When it came time to create her new music video, Dove Cameron could have gone the typical “girl boss” route. Instead, she’s holding a mirror up to the societal standards we’ve set for women in a post-Roe v. Wade world.
The result is “Breakfast,” a poignant, ominous new video the star shared on Tuesday (Aug. 23). In the clip, Cameron is dressed in a full suit and tie, living her life as a Mad Men-esque executive, with a series of young male aides tending to her every need while her dutiful husband cooks and cleans the home. Flipped traditional gender roles mean that Cameron and her female colleagues are in charge.
While it starts off as a fun “what if,” the video quickly turns dark as Cameron’s executive character takes advantage of one of her male underlings, leading to a particularly affecting scene in which the young man attends a doctor’s appointment, feet in stirrups, only to be told that “everything will be fine,” but that he should try and drink less or dress more appropriately so he won’t be “provoking women.” As he runs out of his office building crying, Cameron’s character merely rolls her eyes. “Oh my god, men are so f–king emotional.”
Taking an even further turn for the unsettling, a woman selling products on television commercials (played once again by Cameron) begins becoming aware of her surroundings, banging on the glass of Boss Cameron’s television set. Flashes of modern-day coverage of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade begin to play as a shocked look comes over Boss Cameron’s face. A title card appears, declaring this is “Not The End,” followed by a list of organizations — including Supermajority, National Network of Abortion Funds, Emily’s List and HeadCount — to help the audience “get involved.”
In a statement released with the video, Cameron expressed her frustration with the ongoing battle for women’s reproductive rights. “I was feeling incredibly disillusioned watching the recent SCOTUS ruling and I couldn’t wrap my head around making a music video at a time when I felt so desolate,” she said. “With this video, I want to show the disturbing contrast between stylized femininity and masculine power … I want the audience to notice how strange it is to watch the roles be reversed and it was important to highlight how ingrained these roles really are in our nervous systems.”
Check out the full video for Dove Cameron’s “Breakfast” below:
