When one hears the word “feminist”, many different things may come to mind. One may think of the “bra burning” feminists of the 1960s or the “riot grrrl” feminists of the 1990s. It can bring to mind issues such as abortion, birth control, and unfair wages. There are many different aspects of feminism, some of which are understood only by those involved in the movement. But like most things people are passionate about, feminism has held a strong place in music since its very beginning, and can be seen in its festivals, its politics, and in the average American’s everyday life.
The textbook definition of feminism is “a doctrine that advocates equal rights for women” (WordNet, 2010). While this is correct, there is much more to it than that. Different feminists may hold different beliefs or place more importance on different issues. There is no “correct” way to be a feminist. Beliefs may depend on a feminist’s religion, political views, race, or many other factors. For example, some feminists may have no problem with pornography, while others may strongly oppose it. No two feminists hold exactly the same beliefs. But the overall universal belief held by feminists is that women should be treated equally and fairly.
Feminist beliefs have been around for centuries. However, the first real “wave” of feminism occurred in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (History, 2010). This wave focused mainly on women’s suffrage, which was achieved in 1920.
The second wave of feminism came about in the 1960s and lasted into the early 1980s (History, 2010). This movement focused on many issues of equality in culture, politics, and many other areas. While this wave is often associated with bra burning, this is an exaggeration that actually ...
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McCarthy, K. (2006). Not Pretty Girls?: Sexuality, Spirituality, and Gender Construction in Women's Rock Music. Journal of Popular Culture, 39(1), 69-94. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5931.2006.00204.x.
Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved March 26, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Womyn%27s_Music_Festival
Miller, G. A. (n.d.). WordNet Search - 3.0. In WordNet. Retrieved from http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=feminism
Olivia Records. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved March 26, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia_Records
Redfern, C. (2002, April 16). The Spice Girls. In The F-Word. Retrieved from http://www.thefword.org.uk/features/2002/04/the_spice_girls
Riot Grrrl. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved March 26, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riot_Grrrl
On the night of December 13, 2013 Beyoncé, released her fifth self-titled album on ITunes. The album caught many people by surprise because Beyoncé did not set a date for the album, nor did she use any promotion; she did release a video on her Instagram asking her followers if they “were ready”. The buzz spread through social media like a wild fire. With no promotion or no warning, Beyoncé album took the world by storm and made it for her audience and critics to take in the album and it contents. Many people loved the album for not only its catchy songs, but also the growth and “looser” conservative Beyoncé. On the other hand many people did not feel that her album was growth, but a way to catch up to the overly sexual generation. Beyoncé has always been aware of her sexual side, pop side, and feminist side; this has been documented through her four previous albums. Yet, a lot of people have questioned if Beyoncé a feminist because of the content of her newest album. In order to answer that a person must ask him or her self; what is a feminist, why some people believe she is feminist, why others do not believe she feminist, and whether or not Beyoncé think she is a feminist.
The word feminism is sometimes misinterpreted and associated with female superiority and hatred of men, although most people probably agree that feminism can mean the desire for social and economic parity. There is so much baggage surrounding this term that clarification of what feminism is and is not, is essential. Indeed, the way feminism has developed has not been pretty. “Feminism over the years have [sic] evolved away from its noble purpose of creating awareness and defending women rights to creating new ridiculous ‘belief systems.’...feminism has become more like a medium for angry women to vent their hatred and frustration towards man”(“Feminism is Chauvinism”). This definition goes completely against the true meaning of what feminism entails. Feminism can be defined as a fundamental respect for others and the desire for equality between men and women.
Popular music in the United States throughout the decades have always consisted of different genres of music and during the late 70’s and early 80’s, many of the popular bands consisted of only male artists and members. In an era dominated by male artists, Fleetwood Mac featured their lead female singer Stevie Nicks, who went on to transcend the gender expectations of the time and pursue a solo career in the midst of heavy adversity. Fleetwood Mac’s lead singer, Stevie Nicks, is a prime example of the evolution female artists have endured as they struggled to gain equal footing in this male dominated industry. This essay will examine the different factors contributing to Stevie Nicks’s popularity, along with her breaking these normative masculine roles and the way she combined different genres and personal
Feminism is categorized into 4 main stages, known as the first-wave feminism (early 20th c, second-wave feminism (the 1960s to mid-1980s), third-wave feminism (1990s), and post-feminism (21st c). The emergence of second-wave feminism is distinguished by
“Feminism”, as defined today, is “1: the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes,” and “2: organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests.”2 Many critics claim that feminism has been active longer than the word itself has existed.3 The word, “feminist” was not in true use until the late 1800s and early 1900s, but activism for women’s rights was alive and well a...
