I will be looking at the timeline of the feminist movement through
song; the new rights being fought for across each time period.
Early 20th
Century:
There wasn’t much feminist music prior to the 1960s, but a
good example is Ma Rainey’s “Cell Bound Blues”; the tale of a woman in jail
after killing her abusive husband in self defence. Women were objects belonging
to their fathers and husbands, and finally trying to stand up against that
fact.
1960s:
With the beginning of second-wave feminism, women started to fight
for equality between the genders.
“I don't tell you what
to say
I don't tell you what
to do
So just let me be
myself
That's all I ask of
you” - Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own
Me”
1980s:
The women’s movement was still going strong. Feminists were
trying to emphasize their unrecognized abilities and value, and they began
fighting for lesbian rights as well.
“I've got to show the
world
All that I want to be
And all my billities
There's so much more
to me
Somehow, I have to
make them
Just understand” –“I’m
Coming Out” by Diana Ross
1990s:
The Third Wave of feminism was all about abolishing
gender-role stereotypes and incorporating women of all classes, races,
ethnicities and cultures.
“This is reality, we
need to turn our minds
Brothers talking
revolution but leave their babies behind
Well sister, he's a
sucker, just leave'em be
The revolution is now
up to ‘brothers’ like me”
- “Mama’s Always on Stage” by Arrested
Development, sung from the viewpoint of a ‘black’ mother to a ‘white’ one.
2010s:
Finally, in 2010, the Fourth Wave of feminism began,
bringing issues like the income gap and workplace harassment into the
spotlight.
Some songs made around these issues include “Hyrrs: Festive Tunes
Made Feminist”, such as the parody of “Once in Royal David’s City” below.
“More than half of
working women
Have been sexually
harassed.
Such a scary a**
statistic
Surely belongs in the
past.”
---
This course should be interesting, and I can’t wait to see
the changing views through famous texts. Thank you.
Nice post! It was interesting seeing the development through music. I like how you've used lyrics to demonstrate the different aspects of each wave of feminism. It makes me wonder if the suffragette movement (first-wave feminism) was also referenced in song.
ReplyDeleteDo you think songs not so strongly associated with feminism would reflect changes to a woman's role in society and topical issues to do with women in the same way these ones do?