even slept in the same bed once. Usher would be in jail there wouldnt even be a trial lol
I completely agree. I'm closer to Maddie's age, but even at 25 it feels extremely weird to pursue a "friendship" with a child and try to control her career the way Sia has. Even if her intentions were strictly good, there's a huge lack of boundaries and codependency that comes off as alarming. It doesn't help that Maddie has been surrounded by extremely dysfunctional people her whole life and likely has a hard time recognizing this.
@@Chiwowza I’m close to 30 and even when she first said she was working with Maddie a red flag went off in my brain - like, “This is creepy. I don’t know *why* it’s creepy, but it is.”
Sia strikes me as someone who has strong maternal instinct but doesn't want to procreate. Maybe she's an antinatalist, or maybe she doesn't want to pass down her face. Heh, she actually adopted two boys in 2019.
Michael Jackson went on trial multiple times for acting just like that. It's fine when it's a white woman doing it but when a black man does it he's shamed until the day he dies not to mention the stain on his reputation. I'm not saying MJ is innocent but the double standard is insane to me.
What’s actually creepy about Sia casting Shia Lebeouf is the fact that in 2017, he was accused of assault by his ex-girlfriend singer FKA Twigs. That’s not to say he was abuse or creepy in Elastic Heart, but it’s still not great.
Okay I’m glad you said that because I’ll mention that and no one knows what I’m talking about. FKA Twigs did a whole magazine interview about it at the time and it seems like no one remembers.
@@hayleywilliams4eva766 Yes, it was released in 2015 and their timeframe's a little off. Shia and FKA only started dating in mid-2018 after having met at the set of Honey Boy. I think they might be getting it mixed up with an incident of public intoxication in the same year.
Girl the video was made in 2014 , how could she have known , its the same with just like hiring a worker , that's exactly what he is a worker to sia so why would you blame her for his actions ?
I feel so bad for Maddie after the music drama. I’m ND, I was offended by it. But all I can think of is how scary it must’ve been for maddie. Someone she trusted, made her uncomfortable (as she stated she felt playing the character), offended an entire community & the people around that community all while making a teenager the scape goat. I’m so glad everyone had the brain cells to not blame anyone except sia.
You know what I rarely see when it comes to a child being exploited? The internet holding the PARENTS accountable. I blame Maddie's mom more than Sia bc she allowed it to happen.
As an autistic woman, thank you for this. And this is why celebrities shouldn’t have access to social media! Sia could’ve done damage control and lessened the impact on her career after Music, but doubling down made it 10x worse.
Well, I think the mass majority of celebrities has this savior complex helping with good intention but, defending and justifying their willful ignorance and are shock when the world doesn't take them seriously, because the sane see these social projects are to only help their own egos.
About the "my heart was in the right place" sentiment, the example I always use to explain the flaws with this excuse is say I want to bake my brother a delicious birthday cake, and in the process I burn his place down. Does me having good intentions make my brother any less homeless?
Yes I say to people that just because someone has good intentions it doesn't mean that the result can't be harmful. I had to explain this to a support worker once when she said that someone else had good intentions for something that they had done. Thankfully she seemed to take on board what I said, was a bit concerning for me that she hadn't realised that before me saying it to her.
Sia's a great musician. Sadly she's also socially clueless. She lacks understanding of anything outside of her own artistic vision. Maddie's a great dancer, and it's too bad her association with Sia has hurt more than helped her at this point.
I don't know if it is because of this, Maddie has been in indie movies and the last couple she has gotten really good reviews for her acting. Looks like she is being able to move past it without it hurting her reputation too badly. I can understand Maddie being in the movie seeing as Sia said that she wrote it for Maddie back when it was first announced. I can't understand how she managed to get Kate Hudson and Leslie Odom Jr onboard with how bad the script was.
The elastic heart video was meant to represent Sia's relationship with her father and drugs. Growing up her father was an alcoholic and eventually Sia fell victim to the same addiction plus others I think (this is off the top of my head). The music video is meant to represent their relationship, their struggle with addiction, and the fact that Sia was able to overcome it but her father still struggles.
Sia only followed 1 person, that was Maddie Ziegler on Instagram for years. Maddie never followed her back, then (she does now) Sia now follows Maddie and just 4 others.
I'm glad you brought nuance to the whole Sia-Maddie collaboration discourse, you're so right in how people overplay it at times. The whole Music fiasco really hurt me as someone who got really into her music with 1000 Forms of Fear and love her whole back catalog. The fact she still stands by it is so disappointing.
@12:54 Restraints are not supposed to be done in the prone position and they are supposed to be done a very specific way (see: SAMA Training). That is another reason why there was so much outrage about this scene. Of course restraints should be done with.... restraint. They are a last ditch method. They should not be used as a first option. But in any event this is not handled properly in the movie and some people may do restraints incorrectly due to watching it and end up killing someone. eta: i'm not endorsing physical restraint. I am simply explaining that Sia portrayed it in a very dangerous way. Personally, though I have been trained in SAMA, I am not a proponent of it. It was just required by past jobs.
I will say that one thing that i thought that was in bad taste was when she sang titanium at an event specifically for the pulse nightclub shooting. Like the lyrics about being bullet proof after so many people lost their lives just felt wrong
Really good video, and I understand your points on why you go back and forth on Maddie & Sias relationship since for a lot of people it seems to come more from a celebrity gossip angle than actual concern for Maddie. That being said, it VERY often takes victims of abuse a very long time to recognize that abuse, so pointing out potential abuse even if someone insists they aren't being abused isnt talking over their feelings, its pointing out something they may not be recognizing yet. Relevant example: jojo siwa, who defends abby lee even though its blatantly obvious what she went through was abuse. We can acknowledge how she feels that she wasnt abused while being aware of the fact that she objectively was.
What is even sadder with JoJo was that she said that the way that Abby treated her prepared her for working in the industry. How toxic must it be if that is the case.
Thank you for this video, I'm autistic and loved Sia so much when I was a teenager, so the whole "Music" fiasco was so disappointing and upsetting for me. She has since come forward about her own autism diagnosis, but it doesn't make "Music" any better, I still feel bitter about it.
Physical restraint is the very last resort for professionals who work with people on the spectrum as it has been proven to be traumatizing and at times fatal. It is only used when there is imminent danger either to the person themselves or to those around them. There are a lot of steps to take to de escalate a situation before physical restraint.
While that may be true for professionals, autistic kids get restrained way too much over things that are absolutely not dangerous all the time everywhere. And in the case of ABA therapy, it has normalized physically controlling autistic people for any reason whatsoever.
@shyfroggie3128 Yes, it's pretty sad because for a long time the main thing ABA therapy focused on was "compliance" and if they were seen as "noncompliant" force would often be used. Thankfully it is starting to change (albeit slowly) because focusing on compliance just makes these individuals more vulnerable to abuse and bad situations because they learn to do what theyre told and not how to express or regulate themselves.
