The Discourse Around Kelsea Ballerini’s ‘I Sit in Parks’ Is Getting Heated

On YouTube, the music video has drawn mostly positive comments from people who relate to the feeling evoked by the song. Many are from women in their 30s who say they are trying to have their first children (for context, Ballerini is 32). Some talk about “God’s timing,” though others are less supportive, advising women not to “wait” or warning that the “great millennial regret” of putting off parenthood is coming.

And in even less supportive corners of the internet, things are getting more heated. Let’s get into it on the latest TL;DR…

What does “I Sit in Parks” actually say?

When you look at the lyrics alone, Ballerini is clear that she chose, of her own free will, to prioritize her career. The only outside voice she seems to be listening to is Rolling Stone (“But Rolling Stone says I’m on the right road / So I refill my Lexapro”). She’s not even weighing two value systems (careerism versus family; left versus right; work versus home) or ideologies. She’s simply contending with the biological reality of fertility.

It’s a pretty apolitical and personal stance, and one that many women of all ages understand. She’s not debating whether or not she should or will have children, just acknowledging that she pursued her dreams and wondering what life would be like if she had taken another path.

At one point she does sing, “I wonder if she wants my freedom like I wanna be a mother.” Put another way, Ballerini recognizes that having a family requires some level of sacrifice of one’s freedom.

What is the debate over the song?

In a nutshell, conservative commentators are blaming any sad feelings the song evokes on feminism, ascribing the fact that Ballerini doesn’t have any kids to wokeness at large. “How many hearts has feminism broken with its lies?” asks one Christian influencer on X.

An op-ed on Fox News at least takes the song more seriously, pointing out that Ballerini isn’t bitter and “doesn’t villainize anyone,” but the author does villainize society at large, writing that “the world” told Ballerini not to want motherhood.

Meanwhile, The Daily Wire’s coverage says: “There is a group of women who feel duped by the subtle yet relentless messaging to build their careers and identities first and worry about marriage and family later…or never.”