Deconstructing Desire: Criticism of Western Romantic Narratives in Mitski's "Your Best American Girl" Music Video

Abstract

Mitski Miyawaki, a Japanese American indie-rock artist professionally known as Mitski, wrote her 2016 song, “Your Best American Girl,” from the perspective of a woman who is unable to have a relationship with her love interest due to their different racial and cultural backgrounds. The accompanying music video engages with the song’s social message while adding nuance and complexity to it. Many of the lyrics portray Mitski’s feelings of isolation as an Asian American woman, especially through their employment of Japanese cultural symbols, while the music video uses parody, camera angles, and Americana iconography to further illustrate Mitski’s experiences of isolation. This essay analyzes the subtle ways in which “Your Best American Girl” subverts Asian stereotypes and destabilizes white patriarchal structures that are perpetrated by popular media, particularly through white centrality in the indie-rock genre. Comparison of “Your Best American Girl” to Lana Del Rey’s “Born to Die” music video reveals how “Your Best American Girl” uses parody techniques to criticize this white centrality. Further, its references to PJ Harvey allows Mitski to occupy a similar position of musical authenticity and command respect. Through lyrical, musical, and visual storytelling, “Your Best American Girl” chronicles Mitski’s journey towards self-acceptance, while critiquing the pervasive whiteness in romantic narratives.