I'm autistic myself and when I saw the inclusion of the restraint scenes I was beyond disgusted. Restraints like the ones shown in the movie have been proven to be dangerous and fatal, so the fact they not only have two restraint scenes but it's painted as a good thing is appalling. But what makes my blood boil is how Sia respond to the critism, basically throwing a temper tantrum and insulting the people she claims to 'honor'. To this day I refuse to listen to any of music anymore because I don't want to support someone who sees me and many others as pets or props
as an autistic person who only found out they were autistic a couple years ago and had almost no prior knowledge of autism, music is just egregious. even before i knew i was autistic i knew about autism speaks being messed up, and to not?? lay?? on an autistic person having a meltdown?? or advocate for that ??
As aspiring actor who happens to be autistic, I still remember the shitshow on twitter online when the Music trailer dropped. If this is one upside about the whole Music shitshow is that the controversy has helped me connect with people like me who on the spectrum online and now I can call online friends.
Kayla I adored your Baby Reindeer video and the writing of it. I have already watched it twice and I hope you keep doing vids like that (also this video was amazing too, youre a great content creator in general)
I absolutely cannot stand people who lean on the "that wasn't my intention" excuse without taking any accountability for their actions. Intentions don't mean anything if the result was harm. I mean, it doesn't really matter what my intentions were if I hit someone with my car. Simple concept.
@@TheG3rmanGam3r Yes and no, the person is still hurt and the difference is that if it was unintendedly the hurt person quite often gets guilt trips to forgive because the other person didn't mean it. If it was deliberate then you are encourage to walk away.
From what I remember even autism speaks denied any involment with the movie...which dang, what does it says about your movie when even THAT organization is like "hell nah, we don't want it either".
I Will never be able to see that elastic heart MV as anything but a difficult relationship between a child and her father. It’s always been so deeply moving to me.
Because she wrote and directed it (she said that she had directed some of her music videos and praised for it and thought that directing a movie would be just like directing a long music video). It seems like she couldn't handle people telling her anything she doesn't want to hear as something she said during an interview promoting Music was that she had a policy of only positivity on the set. What is really concerning was that she looked proud of herself while she was saying it so didn't understand that that means that she had a set that was full of toxic positivity if no one was allowed to voice concerns. It was also such a mishmash because Sia said that she hates musicals but turned it into one when she was given an extra $10m budget if she would do so. Honestly it is giving me Dunning-Kruger vibes as she had all the confidence in the world going into this and lots of the things that she said during the backlash after the trailer dropped could be fact checked as false. This means that she had so little knowledge that she didn't even realise that she was digging the hole deeper with each reply.
@@amandamandamands Well, I agree it was giving the Dunning-Kruger vibes, with a bit of a touch of dry drunk, nevertheless it seems Sia outlook on this film was just entirely built though tunnel vision, if some one tweeted critiques that were respectful she's was quick with the insult in all caps, that's not someone mature or professional enough to take seriously.
same. music is horrible and her relationship with maddie is strange, but knowing that she herself is autistic now puts her actions under a different lense for me. idk. it’s much more complicated.
Oh god watching her career since 2004 felt like a rollercoaster - her actual MUSIC was always so good though Wish people didn’t forget that, colour the small one was absolutely beautiful
Sia's fixation with Maddie Ziegler was weird and unsettling, even if I don't believe that she was doing anything sexual with her. A grown adult having such an obsession with anyone is already bizarre but especially a young teenager, to the point of refusing to produce any media without her in it. There's something really unhealthy about that.
It’s insane how much good will and benefit of the doubt people give Sia. Everyone thinks Drake is a creep (rightfully imo) for just texting teenage girls and this woman is having sleep overs and sleeping in the same bed as a little girl she’s not related to and most people don’t care. It’s sad to think of how many predatory women get away with their actions because some people don’t believe women CAN be creeps the same way men can. (I will point out in fairness, Sia is much less well known these days and Drake is still relevant. So of course that does make a difference.)
I just saw Kathy Griffin live and she tells a very extended story about Sia. One of things she said is Sia would have 4 iPads with her playing various reality shows with her at all times.
The album you didn’t mention and was released in 2008 it was between the 2 you addressed in the beginning (colour the small 1 and the 1000 forms ) was a great album. I think her best. I randomly bought it in a Starbucks when I was like 25. I heard a song playing and said alright let’s try this phonetically challenged beautiful and haunting coffee shop moment. As almost exclusively a hiphop fan .. obsessed fan…. It was rando for me but it was exactly what I needed at the time. Little black sandals was my liberation soundtrack from a bad newly gay living in Portland Oregon where being a lesbian is not for amateurs. They playing pro out there. Anyways I still love it.
Sia is a classic example of someone creating the aura of someone who is artistic and high minded without actually doing anything. None of her music or associated projects were groundbreaking or original, and she was never an indie or underground artist. She was always an established figure in the music industry. She just did stuff like hiding her face or reading mean tweets on Jimmy Kimmel's show while facing away from the camera and eating a jar of peanut butter because that's what stupid people think makes a mysterious and intriguing person constitutes. She cultivated this very unearned reputation of being some kind of outsider who was challenging the boundaries of what we consider acceptable or tasteful, a sort of artistic rebellion against mainstream music and attitudes, when in reality she herself was always mainstream and unoriginal.
i found sia through kate bush pandora, got super into her album some people have REAL problems and i still listen to it every once in a while. she's undeniably talented but i was flat out disturbed by music and disgusted by her reaction to the criticism :/
I liked 1000 forums of fear and was a fan of sia until I crashed my car while listening to her music and I took it as a bad omen. Years later she is problematic and I feel at ease
Sorry I know everybody starts these comments with 'As someone with autism' or 'As an autistic woman/ man myself'......BUT As someone with autism, watching Sia's movie made me feel like my fckin skin was too tight like ew. The restraining shit GUH. When I have a meltdown I excuse myself, go to the bathroom and cry. Wait till I calm down after a good cry, dry my eyes and get back out there. Imagining someone pinning me down makes me want to vomit
I love your point about how exploitative/gross some creators are as they’re “bringing attention to” others for supposedly doing the same. I wish people were as discerning w/ creators as they pretend to be w/ celebs.
It never sat right with me that Sia hid her face and identity from the public but was perfectly fine with making Maddie the center of attention. It almost felt like a too on-the-nose representation of how abusive adults can cause a child to exhibit troubling behaviors, and while everyone sees the kid acting out of line, it's the influence of the grown ups in their life, who remain hidden from view, that ultimately are the root cause of it.
Sia can kind of be boiled down to "I hide my face and don't make public appearances! And I acknowledge the existence of neurodivergent people! Why aren't you all praising me an underground artistic genius?!"
"Music" was like a real life "Simple Jack." I was expecting Maddie to say at any minute, "I ain't g-g-got a g-g-good b-b-b-brain." Now I do think Maddie was great in "The Fallout" with Jenna Ortega.