Leonard, Marion. Gender in the Music Industry: Rock, Discourse, and Girl Power. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate, 2007. Print.
Frisby, C.M., Stevens, J.A. (2012) Race and Genre in the Use of Sexual Objectification in Female Artists’ Music Video. Howard Journal of Communications (Vol. 23, Is. 1, p. 66-87)
Feminism, in its simplest definition, is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. (Webster) Feminists fight for equality for women to men socially, politically, and economically. At the peak of feminist discourse is equality for men and women in education and in employment. However, feminism also focuses on more than issues regarding the rights of women in relation to men. Issues of gender equality and women’s right to control their sexuality are also at the core of feminist theory. A key argument made by many feminists is how women have very little control over their sexuality, mainly being defined and controlled by men. T...
My object of analysis is going to be “boy bands” which I am defining as “a band of boys usually playing pop music that is marketed towards young women.” I am going to specifically look at the band 5 Seconds of Summer and I am going to look at how their music and success becomes undermined because their target audience is primarily young women. I am going to do this using feminist theory and this project will examine how ideologies regarding the connection between young women and the band itself being written off artistically are almost embedded within society, in that people say things such as “this band sucks” without ever really listening due to their classification as a boy band. This is primarily linked back to who they are marketed toward,
Sheila Whitely (2000), in her book ‘Women and Popular Music: Sexuality, Identity and Subjectivity’ argues that mainstream music in the 1960’s was fundamental misogynistic, characterising women along the classic lines of either an idealised saint or a whore. For her there is little room for feminism to thrive given these two polarised and constructed forms of identity. In terms of the saintly figure she analyses two of rock’s most popular songs, The Beatles ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ or Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’. In both of these songs, women, while being the main characters, are objectified as an idealised dolls living in a mystic fairytale. Mainstream rock also presents idealised forms of female identity on the other side
A feminist is someone who believes that women should have the same opportunities as men. Some individuals dislike the fact of being named a feminist. While many others on the hand are proud to call themselves a feminist. An upcoming artist whose very popular in the music industry, and so happens to be a strong feminist advocate is known by the stage name Grimes. In all of Grimes’s appearances, performances, and music videos, she demonstrates her knowledge of, and her refusal to participate in, self-objectification and being sexualized. In some of her famous song Grimes reverses the male gaze, creating a situation in which men are being watched and masculinity is being deconstructed. The surprising fact of the term feminist is that men can
Locke, Jillian L. "Feminism (Second-Wave)." Encyclopedia of U.S. Political History. Ed. Thomas S. Langston. Vol. 6: Postwar Consensus to Social Unrest, 1946 to 1975. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2010. 170-174. Gale Virtual Library
Second wave feminism is a feminism activity began in the 1960s. (Burkett, 2015) According to the Encyclopedia Britannica second wave feminism is:
As one moves past the initial onslaught of rhythmic beats that calypso has to offer, it is difficult to miss the way in which it reverberates with negative and demoralizing images of women to their male counterparts. Whether it is within the lyrics of Sparrow’s “Drunk and Disorderly” or Square One’s “My Ding-a Ling”, an ample number of verses are often dedicated to making lewd comments about the female body and the suggestive body language described through thinly veiled rhymes and puns, can be offensive depending on the listener. The half naked models being displayed on the various album covers of calypso, soca and rap mix tapes further reinforces these negative connotations. This bandwagon has been jumped upon by many, including the rap genre in the last two decades, wanting to capitalize on a marketing strategy that generally purports to flag consumer attention, playing on their sense of eroticism. The sections titled “Music, Sex, Sexism” and “Woman Rising” within Peter Manuel’s text: Caribbean Currents, dive into the many issues surrounding gender within music as well as female portrayal specifically in calypso. Observations can be made simply by reading through the textual comparisons. Many aspects of this subject area allude to the fact that the issue of gender portrayal in music can be construed differently depending on who the critical listener happens to be. With the increased awareness and heightened sensitivity to the way in which females are portrayed in popular media, it is important to reflect on the impact these lyrics have on male-female relationships within the communities who most often enjoy this music genre.
The lyrics of music play an important part of interpreting the meaning of the song. The roles which women have been allowed by the society to embody have changed drastically. Women may question their roles because of what they see portrayed by popular culture or media. Change in female’s identity can be seen in how women are viewed or how they portray themselves in popular culture specifically through music. In general, music continues to...