Who is “Lacy” to Olivia Rodrigo?

Challenge: Decipher who the song “Lacy” is about

https://time.com/6312025/olivia-rodrigo-lacy-meaning/

At first I thought this might be a secret gay song. What, with the lyrics:

Like perfume that you wear
I linger all the time
Watchin’, hidden in plain sight
Ooh, I try, I try, I try

Smart sexy Lacy, I’m losing it lately

Like ribbons in your hair
My stomach’s all in knots
You got the one thing that I want
Ooh, I try, I try, I try

And I despise my jealous eyes and how hard they fell for you

but it doesn’t hold up because:

Lacy, oh, Lacy, skin like puff pastry

the hell?! I can assure you no woman wants to be described as puff pastry. And no sapphic (I mean we’re not a monolith, but this is just common sense) gets off on pastry skin…

If it’s not exactly gay, then some sort of drug? There are distinct drug/addiction references:

Dear angel Lacy, eyes white as daisies

But it takes over my life

The sweetest torture one could bear

My stomach’s all in knots

But it’s like you’re made of angel dust

And I despise my jealous eyes and how hard they fell for you
Yeah, I despise my rotten mind and how much it worships you

It IS giving addiction, but be real PCP seems very out of place for Olivia Rodrigo’s life.

Are there hints in the song telling us who the subject might be?

Dazzling starlet, Bardot reincarnate

What is Bridget Bardot known for? 

Here’s a snippet of the Wiki entry, but don’t worry, I’ve included a summation so you can just skim if you want.

To sum up

Bridget Bardot played the woman God created, she’s a sex-kitten, Lolita, popularized the bikini in America, locomotive of women’s history, played Naughty Girl, Plucking the DAISY, had a role as a much too beautiful bride. She was unprofessional, but mythical, became a souvenir, was that impossible mix of sexual freedom and non-aggression, and was ranked 2nd most beautiful women. She inspired countless beautiful, feminine, images of perfection in Hollywood and beyond as the ultimate pin-up and standard of beauty.

–> Sidenote- Cautionary Tale:

Bardot felt ugly, sheer dread meeting people, suffocated, and the attention quickly destroyed her to the point that she broke out in herpes with the stress of starting each new film. Not the super sexy or glamorous life to aspire to knowing that information, amIright?

Let’s put together some of the pieces of Olivia’s writing process, passions, and state of mind in order to construct the final image of who the song might be about.

Here is an interesting thing about Olivia’s writing:

https://people.com/olivia-rodrigo-gets-depressed-when-shes-not-writing-songs-8407967#:~:text=Songwriting%20is%20a%20therapeutic%20practice,she’s%20not%20writing%20songs%20daily.

OK, so we know the songs are personal. And the writing process is releasing depressed feelings onto the page.

Olivia is an advocate for Therapy, and destigmatizing talking about it openly:

Olivia writes about the content of her therapy sessions:

Olivia Rodrigo Reveals Her Therapist’s Reaction to ‘Brutal’: ‘Have I Not Grown at All?’

When asked directly who “Lacy” is about this was Olivia’s answer:

All the songs are about ME. And I think she’s being (mostly) honest. Lacy is not about Taylor Swift or Sabrina, or a lesbian love interest. It’s not an actual real-life person at all. Read the lyrics of this more overt song (same subject matter, in my opinion) to see what I mean:

Dear Insecurity

Brandy Clark showed me this song (both her & Olivia’s) is assuredly about self-esteem and perception:

Dear insecurity
Oh, we meet again
Don’t try to flirt with me
You’re not really my friend
But you take up half this bed
Livin’ rent-free in my head

Oh, insecurity
You show up in my mirror
Point out the worst in me
You whisper in my ear
That my lips are way too thin
Too many miles on my skin

If I can’t find a way to get you gone
Can we find a way to get along, along, along?
You’re careless, and you’re cruel, and, oh, you’re mindless
Maybe you could try a little kindness
Instead of hurtin’ me

Oh, insecurity
Now where did you come from?
Your immaturity
Is the thing I can’t outrun
You’re a mean girl, you’re a bully
And I hope you’re havin’ fun