I was someone who acc loved the Shia lebouf video as someone who has a complicated relationship with my dad I could see what she was trying to portray even if it missed the mark in some ways
To me it was kinda indicative that Sia might've been autistic since the 1st time I saw her speak and act, I'm not saying this in a rude way but it's clear she was socially unaware and kind of weird in a "fantastical" sense, which is probably why she was interested in making a movie about it subconsciously, she probably resonated with the community even before receiving the diagnosis. And I'm a huge fan of hers but come on now, u can't see her in videos socialising or tweeting and not think she may be autistic, idk how to word this cuz it may sound offensive but you can tell she wasn't spot on while interacting socially. Her being bipolar and having other mental disorders probably just made it worse so I feel sorry for her, her heart was probably in the right place but her conditions disabled her from a good execution. Lastly, that's also probably the reason her music isn't hitting like before, her label gives her full creative control but she's still contracted to a number of albums so now, as a fan of hers, it sounds like she's making music out of being obligated by a contract rather than by passion. It all feels like it's her label doing music, not her, so she's just not hitting the mark like she did before, it's clear she's trying to be more commercial but she doesn't understand how new trends work, which ties to her autism probably, she's just in her own world.
As an autistic Sia fan the whole music situation really sucked but it did spawn the “I had two people on the spectrum advising me at all times” tweet which is one of my favorite things ever
This was a really well put together video! This is such a nitpick but I just wanted to say towards the end you used the word "irreverent" referring to the way Maddie talks about Sia but I think the word you meant to use was "reverent".
Shes had insanely chaotic and tragic life so its not unusual for boundaries and basic behaviors to be blurred for her. She has made mistakes but i dont think shes an ill willed person at heart, she sometimes acts out of order and fails to see the flaws in her actions
Cool cool, having good intentions doesn't mean that the outcome can't be harmful though. It is problematic when people excuse it away with anyone by saying that they meant well so you can't be upset because they didn't mean to hurt you.
Thanks for this video. I'm an autistic woman and I used to be a huge fan of Sia, but when Music got released I was so disappointed. I got so apalled at her response to the criticism, and her claiming to be autistic not long after this drama seemed like a desperate attempt to redeem herself and pretend the movie wasn't offensive just because she supposedly was also autistic.
so glad to see this channel grow, I've been here sinse season 13 videos. congrats on silver button, you truly deserved it, Kayla! Huge hello from Russia, keep doing what you're doing, I'm really enjoying it
Yo yo yo HOL' UP. So far I agree with everything and you have a new sub, but at 5:54 when you say the dance video has no point except to be shocking... me and my wife are (now sober) addicts and we both, independently, recognized that video as being clearly about addiction. And the choice of a child to play the part, a female child, gave it a HUGE amount of depth and was definitely done with artistic intent that I can report, hit us right in the fucking heartballs.
Sia? You mean the girl who did that gorgeous Breathe Me song from the Six Feet Under finale (btw, perhaps the greatest finale in TV history IMO)? Funny, I heard she did a cover of I Go to Sleep as well, but she pretty much disappeared after those two songs. Hmm, I wonder what could have been… I heard she wrote a few songs for other artists though, which is cool.
Try Rocket Money for free: rocketmoney.com/kaylasays #RocketMoney #personalfinance
Hey Kayla! I did see those last two videos, and they were fantastic! Especially the Baby Reindeer one. It’s honestly one of your best yet! I appreciate your unique perspective on what’s a very popular topic currently.
I'm glad you pointed out the people who keep using her alleged abuse for views with her photos
I never saw the video of Maddie in Chandelier
I just saw that thumbnails of Maddie looking wide eyed in thumbnails
I didn't watch them because I won't watch videos of people profiting off of SA, Pdf or grooming
Even crazier is that Sia herself admitted that Maddie was uncomfortable playing the role, apparently breaking down crying saying, 'I don't want people to think i'm making fun of them!' And Sia convinced her otherwise. How does a 14 year old have more self-awareness than you?
That’s what I said, if the crying 14 year old has more awareness than you, that’s a problem!
If u have autism and a full different view, thats the fact
Where ? On Twitter? Do any screenshots of this exist lol
Maddie was 18-19 when the movie was shot though
@@jagp135 she was much younger when production began in 2015, this movie was being reworked for several years. She was 14 and even then very uncomfortable at the beginning (to Sia's own admission)
Friendly reminder grooming isnt always s*xual. Controlling the roles Maddie can get and essentially only allowing Maddie to work with her is a form of financial grooming in which Sia is taking contorl over Maddie's future and career completely
Yeah, and I agree that people shouldn’t talk over Maddie, but that clip of Maddie looking back on her time with Sia fondly doesn’t really prove anything.
yeah she gives Colleen Ballinger vibes
Isn't the definition of grooming sexual though?
@@NerdySwedeGrooming is when someone builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them.
Nowhere does this say that the abuse has to be sexual or that any of this has to be with a sexual goal.
@@that1niceguy246 Ok maybe it's just the swedish definition of grooming then, here it is a sexual crime.
Hiding her face was so smart from a marketing perspective and as a way to possibly have a semi-normal life while enjoying the perks of fame/wealth. Idk why she gave that up. She could have been a real life Hannah Montana lol
2013 SIA didn’t have the money, power connections, or ego that 2018 SIA had. She probably felt she was big enough of an untouchable star that she didn’t need it anymore, especially with Maddie being her “proxy” for multiple years.
She was already famous in Australia for years so thousands of people already knew her face anyway 🙄
It doesn’t make sense though because her face and music had been out there for years prior. You could easily Google her to see what she looked like. She definitely did it as a gimmick to crack the American market
@@ykook7000 yeah, and the UK too
I think it was during the time when Twitter was an absolute blood bath and she knew she would be heavily criticised for her looks. She’s openly admitted to being trolled on social media and how she had to get a thicker skin - only that backfired majorly and now everyone hates her 🤨
there were so many other ways Sia could have realized the project: it's about the music sequences. The main character did not need to be autistic. She could have been a hopeless dreamer with a rich inner world.
That could be interesting. While it would be ideal to have more ActuallyAutistic voices in entertainment on all sides, it’s fascinating in the meantime how autistic coding is more representative to autistic people. I’ve seen dozens of people who claim Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice as autistic or at least dealing with social anxiety (and I get it!) and there’s been similar discussions with the latest season of Bridgerton, and how two siblings can manifest those traits in different ways.
fr
My take is Sia did it because people cripping up usually gets lots of praise and awards and that would have skyrocketed Maddie's career. The only reason that didn't happen is because Sia created such a dumpster fire.
I’ve always thought she could have had an actual autistic actor play the main role, and had Maddie do the dancing still. Like Maddie is the main character’s stand in, in their head.
But that wouldn’t change everything else that was wrong with the film…
@@FawnieFoxautistic dancers exist. Nothing would have saved that terrible film.
