This song is not only a biopic of how women are treated but also a metaphor of how men with feminine traits are viewed. This especially applies to Richey and Nicky with all the dress that they wore etc. The fact that Richey was anorexic in itself is a feminine trait. Self abuse is considered feminine, and abuse of others out of pity for yourself is considered masculine.
The line "you are pure, you are snow" is especially intersting. Richey always seemed to view snow as perfection or purity (see 4st 7lb "I want to walk in the snow and not soil its purity") but in this case, it refers to the masculine side. So he's saying that society views this as perfection for a male and the rest are condemned to a life of being "useless sluts" despite the fact that he holds this in much higher esteem.
By the way, "culture, alienation, boredom and despair" according to Richey was the central theme for every Manics song, their actions and their reasons for creating art. It was the original working title for Generation Terrorists but the record company said it was too depressing and not PC, preferring Generation Terrorists. And lets be perfectly honest, that's not really PC either!!!
This song is not only a biopic of how women are treated but also a metaphor of how men with feminine traits are viewed. This especially applies to Richey and Nicky with all the dress that they wore etc. The fact that Richey was anorexic in itself is a feminine trait. Self abuse is considered feminine, and abuse of others out of pity for yourself is considered masculine. The line "you are pure, you are snow" is especially intersting. Richey always seemed to view snow as perfection or purity (see 4st 7lb "I want to walk in the snow and not soil its purity") but in this case, it refers to the masculine side. So he's saying that society views this as perfection for a male and the rest are condemned to a life of being "useless sluts" despite the fact that he holds this in much higher esteem. By the way, "culture, alienation, boredom and despair" according to Richey was the central theme for every Manics song, their actions and their reasons for creating art. It was the original working title for Generation Terrorists but the record company said it was too depressing and not PC, preferring Generation Terrorists. And lets be perfectly honest, that's not really PC either!!!