Hard Out Here Video: Guardian Columnist Accuses Lilly Allen of Racism

Lilly Allen has denied claims that the music video for her comeback track, Hard Out Here, is racist after she faced backlash for featuring only black and Asian scantily clad dancers.

In the four-minute promo, Allen takes a stand against sexism and misogyny in the music industry by spoofing modern pop culture.

Following the video debut, the pop star found herself at the centre of a race row after numerous bloggers and twitter users accused her of degrading and sexualising black female bodies by showing them twerking in revealing clothes.

Guardian writer Suzanne Moore launched a scathing attack in an article titled Lily Allen says her video for Hard Out Here isn't to do with race. She is wrong.

According to Moore, in her bid to make a feminist statement, Allen failed to positively represent ethnic minorities.

"I don't like racism. Even tongue-in-cheek, hand-on-slapped-black-buttocks racism. In the video she walks away from her twerking dancers. She remains in charge. They don't," Moore said.

"Maybe I have read it wrong. But what I see is the black female body, anonymous and sexualised, grinding away to make the rent. Maybe I should just overlook it.

She added: "I missed the meeting where one had to choose between racism and sexism."

One blogger on #BlackInAsia wrote: "The video is meant to be a critique and satire of popular culture and manages some deserved jabs at Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' videos among others, but in the end it just reduces itself down to elevating Lily Allen's white female body and objectifying and utterly denigrating those of the black female dancers she deliberately surrounds herself with from start to finish."

In the wake of the backlash Allen took to twitter to hit back at the racism accusations.

"[This video] has nothing to do with race, at all," Allen said in a post titled Privilege, Superiority and Misconceptions.

"[It] is meant to be a lighthearted satirical video that deals with objectification of women within modern pop culture ... The message is clear."

"I'm not going to apologise because I think that would imply that I'm guilty of something, but I promise you this, in no way do I feel superior to anyone, except paedophiles, rapists, murderers etc., and I would not only be surprised but deeply saddened if I thought anyone came away from that video feeling taken advantage of or compromised in any way."