"set Maddie up to fail with Music" is so right
CLOCK IT THO
At least she has West Side Story and the Fallout.
She'll soon be in a movie with Nekrasova
Imagine what would have happened if Sia chose Jojo as her #1 dance moms girl, they'd have so many awful ideas together, they'd be like a house on fire.
Drinking it in like oxygen, like oxygen??? 🤣
LMAO
And they wanna keep burning
I love how Sia felt exploited, so she chose a teenage girl to represent her, as if that wasn’t exploitative. Sia has come out saying since that she has been diagnosed autistic, which just makes Music even more awful. She just doesn’t care about anyone but herself.
Like of course getting death threats over it is definitely not ok. Doesn't negate any serious critiques Autistic people have of her. However any good faith criticisms do not include threatening to kill someone (which honestly are more likely from people just looking for an opportunity just to send hate regardless of who it is)
Sia just makes me SO upset because in the past, I did enjoy some of her songs, but the movie of Music just COMPLETELY made me unable to stand by her ever again as an autistic person - especially given that it was endorsed by Autism Speaks, which has had a RICH history of extremely hurtful and damaging advertisements, documentaries and general marketing that just helps no one at all.
Not to mention before the movie even released and Sia was still “researching” autism for the movie, people found out that Sia was consulting with Autism Speaks and made her aware of how bad and damaging AS is for the autistic community. Sia said she wouldn’t use them anymore and that she was sorry blah blah blah. Only for the movie to release and have the movie end up like it did, no doubt with Autism Speaks’ dirty hands all over it. That’s what initially grossed me out about Sia, the fact that she was so fake in her understanding of wanting to listen to autistic voices yet couldn’t bear to hire an actual autistic person to be the main character over her little controlled puppet, Maddie.
"Hey, you know what this movie that's allegedly about understanding autistic people's needs? ABA! Yeah, conversion therapy with EXTRA physical abuse! That's uplifting!"
-Sia, apparently
Same here. I refuse to support her in any way now.
The movie actually wasn't endorsed by Autism Speaks. I don't know what their involvement was but when all of the backlash happened they put out a statement that said all the right things about supporting autistic people (if you didn't know what they are actually like you would have thought they are an organisation that cares for and really helps autistic people).
Seeing as it looks like Sia's research was watching autistic children having meltdowns (that is what she got Maddie to do for research), I wouldn't be surprised if Autism Speaks was telling the truth that they weren't involved as it was something that Sia said during the backlash and other things that she said during that time frame have been fact checked false.
While not a massive fan I do like some of her songs but I definitely haven't delved into her discography nor won't I ever give her any financial support
didn’t she also admit that maddie was crying to her super upset about how she thought people would be mad at her for the Music acting…like if the fourteen year old gets it, so should the 30 year old
*40
45
Sia sings in A MINOOOORRR
is there proof of this? Genuinely asking like is this a deleted tweet or something
Maddie was 18
10:49 my personal favorite sia tweet is “I had two people on the spectrum advising me at all times”
Me when I get together with my fellow autism besties
the autism council
@@Man-ej6uv “autism council” could be a gc name
If I allowed the 2 autistic people in my home help me make a movie about autism, it wouldn't go over much better than Music- probably worse. So much worse. but in different ways.
me when i ask the group chat for their advice
Hiding her face while shoving Maddie in the spotlight is, like, idk. As someone who was in an emotionally abusive theatrical relationship with a director that is similar to the vibe of Sia and Maddie, it took me until I was 28 to realize I had autonomy to not be around it anymore. So I’m interested in seeing how Maddie evolves.
just got an official autism diagnosis today and what better way to celebrate than with a video on sia’s ableism!
Congrats! From one autistic person to another I’m happy for you!
getting diagnosed can be so hard so congrats on your diagnosis! happy for u
I don't have autism but congrats on diagnosis! Hope you have a nice day!
Great. And keep in mind we can all overcome certain diagnosed conditions.
Congrats! I got diagnosed this March, hope you have time to process being a member of this cool club 🥳
Wow, it never even occurred to me that Maddie is an adult now. Times really flies
like it’s crazy that she’s 3 years older than me
Lotta videos on TikTok of Maddie dancing with other people's choreography. She's honestly better than I thought she was.
COVID made every year after that feel like the same. Which also seriously I still visualize in my mind people born in the late early 2000s as being kids and babies with the youngest now being in their early teens
@@devonmunn5728I still think 2012 was 7-8 years ago. As far as I am concerned, it is.
Sia's fanbase is extremely toxic. They act like she's done nothing wrong and say "but she's autistic" when defending her, autism STILL DOESN'T EXCUSE what she did to the autistic community.
I am autistic myself, and I had respect for Sia and was mad as hell when she turned out to be ableist.
Yes I had one person reply to one of my old comments saying that she now has an autism diagnosis so it was written by someone autistic. I said back to them that before you are diagnosed you don't know that the things you are saying/doing are autistic so no she wasn't bringing an autistic experience to her writing.
yeah who cares if she is autistic or not, it's bad and it deserves to be criticised.
I strongly agree, some of these musician fanbase can be soo feeble-minded in addition these artist don't at least try to de-escalate by telling the zealous fans, not to threat or doxx people who don't like their music/movies and other projects shouldn't result in this tribalistic response, which in consequently to the artist can result in, if they say or do ONE thing wrong, in their eyes (fanbase) will be very quick to turn on them.
@@amandamandamandsshe not like us
klaatu moment
I wasn’t diagnosed with Autism until I was in my 20s, yet growing up I was often restrained. It always made it worse. Seeing it being portrayed in this film gives me goosebumps, and not in a good way, in a way that’s as if I’m viewing what ended up being another layer of trauma I’ve had to work through.
Same except I was diagnosed at age 17. And it was back in 2005 so I wasn’t considered “autistic” back then. DSM-IV Asperger’s Syndrome. Was folded into the Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2013 (?) DSM-V.
Edit: I still haven’t accepted the spectrum part. I have more problems getting help than I used to. Should have kept it separate.
Still waiting on her Trainwreckord video.
A TiTS reference in the wild! Everybody loves TiTS!
Hahaha I’m a big fan of Todd !
Same
@@kaylasays the multiverse is crazy
Fully agree
people need to understand: INTENTIONS DO NOT EQUAL IMPACT
You can have the best of intentions and still produce something damaging.
Very true!! Intentions do count for something imo, but there's a reason we have the saying "the road to hell is paved with good intentions"
I haven't seen it in a long time, but the Maddie/Shia LaBouff music video never felt s*xual to me. Yeah, the nude costume was a bit of an odd choice, but it seemed to convey more of a paternal relationship, maybe an overprotective/controlling one, maybe an ab*sive one, but not in that way. And I always assumed that the costumes were so barebones because they wanted to focus on the movement instead of flashy clothes
That said, creeps can turn antthing creepy, and Maddie's parents had a duty to protect her from that while she was growing up
Anything cannot be turned creepy. A nude leotard on a child is inherently revealing and suggestive.. INHERENTLY. Noone need read in to far on that.. dance often overtly sexualizes young girls and Abby miller's studio is KNOWN for doing just that.. zero reason for young kids to be performing say.. burlesque performances. That is inherently sexual. So I'd say you're incorrect when people just label things "creepy" or "sexual" as hyperbole, it's not hyperbolic it's inherent and inappropriate.
