Tell Sarah Fard to be sweet and she’ll show you the door.
We’re paraphrasing, of course, but so goes the sentiments of the her new song, “Sweet,” released this past Sunday (January 16) via her Boston project Savoir Faire. The new single shares a barbed rejection of all the cutesy terms used to minimize and weaken women, both intentionally and subconsciously. “Sweet,” of course, ranks chief among them, alongside “emotional,” “hysterical,” and “ladylike.”
“Though well-intended, the term carries with it undertones of ‘complacent’ and ‘people-pleasing,’” Fard explains. “‘Sweet’ asserts that, though I may have a sweet exterior projected onto me, I am not as soft as I appear.”
She’s not afraid to let her snark shine, either, since her “misanthrope’s had practice,” as she boasts in the sobering slow burn. To some listeners, “Sweet” might even sound sinister — likely because we’ve been conditioned to see “red flags” when women are anything less than accommodating. In reality, those so-called warning signs signal heathy levels of confidence and tenacity.
“Don’t confuse helpful with helpless / Cosmetic with sharp-dressed / Empathy with weak knees,” Fard muses, her syrupy vocals melting into the jazz guitar.
They say you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. But Fard’s honey pot has long run dry — and the world could use the bitter wake-up call, anyways.