Even 2017 can’t ruin the VMAs

     The Video Music Awards are an iconic event each year that many people look forward to. It’s a defining moment in pop culture and it’s a light-hearted wrap up to award show season. Some iconic moments have happened at the VMAs; from marriage to pregnancy, the VMAs has it all. The host this year was Katy Perry, which made some people a little less than excited. A lot of her monologue included attempting to use to teen slang and poking fun at the president, about how terribly the world’s going.

     When asked how she thought Katy Perry did as a host, Patty Miller had this to say: “Her monologue was very dry and boring. She tried to throw shade and it didn’t work in her favor. My grandmother could have hosted better than her. At least my grandmother can properly throw shade.”

     A famous pop icon, Taylor Swift, has a love-hate relationship with the VMAs. At the 2009 VMAs, Taylor was upstaged by Kanye West and it started a feud for the ages. Taylor premiered the video for her hit song Wildest Dreams at the 2015 VMAs. In 2016, she presented long time frenemy Kanye West with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Now in 2017, her rivalry with Kanye has left her exposed as a snake and a liar. The video for Swift’s new song Look What You Made Me Do premiered at the VMAs, which is where it all started. In the discussion of this video and who it was about, Patty said, “It was definitely about Kimye [Kanye and Taylor’s ship name]. There were a lot of snake references and she was kind of accepting the throne as snake queen.”  

     The Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award is a very prestigious award that is awarded to a groundbreaking artist each year. Past recipients include: Rihanna, Kanye West, Beyoncé, and Justin Timberlake. The 2017 Vanguard Award was given to the artist P!nk. She was presented the award by long-time friend Ellen DeGeneres. Before being given the award, P!nk performed a medley of songs from her 17-year-old career. She then gave her acceptance speech, which student Kristin Young found to be “really sweet.” P!nk dedicated the speech to her 6-year-old daughter, who had recently expressed to her mother that she thought she looked like a boy with long hair. P!nk was astounded that her child thought this, so she went home and made a PowerPoint full of androgynous rockstars.

     Along with the Vanguard, many other awards were given out. Some winners include: Kendrick Lamar, Fifth Harmony, Khalid, Alessia Cara and Zedd, Kanye West, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and Zayn, and many more. There were a lot of categories, including the award for best pop music video. Lexie Dalton believed that “Harry Styles deserved to win it over Fifth Harmony,” which was a very popular opinion among directioners, the fanbase.

     Another highlight of the VMAs are the performances. Featured performances include: Logic, Alessia Cara, Fifth Harmony, Lorde, and Ed Sheeran. Lexie said her favorite performance was Fifth Harmony’s because of how they shaded Camila. The 2017 VMAs ended with a spectacular Katy Perry performance of her hit song Swish Swish. Overall, the event was a success, as it is every year.