Same. I always interpreted it as specifically being the child of an alcoholic/addict. Specifically, the part where she breathes in his breath and exhales it back out. That booze smell on a drunk parent's breath sticks with you if you ever lived through it.
Also, there's something there about how children can escape the cage that is childhood trauma, but that the parent will always be stuck there, because it's their prison, their life. You can only watch them from the outside.
I think there was an interview where Maddie explained they were werewolves in a pack together? Maybe I’m misremembering. I also interpreted is as a father and daughter, but the song is about sis’s alcoholism and they’re meant to represent two different sides of sia.
I’m glad to see more people see it that way too, because I have MANY bones to pick with Sia, but that video never made the register.
At the time it came out, I never saw it as scandalous or sensual; I definitely saw it as a raw, sad, artistic view about a father and daughter, with the former having some sort of issue (addiction, mental illness, rage, etc). I completely agree that the leotards are just to keep everything minimal and focus on movement.
It's an amazing video that tells a powerful story. I always saw it as father/daughter.
I was a huge fan of Sia, and then she did MUSIC! As an autistic person myself, it really hurt to see "her version of austism". I like her voice bt her image in my mind was tarnished after that. Then I got to see the ugly side of her, for e.g. her creepy relationship with maddie and the whole elastic heart with Shaia thing, then this! Maddie wasn't at fault, she was just a 14 yr old n i have seen her in the other film called fallout. she's not a bad actor at all but Music shouldn't have been her first film.
If you were a real fan of hers you would have understood her , sia is human she has done a lot of mistakes and bad things , music was a huge mistake of hers and the way people are using it to portray her as an evil woman is just so bad , when you think about it as a celebrity why would she intentionally make a movie to offend people causing huge controvercies that's like shooting yourself in the foot
Sure her relationship with maddie was a bit creepy , but that's was monitored by maddies parent , and she loved sia , she always said it her interview and if she really did abuse the girl by now it would have been exposed because she is an adult
People were just so unfair with her , she has made lots of stupid mistake but she's still a nice person
@@obienugreat4590You don’t know her. You don’t know if she’s nice or not and the fact you’re defending her says a lot
Lol comment after comment anytime someone says something about Music, they have to precursor it with “I’m autistic and…”. Like just stare your opinion without needing to qualify it; there’s no way all of you are being genuine.
"Elastic Heart" imo is a textbook example of how the general public is fucking terrible at digesting modern dance. So many comments and discourse about the video completely ignored the great moments of choreography or heartbreaking conceptual points and instead just focused on inventing some gross sexual interpretation between Shia and Maddie or just reductively calling it weird. I will say I'm not sure if Shia was the best choice as a counterpart for Maddie, but you can't deny how devastatingly beautiful his acting was by the end of the video.
THANK YOU!! the one thing that makes me feel *slightly* off was the fact that it was Shia to be completely honest but the video itself was such a piece of art
This! Personally, I probably wouldn't have chosen to have a 12-year-old girl wear a nude-colored leotard, but the video otherwise is so captivating and emotional. I never saw anything sexual about it.
exactly! people need to stop creating a moral panic over something as insignificant as dancing!
@@taypiper4534Yeah. Erotic art. 😓👎🏻
@@taypiper4534 the fact it was Shia was the only thing that made me never want to watch the music video until two years after it came out, it paints a good picture of a substance abuse ruining a paternal relationship in my eyes to the point I could ignore it was Shia
Yeah, the obsession is unhealthy even if they didn't cross any physical boundaries... strange af
BTW, I love this series. You always present them in a very non-sensationalized, but entertaining way. That’s extremely hard to come by in media analysis.
Fr her (iirc) degree/job in journalism really comes across in the tone with these videos
It’s one reason I like these videos (and her intro scratches my brain in a good way lol)
Aaron Taylor Johnson also speaks highly of his wife, doesn’t mean she didn’t groom him. He just still isn’t able to see it 😅
As a Survivor fan, just saying that most of the fandom agrees the Sia money is weird. At the very least though, in Season 39 she did award money to the people who were trying to vote out a dude who sexually assaulted someone on the show. So that's a step up. The bar is still in hell though.
As someone with trauma I saw the elastic heart video as a father daughter interpretive dance where the dad is neglectful and the daughter acts out, I was so annoyed when I found out the real inspo :/
Would you want your child to perform in a role like that?
Isn’t the meaning behind that music video her relationship with her father that ended him not being able to beat his alcohol abuse
What was the real inspo
@@priskruger314 read my comment
@@priskruger314 as far as I know, Sia has said the "real meaning" behind the video is two versions of herself fighting with each other. Idk how that's problematic or whatever either.
Ngl I don't think she can have a definitive opinion of her relationship with Sia until she gets a little older. I just turned 25 and it's crazy how much my perspective on things I've experienced has changed in just a few years. This isn't to say that she's too young to know how she feels, but your view on how/why adults form relationships shifts a lot once you hit a certain age. That being said, I can't help but view Sia's relationship with her as inherently "off" - maybe not necessarily malicious, but definitely a huge lack of boundaries on her part.
Yes it was very concerning when Sia was saying that Maddie was her muse and she didn't want to create art if it doesn't contain Maddie. The pressure that is on Maddie that she either stays so that Sia has a continued career or she gets to go and explore what she wants to do. Couple that with that Sia said that she always wanted to keep Maddie safe and the best way that she could think of to do that was to keep creating projects for Maddie. Sia also said that she advised Melissa on what projects Maddie should or shouldn't take.
One good thing from Music being such a dumpster fire is that hopefully Maddie and Melissa got a realisation that Sia doesn't always know best.
The brain fully develops for most people at 25 hence the self awareness.
@@dlilwon that's such a reductive internet statement and it means absolutely nothing. you don't stop growing and learning at 25.
@@dlilwon That doesnt really mean much. The brain develops and changed the entire time we're alive, it Just reaching it's Most defined state at 25 doesnt mean people cant make rational choices before that, and it doesnt mean that people suddenly start degrading Afterwards. Ive come to hate that factoid because people Just use it as If it means anything groundbreaking.
@@overgrownkudzu That's not what they meant 🤣It's just the point at which your prefrontal cortex fully matures
My perception of Sia and Maddie has flipped now that I'm closer to Sia's age than Maddie's--when i was younger i saw it from maddies pov and sia seemed like a fairy godmother and the whole thing was an uplifting disney movie situation
Now that im in my mid thirties i cant not see it from sias pov and like imagining a reality where i went out of my way to pursue and establish a relationship w a child i would otherwise have no involvement with is just fuckin weird
Like imagine if justin said he went over to ushers house for sleepovers and they even slept in the same bed once. Usher would be in jail there wouldnt even be a trial lol
I completely agree. I'm closer to Maddie's age, but even at 25 it feels extremely weird to pursue a "friendship" with a child and try to control her career the way Sia has. Even if her intentions were strictly good, there's a huge lack of boundaries and codependency that comes off as alarming. It doesn't help that Maddie has been surrounded by extremely dysfunctional people her whole life and likely has a hard time recognizing this.
@@Chiwowza I’m close to 30 and even when she first said she was working with Maddie a red flag went off in my brain - like, “This is creepy. I don’t know *why* it’s creepy, but it is.”
I heard that what Diddy did to Usher 😢
Sia strikes me as someone who has strong maternal instinct but doesn't want to procreate. Maybe she's an antinatalist, or maybe she doesn't want to pass down her face. Heh, she actually adopted two boys in 2019.
Michael Jackson went on trial multiple times for acting just like that. It's fine when it's a white woman doing it but when a black man does it he's shamed until the day he dies not to mention the stain on his reputation.
I'm not saying MJ is innocent but the double standard is insane to me.
What’s actually creepy about Sia casting Shia Lebeouf is the fact that in 2017, he was accused of assault by his ex-girlfriend singer FKA Twigs. That’s not to say he was abuse or creepy in Elastic Heart, but it’s still not great.
Wait, was Elastic Heart not released before that?
Okay I’m glad you said that because I’ll mention that and no one knows what I’m talking about. FKA Twigs did a whole magazine interview about it at the time and it seems like no one remembers.
@@hayleywilliams4eva766 Yes, it was released in 2015 and their timeframe's a little off. Shia and FKA only started dating in mid-2018 after having met at the set of Honey Boy. I think they might be getting it mixed up with an incident of public intoxication in the same year.
Hasn’t Twigs just recently talked about the abuse recently
Girl the video was made in 2014 , how could she have known , its the same with just like hiring a worker , that's exactly what he is a worker to sia so why would you blame her for his actions ?
I feel so bad for Maddie after the music drama. I’m ND, I was offended by it. But all I can think of is how scary it must’ve been for maddie. Someone she trusted, made her uncomfortable (as she stated she felt playing the character), offended an entire community & the people around that community all while making a teenager the scape goat. I’m so glad everyone had the brain cells to not blame anyone except sia.
You know what I rarely see when it comes to a child being exploited? The internet holding the PARENTS accountable. I blame Maddie's mom more than Sia bc she allowed it to happen.
As an autistic woman, thank you for this. And this is why celebrities shouldn’t have access to social media! Sia could’ve done damage control and lessened the impact on her career after Music, but doubling down made it 10x worse.
Well, I think the mass majority of celebrities has this savior complex helping with good intention but, defending and justifying their willful ignorance and are shock when the world doesn't take them seriously, because the sane see these social projects are to only help their own egos.
About the "my heart was in the right place" sentiment, the example I always use to explain the flaws with this excuse is say I want to bake my brother a delicious birthday cake, and in the process I burn his place down. Does me having good intentions make my brother any less homeless?
Yes I say to people that just because someone has good intentions it doesn't mean that the result can't be harmful. I had to explain this to a support worker once when she said that someone else had good intentions for something that they had done. Thankfully she seemed to take on board what I said, was a bit concerning for me that she hadn't realised that before me saying it to her.
The good old saying "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" rings so true with Sia.
Sia's a great musician. Sadly she's also socially clueless. She lacks understanding of anything outside of her own artistic vision. Maddie's a great dancer, and it's too bad her association with Sia has hurt more than helped her at this point.
I don't know if it is because of this, Maddie has been in indie movies and the last couple she has gotten really good reviews for her acting. Looks like she is being able to move past it without it hurting her reputation too badly. I can understand Maddie being in the movie seeing as Sia said that she wrote it for Maddie back when it was first announced. I can't understand how she managed to get Kate Hudson and Leslie Odom Jr onboard with how bad the script was.
Sia is a talented weirdo.
She only became a weirdo when she went to America
The elastic heart video was meant to represent Sia's relationship with her father and drugs. Growing up her father was an alcoholic and eventually Sia fell victim to the same addiction plus others I think (this is off the top of my head). The music video is meant to represent their relationship, their struggle with addiction, and the fact that Sia was able to overcome it but her father still struggles.
Sia only followed 1 person, that was Maddie Ziegler on Instagram for years. Maddie never followed her back, then (she does now) Sia now follows Maddie and just 4 others.
I'm glad you brought nuance to the whole Sia-Maddie collaboration discourse, you're so right in how people overplay it at times. The whole Music fiasco really hurt me as someone who got really into her music with 1000 Forms of Fear and love her whole back catalog. The fact she still stands by it is so disappointing.
Yessss!!! As an autistic person, I've been looking forward to this episode 😂
I guess her elastic heart wasn't so titanium after all huh
maybe the real elastic heart was the friends we made along the way
@12:54 Restraints are not supposed to be done in the prone position and they are supposed to be done a very specific way (see: SAMA Training). That is another reason why there was so much outrage about this scene. Of course restraints should be done with.... restraint. They are a last ditch method. They should not be used as a first option. But in any event this is not handled properly in the movie and some people may do restraints incorrectly due to watching it and end up killing someone.
eta: i'm not endorsing physical restraint. I am simply explaining that Sia portrayed it in a very dangerous way. Personally, though I have been trained in SAMA, I am not a proponent of it. It was just required by past jobs.
The music video for Chandelier is burnt into my mind... it is ICONIC in my opinion.
I will say that one thing that i thought that was in bad taste was when she sang titanium at an event specifically for the pulse nightclub shooting. Like the lyrics about being bullet proof after so many people lost their lives just felt wrong
Oh yuck, she did that?! That sounds so tone deaf
@@justjoannak czcams.com/video/_EuVY9LzlsE/video.htmlsi=oZENvDrLTkp0sS2P
I guess it deleted my post that had the link to her singing the song at that event. It's on CZcams
Really good video, and I understand your points on why you go back and forth on Maddie & Sias relationship since for a lot of people it seems to come more from a celebrity gossip angle than actual concern for Maddie. That being said, it VERY often takes victims of abuse a very long time to recognize that abuse, so pointing out potential abuse even if someone insists they aren't being abused isnt talking over their feelings, its pointing out something they may not be recognizing yet. Relevant example: jojo siwa, who defends abby lee even though its blatantly obvious what she went through was abuse. We can acknowledge how she feels that she wasnt abused while being aware of the fact that she objectively was.
What is even sadder with JoJo was that she said that the way that Abby treated her prepared her for working in the industry. How toxic must it be if that is the case.