Hey, insecurity
You try on all my clothes
It just occurred to me
That you may live in my phone
You tell me I don’t fit in
Push me close to quittin’

If I can’t find a way to get you gone
Can we find a way to get along, along, along?
You’re careless, and you’re cruel, and, oh, you’re mindless
Maybe you could try a little kindness
Instead of hurtin’ me

‘Cause insecurity
This time feels like love
She’s really sure of me
So, please don’t fuck this up
If you cut in on this dance
I may never get another chance

I’ll never find a way to get you gone
Wish I could find a way to know you’re wrong, you’re wrong, you’re wrong
You’re careless, and you’re cruel, and, oh, you’re mindless
Maybe you could try a little kindness
Instead of hurtin’ me (instead of hurtin’ me)

Why you hurtin’ me, insecurity?

Take-home point: Brandy has personified insecurity.

Back to Olivia’s “Lacy”

Same same:

Did I ever tell you that I’m not doing well?

Ooh, I care, I care, I care

But it takes over my life

Smart sexy Lacy, I’m losing it lately
I feel your compliments like bullets on skin

You got the one thing that I want

Lacy, oh, Lacy, it’s like you’re out to get me
You poison every little thing that I do
Lacy, oh, Lacy, I just loathe you lately
And I despise my jealous eyes and how hard they fell for you
Yeah, I despise my rotten mind and how much it worships you

Are you picking up what I’m (we’re: Brandy, Brandie, Olivia, and I) are putting down???

Lacy is the NAME of Olivia’s personal insecurities.

Lacy is delicate and thin, frilly and feminine, skimpy and translucent yet still elegant and dainty. Now describe for me patriarchy’s idea of the perfect woman (or just think about Bridget Bardot): Soft and skinny. Feminine and sexy, but not aggressive. Still upstanding and subtle. Same, same.

Now, don’t come for me. It’s one thing to call-out anorexia in a mean, disparaging body-shaming way, and another to have both eyes and concern. NOT mentioning the elephant in the room is stigmatizing. Personal opinion of weight aside, Olivia herself says she struggles with self-image.

Here’s the lyrics of the OPENING TRACK, ya know, the place to set expectations of what the album will be about [I underlined things for emphasis]:

“all-american bitch”

I am light as a feather, I’m as stiff as a board
I pay attention to things that most people ignore
And I’m alright with the movies
That make jokes ’bout senseless cruelty, that’s for sure
And I am built like a mother and a total machine
I feel for your every little issue, I know just what you mean
And I make light of the darkness
I’ve got sun in my motherfuckin’ pocket, best believe
Yeah, you know me, I

Forgive, and I forget
I know my age, and I act like it
Got what you can’t resist
I’m a perfect all-American

I am light as a feather, I’m as fresh as the air
Coca-Cola bottles that I only use to curl my hair
I got class and integrity
Just like a goddamn Kennedy, I swear
With love to spare, I

Forgive, and I forget
I know my age, and I act like it
Got what you can’t resist
I’m a perfect all-American bitch
With perfect all-American lips
And perfect all-American hips
I know my place
I know my place, and this is it

I don’t get angry when I’m pissed
I’m the eternal optimist
I scream inside to deal with it, like, “Ah”
Like, “Ah” (Oh my fucking God)

All the time
I’m grateful all the time
I’m sexy, and I’m kind
I’m pretty when I cry
Oh, all the time
I’m grateful all the time (Grateful all the fucking time)
I’m sexy, and I’m kind
I’m pretty when I cry

In the song Olivia has spelled out what the perfect woman is supposed to be [I don’t make the rules, patriarchy does]: Thin and sexy, have good lips and hips and hair. Listen (to men), and be kind, but don’t hold them accountable, forgive, forget, be grateful ALWAYS, and love, love, love (do not say no to advances). Don’t get angry, definitely don’t show it if you’re angry, be positive at any cost. Even when crying, look good and sexy. Keep appearance and image at the forefront. Have money and grace, displaying perfection, beauty, and wealth like a Goddamned Kennedy. Want and have kids. Be perfect.

Feminine words in the Song:

like puff pastry

[delicate, soft, smelling good, intricate, exotic, delicious]

Aren’t you the sweetest thing

sweet and kind

angel Lacy

Angelic, perfect, of God.

