“Eff my type”: The end of a complacent era, Summer Walker style
How one music artist is transforming women’s expectations in relationships.
What does it mean to be Finally Over It? What does it feel like when your back is against the wall and you have nothing left to give? I don’t know, but Summer Walker could probably tell you.
We’re living in a time where women don’t need a man to feel complete, Chanté Joseph’s piece ‘Is Having a Boyfriend Embarrassing Now?’ holds a mirror to society in the way journalism should. The idea of women “reclaiming and romanticising their single life” is echoed in Summer’s end to the ‘Over it’ trilogy.
It was a basic Friday morning, and I was getting ready for my nine o’clock news day meeting when I saw a friend post a screenshot of Summer Walker’s ‘Finally Over It’ album on their Instagram story, very pleased with the output.
The final part of the ‘Over It’ trilogy is a two-part body of work giving the listener pure 90s and early 2000s R&B featuring big names such as Chris Brown, Doja Cat, Brent Faiyaz and others.
I couldn’t believe our lover girl was back on the scene, ready to have us sliding down the wall with a glass of wine in hand - or whatever gets you in your feelings.
But when I dedicated some time to listen, I was in for the rudest awakening, but I believe it’s not just Summer, it’s the girlies everywhere saying “Eff my type”
Sit-down interview with Summer Walker and Speedy Morman.
Disc One: For better
The first disc entitled ‘For Better’ speaks to the girls out there who are finding themselves, choosing to love not at the expense of themselves - ultimately saying no to Tomfoolery. She writes via an Instagram post: “Every heartbreak brought me back to myself. I’m not looking for someone to complete me, I’m already whole.”
Musician Macario Matheson said, “Summer Walker lists her songs in three different sectors, and each song throughout the album describes her feelings.” Adding, “the first song Scars is more like an introduction”
Her third track, “No” presents a different side of herself, one we’re not familiar with but can get behind.
She sets boundaries, communicates what she will not accept and lyrically puts her foot down. The sample from Beyoncé’s “Yes” is a smart continuation of a woman speaking up in her relationship. Summer sings: “You want me to lose myself just to keep your home, but the answer’s no, no, no.”
This song goes against unspoken things I learnt through my questionable choices in guys - If you don’t want to be lonely, don’t cause “unnecessary drama”. But communicating your needs in a relationship isn’t drama. You’re exercising your right to a happy, healthy and edifying relationship. If you can’t speak to your person, then sis… is it worth being with them?
It seems other women are tired of living in autopilot – consistently allowing bad treatment from others.
Disc Two: For Worse
In this disc, Summer explores trading intimacy for a life of material comfort. The final song captures the essence of where she is now and how we got here. She sings: “I’m trading a broken heart for a good life” Summer is graduating from the ‘lover girl’ who pleads to be heard to now demanding a conditional love that sets her up for joy, not heartbreak.
Prompting me to question: how long will this way of love last before the pendulum swings back again?
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Contributing writer at Groove and Overblown Magazine, Jule Riemenschneider describes Summer Walker’s album as “a love letter to herself that embraces self-worth and empowerment”
Despite some fans not resonating with her new album, others seem to.