Very good point
Thank you for this video, I'm autistic and loved Sia so much when I was a teenager, so the whole "Music" fiasco was so disappointing and upsetting for me. She has since come forward about her own autism diagnosis, but it doesn't make "Music" any better, I still feel bitter about it.
Physical restraint is the very last resort for professionals who work with people on the spectrum as it has been proven to be traumatizing and at times fatal. It is only used when there is imminent danger either to the person themselves or to those around them. There are a lot of steps to take to de escalate a situation before physical restraint.
While that may be true for professionals, autistic kids get restrained way too much over things that are absolutely not dangerous all the time everywhere. And in the case of ABA therapy, it has normalized physically controlling autistic people for any reason whatsoever.
@shyfroggie3128 Yes, it's pretty sad because for a long time the main thing ABA therapy focused on was "compliance" and if they were seen as "noncompliant" force would often be used. Thankfully it is starting to change (albeit slowly) because focusing on compliance just makes these individuals more vulnerable to abuse and bad situations because they learn to do what theyre told and not how to express or regulate themselves.
SIA's debut was spectacular. Breathe Me and My Love are masterpieces. I remember reading she wrote My Love for her fiancee who passed away.
the highway to hell is filled with good intentions.
I'm autistic myself and when I saw the inclusion of the restraint scenes I was beyond disgusted. Restraints like the ones shown in the movie have been proven to be dangerous and fatal, so the fact they not only have two restraint scenes but it's painted as a good thing is appalling. But what makes my blood boil is how Sia respond to the critism, basically throwing a temper tantrum and insulting the people she claims to 'honor'. To this day I refuse to listen to any of music anymore because I don't want to support someone who sees me and many others as pets or props
as an autistic person who only found out they were autistic a couple years ago and had almost no prior knowledge of autism, music is just egregious. even before i knew i was autistic i knew about autism speaks being messed up, and to not?? lay?? on an autistic person having a meltdown?? or advocate for that ??
As aspiring actor who happens to be autistic, I still remember the shitshow on twitter online when the Music trailer dropped. If this is one upside about the whole Music shitshow is that the controversy has helped me connect with people like me who on the spectrum online and now I can call online friends.
I’m undiagnosed, but I felt utterly *pissed* at Music because it reminded me of Riding the Bus With My Sister.
@@eatatjoes6751 omg I complexly forgot about that movie. Yeah, that movie is just as bad a Music. I would argue worse.
Kayla I adored your Baby Reindeer video and the writing of it. I have already watched it twice and I hope you keep doing vids like that (also this video was amazing too, youre a great content creator in general)
I absolutely cannot stand people who lean on the "that wasn't my intention" excuse without taking any accountability for their actions. Intentions don't mean anything if the result was harm. I mean, it doesn't really matter what my intentions were if I hit someone with my car. Simple concept.
I does make a difference for sure.
@@TheG3rmanGam3r Yes and no, the person is still hurt and the difference is that if it was unintendedly the hurt person quite often gets guilt trips to forgive because the other person didn't mean it. If it was deliberate then you are encourage to walk away.
@@TheG3rmanGam3r definitely doesn't. Taking accountability is taking accountability, regardless of your intention.
@@m00n.kitt3n.z00m it makes a difference hellooooooo
@@m00n.kitt3n.z00m @LUCYDebDolly even in court makes it a difference if u did something intentionally.
From what I remember even autism speaks denied any involment with the movie...which dang, what does it says about your movie when even THAT organization is like "hell nah, we don't want it either".
I’m so terrified to watch this.
She ought to be put on trial for Music 💀
I Will never be able to see that elastic heart MV as anything but a difficult relationship between a child and her father. It’s always been so deeply moving to me.
Genuinely how did she think Music was a good idea???
Autistic person makes an autistic related film.
Because she wrote and directed it (she said that she had directed some of her music videos and praised for it and thought that directing a movie would be just like directing a long music video). It seems like she couldn't handle people telling her anything she doesn't want to hear as something she said during an interview promoting Music was that she had a policy of only positivity on the set. What is really concerning was that she looked proud of herself while she was saying it so didn't understand that that means that she had a set that was full of toxic positivity if no one was allowed to voice concerns.
It was also such a mishmash because Sia said that she hates musicals but turned it into one when she was given an extra $10m budget if she would do so.
Honestly it is giving me Dunning-Kruger vibes as she had all the confidence in the world going into this and lots of the things that she said during the backlash after the trailer dropped could be fact checked as false. This means that she had so little knowledge that she didn't even realise that she was digging the hole deeper with each reply.
@@amandamandamands Well, I agree it was giving the Dunning-Kruger vibes, with a bit of a touch of dry drunk, nevertheless it seems Sia outlook on this film was just entirely built though tunnel vision, if some one tweeted critiques that were respectful she's was quick with the insult in all caps, that's not someone mature or professional enough to take seriously.
I’m autistic and have so many conflicting feelings around Sia that I’m still trying to unpack. I clicked on this so fast!!
same. music is horrible and her relationship with maddie is strange, but knowing that she herself is autistic now puts her actions under a different lense for me. idk. it’s much more complicated.
Oh god watching her career since 2004 felt like a rollercoaster - her actual MUSIC was always so good though
Wish people didn’t forget that, colour the small one was absolutely beautiful
She deserves 0 support after what she’s done. People won’t forget that, babe.
Sia's fixation with Maddie Ziegler was weird and unsettling, even if I don't believe that she was doing anything sexual with her. A grown adult having such an obsession with anyone is already bizarre but especially a young teenager, to the point of refusing to produce any media without her in it. There's something really unhealthy about that.
Six feet under is the best tv series i've ever seen and the finale will take your breath away. 10/10
Congrats on 100k Kayla! You totally deserve it. It's clear how much work and effort you put into your content.
It’s insane how much good will and benefit of the doubt people give Sia. Everyone thinks Drake is a creep (rightfully imo) for just texting teenage girls and this woman is having sleep overs and sleeping in the same bed as a little girl she’s not related to and most people don’t care. It’s sad to think of how many predatory women get away with their actions because some people don’t believe women CAN be creeps the same way men can.
(I will point out in fairness, Sia is much less well known these days and Drake is still relevant. So of course that does make a difference.)
I literally JUST said “all roads leads back to dance moms” 😂
I just saw Kathy Griffin live and she tells a very extended story about Sia. One of things she said is Sia would have 4 iPads with her playing various reality shows with her at all times.
was listening to the soundtrack for Music as i got the notification for this. thank you for saving me
I remember how she said fame was a prison… so she subjected a child to it
The album you didn’t mention and was released in 2008 it was between the 2 you addressed in the beginning (colour the small 1 and the 1000 forms ) was a great album. I think her best. I randomly bought it in a Starbucks when I was like 25. I heard a song playing and said alright let’s try this phonetically challenged beautiful and haunting coffee shop moment. As almost exclusively a hiphop fan .. obsessed fan…. It was rando for me but it was exactly what I needed at the time. Little black sandals was my liberation soundtrack from a bad newly gay living in Portland Oregon where being a lesbian is not for amateurs. They playing pro out there. Anyways I still love it.