Victoria’s Secret Angels top models with unattainable beauty standards.

daisies

Aside from the Kaylor of it all… 

Like perfume that you wear

Smart sexy Lacy, I’m losing it lately

Dazzling starlet, Bardot reincarnate

Like ribbons in your hair

I’m thinking of the very first thing that might differentiate a baby boy and a baby girl.

How about rigid standards of femininity?

I’m thinking ultra-feminine:

Cheer

Brides

restriction:

you’re made of angel dust

PCP (Angel Dust): Effects, Hazards & Extent of Use

It is considered a dissociative drug, leading to a distortion of sights, colors, sounds, self, and one’s environment.

Drugs.comhttps://www.drugs.com › illicit › pcp

Meaning of Lacy:

I’m not diagnosing anybody, but given the lyrics I can see Olivia at least thinks about femininity, and image, and societal expectations. One strategy that therapists have used for addictions or body dysmorphia issues is to separate the negative voice from the person, described in the following entry:

https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/your-stories/naming-eating-disorder/

And I think that’s exactly who the Lacy in the song is- Olivia’s own negative self-talk. The voice telling her she’s not good enough. Lacy = The romanticized, coveted image of perfection that this patriarchal society lionizes. That Olivia manifests. Look at the lyrics again through that lens and tell me what you think in the comments!

Lacy, oh, Lacy, skin like puff pastry
Aren’t you the sweetest thing on this side of hell?
Dear angel Lacy, eyes white as daisies
Did I ever tell you that I’m not doing well?

Ooh, I care, I care, I care
Like perfume that you wear
I linger all the time
Watchin’, hidden in plain sight
Ooh, I try, I try, I try
But it takes over my life
I see you everywhere
The sweetest torture one could bear

Smart sexy Lacy, I’m losing it lately
I feel your compliments like bullets on skin
Dazzling starlet, Bardot reincarnate
Well, aren’t you the greatest thing to ever exist?

Ooh, I care, I care, I care
Like ribbons in your hair
My stomach’s all in knots
You got the one thing that I want
Ooh, I try, I try, I try
Try to rationalize
People are people
But it’s like you’re made of angel dust

Lacy, oh, Lacy, it’s like you’re out to get me
You poison every little thing that I do
Lacy, oh, Lacy, I just loathe you lately
And I despise my jealous eyes and how hard they fell for you
Yeah, I despise my rotten mind and how much it worships you

Best Moments of 2022

I was really grasping at straws for the most part to make this a list. I had to dig deep to think of the good times.

#21 Best thing:

Pride Parade was neutral. It Rained hard for a long time. We were soaked and chilly.

The police were good sports when the gays decorated them–they didn’t hate it. They DID refuse glitter though 😛

Despite the rain (and Cool’s event anxiety) we looked awesome.

#20 Best thing:

ScarecrowFest was neat. The entire town had sponsered scarecrows, and they were everywhere! We got to vote for our favorite on the website. Though as of yesterday (12/31) they still had not posting the result of the vote…

#19 Best thing:

I was in a totally different market at work:  (Jan-July/Aug) as extra help and that took me away from Jogre and KDouche-Finally! My interim supervisor was the best!!! He was communicative, friendly, and helpful. Good help was available, training was more frequent. They treated me nice, and so did everyone in that market (until I was actually transferred to their team permanently). I had really high confidence and hope that my work problems were over. [I didn’t know at the time it was a bait and switch…]. I was happy at work for half the year. 

#18 Best thing:

Zoo for Cool’s bday was fun.

This is not a zoom lens. You actually get this close to the penguins and the puffins!

It’s not higher because we got lost on the way back to the car, and walked (unplanned) 8 miles around sketchy areas in the heat and humidity.

#17 Best thing:

You-pick farm was low-key and fun. Flowers were beautiful. 

#16 Best thing:

Went permanent for the new market after the Sup said she doesn’t regulate OT. I was relieved and hopeful. 

At the time this was extremely good news. I would be away from Jogre and KDouche forever! Little did I know this sup was an even more aggressive narcissist. But for the time, it was really, really good news and a relief.

