It's our own personal rule to always ignore Twitter trolls. But, if you're going to engage with them, take a lesson from Janelle Monáe: The psych-soul singer was recently criticized by some random basement dweller for wearing her trademark suits and apparently not fitting the "sexy" mold of a female pop singer circa 2015. "Girl stop being so soulful and be sexy," the user @mellow_saa wrote. "Tired of those dumbass suits..you fine but u too damn soulful man."
Before we go any further, let's acknowledge that the person who wrote that message has a small brain, and by responding to him Monáe is giving him the exact attention he craves. Having said that, her response couldn't be more perfect.
Then, in a somewhat unexpected turn of events, Monáe dropped a video for her latest single, "Yoga," in which she trades her suit and bowtie for crop tops and yoga pants, and her soulful sound for a more traditional, club-ready banger. But even though she happens to be doing what the troll suggested, that coincidence does not undermine the major message behind the video, and her work in general: She is sexy on her own terms, for herself.