Wake up Kayla posted! 🎉
I've never heard those specific weird idolizing dance outfit videos even existing, but oh my god that's weird.
Sia is a classic example of someone creating the aura of someone who is artistic and high minded without actually doing anything. None of her music or associated projects were groundbreaking or original, and she was never an indie or underground artist. She was always an established figure in the music industry. She just did stuff like hiding her face or reading mean tweets on Jimmy Kimmel's show while facing away from the camera and eating a jar of peanut butter because that's what stupid people think makes a mysterious and intriguing person constitutes. She cultivated this very unearned reputation of being some kind of outsider who was challenging the boundaries of what we consider acceptable or tasteful, a sort of artistic rebellion against mainstream music and attitudes, when in reality she herself was always mainstream and unoriginal.
So excited about this! ❤ thank you. Breath me is still absolutely breathtaking
i found sia through kate bush pandora, got super into her album some people have REAL problems and i still listen to it every once in a while. she's undeniably talented but i was flat out disturbed by music and disgusted by her reaction to the criticism :/
OH YEAH and i 100% believe she groomed maddie ziegler. poor girl has been through a lot
I liked 1000 forums of fear and was a fan of sia until I crashed my car while listening to her music and I took it as a bad omen. Years later she is problematic and I feel at ease
Sorry I know everybody starts these comments with 'As someone with autism' or 'As an autistic woman/ man myself'......BUT As someone with autism, watching Sia's movie made me feel like my fckin skin was too tight like ew. The restraining shit GUH. When I have a meltdown I excuse myself, go to the bathroom and cry. Wait till I calm down after a good cry, dry my eyes and get back out there. Imagining someone pinning me down makes me want to vomit
I love your point about how exploitative/gross some creators are as they’re “bringing attention to” others for supposedly doing the same. I wish people were as discerning w/ creators as they pretend to be w/ celebs.
Really missed the opportunity to say: “I will Sia next time“ there at the end :/
this is my first time seeing Sia's full face
Jsyk saying stuff like “I know 50% of you are gonna take this the wrong way” is a harsh way to address your audience.
Clicked on this because i didn’t know she did something wrong?
I really love her and her music
It never sat right with me that Sia hid her face and identity from the public but was perfectly fine with making Maddie the center of attention. It almost felt like a too on-the-nose representation of how abusive adults can cause a child to exhibit troubling behaviors, and while everyone sees the kid acting out of line, it's the influence of the grown ups in their life, who remain hidden from view, that ultimately are the root cause of it.
Sia can kind of be boiled down to "I hide my face and don't make public appearances! And I acknowledge the existence of neurodivergent people! Why aren't you all praising me an underground artistic genius?!"
"Music" was like a real life "Simple Jack." I was expecting Maddie to say at any minute, "I ain't g-g-got a g-g-good b-b-b-brain."
Now I do think Maddie was great in "The Fallout" with Jenna Ortega.
I was someone who acc loved the Shia lebouf video as someone who has a complicated relationship with my dad I could see what she was trying to portray even if it missed the mark in some ways
To me it was kinda indicative that Sia might've been autistic since the 1st time I saw her speak and act, I'm not saying this in a rude way but it's clear she was socially unaware and kind of weird in a "fantastical" sense, which is probably why she was interested in making a movie about it subconsciously, she probably resonated with the community even before receiving the diagnosis. And I'm a huge fan of hers but come on now, u can't see her in videos socialising or tweeting and not think she may be autistic, idk how to word this cuz it may sound offensive but you can tell she wasn't spot on while interacting socially. Her being bipolar and having other mental disorders probably just made it worse so I feel sorry for her, her heart was probably in the right place but her conditions disabled her from a good execution. Lastly, that's also probably the reason her music isn't hitting like before, her label gives her full creative control but she's still contracted to a number of albums so now, as a fan of hers, it sounds like she's making music out of being obligated by a contract rather than by passion. It all feels like it's her label doing music, not her, so she's just not hitting the mark like she did before, it's clear she's trying to be more commercial but she doesn't understand how new trends work, which ties to her autism probably, she's just in her own world.
As an autistic Sia fan the whole music situation really sucked but it did spawn the “I had two people on the spectrum advising me at all times” tweet which is one of my favorite things ever
This was a really well put together video! This is such a nitpick but I just wanted to say towards the end you used the word "irreverent" referring to the way Maddie talks about Sia but I think the word you meant to use was "reverent".
I used to love the elastic heart video when I was little. It always made me emotional. 😭😭
unrelated to anything but you're so pretty!!
Shes had insanely chaotic and tragic life so its not unusual for boundaries and basic behaviors to be blurred for her. She has made mistakes but i dont think shes an ill willed person at heart, she sometimes acts out of order and fails to see the flaws in her actions
She is also older and thus did not grow up online/know any terminally online Twitter kids. I hope she makes more music and keeps it IRL
Cool cool, having good intentions doesn't mean that the outcome can't be harmful though. It is problematic when people excuse it away with anyone by saying that they meant well so you can't be upset because they didn't mean to hurt you.
I agree she made mistakes, but I don't think she is a monster at all.
Thanks for this video. I'm an autistic woman and I used to be a huge fan of Sia, but when Music got released I was so disappointed. I got so apalled at her response to the criticism, and her claiming to be autistic not long after this drama seemed like a desperate attempt to redeem herself and pretend the movie wasn't offensive just because she supposedly was also autistic.
Used to love her, used to 💔
I love how you said "Grrr fuckity fuck fuck" when it was only one single fuck, that made it so much fiunnier
so glad to see this channel grow, I've been here sinse season 13 videos. congrats on silver button, you truly deserved it, Kayla! Huge hello from Russia, keep doing what you're doing, I'm really enjoying it
Yo yo yo HOL' UP. So far I agree with everything and you have a new sub, but at 5:54 when you say the dance video has no point except to be shocking... me and my wife are (now sober) addicts and we both, independently, recognized that video as being clearly about addiction. And the choice of a child to play the part, a female child, gave it a HUGE amount of depth and was definitely done with artistic intent that I can report, hit us right in the fucking heartballs.
Okay but six feet under is legit one of my fave shows 😊
I'm so happy you received the silver plaque. You deserve it. It's been nice seeing you grow as a creator. Congrats ✨💞🥳
The locked in Beyoncé’s basement deep cut made me ascend😂😂
Sia? You mean the girl who did that gorgeous Breathe Me song from the Six Feet Under finale (btw, perhaps the greatest finale in TV history IMO)? Funny, I heard she did a cover of I Go to Sleep as well, but she pretty much disappeared after those two songs. Hmm, I wonder what could have been… I heard she wrote a few songs for other artists though, which is cool.