#15 Best thing:

Narwahls

They have alcohol slushies, and they do a flight. And also… Adorable!

Don’t I look miserable and tired, P.S.? This was after the moving ambush, packing frenzy, driving across 4 states, and sleeping on concrete. But the slushy was really good.

#14 Best thing:

Got a shamrock shake in the town of Shamrock TX when we were on our moving road trip. The milkshake machine worked!!!

#13 Best thing:

Randalls

#12 Best thing:

Music was pretty good again this year and I was on top of my ranking which felt good. 

Thanks to Taylor Swift for forcing me to finish it by Oct. It actually really helped (though I STILL have to do Weezer’s winter installment.

#11 Best thing:

Loft Landlord offered to let us sign a lease early to lock in same price for the next 19mo. We signed longer in order to move in better weather. 

We started asking about the price for renewal early, not wanting to be taken by surprise again. And I knew I needed to start packing and making reservations for storage and moving trucks by November. . . Having moving PTSD, I was very stressed and unprepared to pack all of our stuff again. And we had not recovered from 500 Move (Glendale, AZ) or our work CoL paycut. So even though there’s been car break-ins, burglary, fights that escalated to brandishing, a car on fire, rapes, and a full-on 12 person gun fight–I was relieved. I couldn’t pack and do all the moving logistics, make all the change of address calls, find a place, etc… so soon. And the money wouldn’t allow it-not in ideal way anyway. So it feels good to be locked into this rental price and to have some stability for the next year and a half.

#10 Best thing:

Halloween movie marathon! 

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#9 Best thing:

Cool got her music on Spotify and Apple Music and other platforms!!!

This has been a long term goal and she made it happen this year. I am so PROUD of her. Take a listen to ManiK Fox. Follow on social media, as she is always making music and art. She has two albums up right now with more to come. I got to help name a couple songs on the first album, so that’s pretty neat too. And the second album has a song with the characteristics of each astrological sign, so January is the perfect time to check it out.

#8 Best thing:

After 13 years we ordered rings.

Wedding rings, commitment rings, whatever you want to call it. Cool and I don’t need papers, of licenses, or rings to legitimize what we have together. We could never afford it before, but made it a priority this year.

The rings are made of dinosaur bones/fossils! Cool’s will have stegosaurus and mine has T-rex. And they have actual meteor (is everything else second best after that meteor strike??!) in them. Mine (my planet in the moon) will have lunar meteor in it. And they’ll have beveled edges so they don’t look like a Claire’s ring.

It’s so low on the list because they won’t come for 10 weeks (in late March 2023).

#7 Best thing:

Double pained windows 

It’s toward the top of the list because it allows temperature control. We’ve always had drafty, single pane windows and a sliding glass door which do nothing for the cold or heat. So the double panes allow us to be more comfortable, and also lower the utility, which is a top priority for me. We always wanted double-pane windows, but could never afford that type of rental before! So Yay(?) random (gun) violence for making this loft affordable.

Except for the one drafty one (yup, that’s snow/ice/frost on the INSIDE):

And of course one of the items stolen from our storage was a window plastic kit…

#6 Best thing:

song analysis

well, you’ve seen.

At some points, analyzing songs was the ONLY thing that would stop my ruminations. It was one time I was relatively calm, and thinking about something else. Writing was a bright spot, and I wish I could get some type of income from writing from home.

#5 Best thing:

Finally found Goose a good vet

We have gone through FOUR (5 if you count my last vet job where the vet didn’t GAF) where the vets were too busy to care. Exams were done in the back, blood pressures half-assed or not done at all. Goose was treated like a checklist and I was treated as a nuisance.

But Dr. Ervin LISTENED. He took TIME to do things properly. He was professional and kind. Goose and I love him!

#4 Best thing:

Got $2800 from renters insurance for 500 Move (out of literally $10k paid directly to 500 move, and probably $5000 of damage/lost/stolen items) But it was something! 

It was very easy to complete the claim too (unlike 500 Move). You just select your items from an amazon-like link.

#3 A,B,C Best things:

Brandi in KC-close enough to walk and next door to the zoo!

And at the zoo, you got to go right in with the kangaroos! No fences between us at all. And no staff was even in there watching. It was amazing! This pic is actually how close we got (don’t worry, we stayed on the path, as advised by the signs).

The AirBnB was within walking to the venue. No lateness phobia! No parking! No paying to park! No having to wait to leave or messing around with drunk drivers trying to get out of the venue! We just ate at home, walked through the neighborhood, and walked right up. As a result we were first in our line (which is not usually my luck).

#2 Best thing:

The 4 cats were perfect angels on the car ride and in hotels during the move.

They were almost entirely quiet during the car ride. And we had charcoal liners in their carriers, so when baby Angus had to go at a very inopportune time on the road it wasn’t a big deal. He tried very hard to hold it, then harder to tell us he was about to have an accident. When we coaxed him to just pee nobody smelled it and no one was wet!

And it was the best they’ve ever done in a hotel. Goose gets angsty and stressed out in hotels and won’t sleep-or let us sleep. Once, he was so unhappy about a car ride that he peed on my hotel pillow! And he NEVER inappropriately urinates. And in the past, C.L. yowled the whole car ride and was wandery and unsettled in the hotel.

I was ready for the worst. If two cats made for a bad trip, 4 were going to be miserable! But more cats actually helped. It was like they calmed each other. The sat in pairs in the car and like I said, everyone was just cozy. And they SLEPT in both hotels. It was more than I could expect from 4 babies, and I was so PROUD of them. And relieved to listen to podcasts instead of meows in the car. And very pleased to sleep at night, instead of trying to calm stressed out cats. Oh, and NO meds, ZERO substances. Just more cats than before.

#1 Best thing:

It was bad: I felt hopeless, depressed, anxious, uncertain, and constant dread. I knew there was no way out without upsetting my whole life, probably getting less money, and likely having to go to an office, and I didn’t want that. So I remained in the company, just on edge and paranoid and unhappy. BUT out of nowhere the corporation moved me away from my narcissist supervisor back to the other side of the company! And NOT to Jogre’s team. I did not have to do anything or say anything. Everyone (including, and especially MNarc) was upset about the yanking, and lack of communication, and the timeline (NOW, NOW, NOW!), but it solved all my problems in one swift action! I automatically felt a million times better. I am able to think about things other than work. I don’t have required overtime every weekday, or holiday hours to work. And I don’t have to put up with being abused anymore. It feels good, and I want 2023 to be calm and peaceful!

Brandi Carlile: Right on Time

First of all, I don’t understand Brandi’s new look.

It’s like David Bowe & wild-days Elton John mashed up. I get that those were her heroes/idols, but the look is definitely a “show look” not street wear. So I figured it must be like an era (al la Taylor Swift) and probably fit the theme of the new album. But it was confusing that the twins didn’t change their look at all. They looked the same as they ever did. But I waited for the album, hoping it would fall into place once I heard it.

Nope.

I don’t know what’s happening. The album is not a funsy-disco, or campy gay theme, nor is it thematic like outer space, or anything that warrants a costumy look. So I chalk it up to midlife crises. And the album might support that view…

It opens with Right On Time– With the words, “It’s not too late” this song sets the album’s tone. The piano-driven, lyrically-centered tune reminds me of “That Wasn’t Me.” That latter song was the single off of Bear Creek which is apt, because I think that album was the beginning of the story arc discussed in this current album. I feel like Bear Creek was all excitement and hope for what was to come, all getting together and family-building. While In These Silent Days is the impending ending/inevitable divorce, maybe staying together unhappily in co-dependence

There are nice bits of electric guitar w/the piano, to show both regret and a bit of edginess. And oh, the singing! Brandi’s voice shines through this song, as well as every song on the entire album. She is always a stunner on vocals, but in each track she makes sure to showcase it, not in just one or two outstanding singles. In this album-opener, Brandi hits that high note. Twice. Then it’s an even higher note!

Brandi/the narrator of the song acknowledges bad behavior, which does warrant anger/hurt in the other person, but makes clear it’s not too late, and she(?) wants to try again. So this album starts at big relationship problems, and indicates things are about to fall apart. But the main character is grasping tightly, not wanting to give up and let go.