Art is an often overlooked medium for social activism. Historically, women have used music to raise awareness of sexual violence. The seemingly personal troubles of sexual assault, expressed in song, expose and publicize the societal issue of sexual brutality. Attempts to address this threat eventually led to the creation of the #MeToo Movement. Tarana Burke, an activist and a victim of sexual assault herself, started the movement in 2006, to offer women a safe place to share their stories, have access to resources, and seek comfort when needed, all while exposing the issue to the rest of society. In 2017, her movement started hashtag #MeToo and became globally popular. In response, many artists created powerful anthems to support the stand against sexual violence.
Roots of Musical Feminism
The start of musical activism can be traced back to the Roaring Twenties when the “new woman” was created, represented by flappers who encouraged sexual freedom (Freedman 1974). The ‘20s to the ‘30s was a crucial period in the fight against American patriarchy and rape culture. White women led movements to fight for equality, respect, and political freedom composing the first wave of feminism.
Alongside the movements fought by white women, African American women wrote blues songs to raise awareness for sexual assault, even though it was still not publicly acceptable to discuss. In contrast to popular music at the time, which generally depicted ideal relationships and marriages between men and women, the blues was a catalyst that worked in parallel with the first wave of women’s rights movements (Davis 1999). African American artists in this era like Mamie Smith, Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, and Bessie Smith conveyed their horrible experiences of “extramarital relationships, domestic violence, and the ephemerality of many sexual partners,” which was not found in typical songs of the 1920s (Davis 1999). What started out as “an impulse to keep the painful details and episodes of a brutal experience alive” would soon spark greater movements (Switzer 2001).
Throughout the 1920s, songs that tried to tackle the issue typically revealed the abuse women received by men. Bessie Smith wrote “Yes Indeed He Do!” in which she sang:
“If he beats me or mistreats me, what is that to you? / I don’t have to do no work except to wash his clothes / And darn his socks and press his pants and scrub the kitchen floor.”
-Bessie Smith (1928)
The lyrics depict the physical mistreatment that women received by their significant others. In this time period, women were seen as inferior by society and often treated like servants, and this view of them came through in the way their husbands abused them.
In the 1930s, women’s rendition of blues became more sexually explicit, representing that women can have control of sexual desires like men. At the time, it was more expected that men might have many sexual partners, but it was not acceptable if women had the same. Songs like Gertrude “Ma” Rainey’s “Barrel House Blues” expressed that with the lyrics, “Papa likes his outside women, mama like her outside men.” Women wanted to express that if men could have polygamous relationships, they should be able to as well.
A Push for More Attention
The second wave of feminism, from 1963 to the 1980s, brought more attention to rape and abuse and protested for reproductive rights (Mohajan 2022). This wave brought Black and white women together, along with other minority groups to protest. The National Organization for Women (NOW) was established in 1966 to eradicate discrimination against women. Following this movement, more songs were released in support of women empowerment like “You Don’t Own Me” by Lesley Gore. She voices that women should not be submissive to men saying, “You don’t own me / I’m not just one of your many toys / … / And don’t tell me what to do / Don’t tell me what to say.” Another famous hit by Aretha Franklin from 1967 called “Respect” chants, “All I’m askin’ is for a little respect when you get home / … / Or you might walk in / And find out I’m gone.” Then in 1979, the Raincoats released “Off Duty Trip” telling a story of a man who gets away with rape so that his military career is not destroyed. As the feminist movements progressed, the addition of these songs addressing sexual assault brought additional attention and helped more women feel comfortable addressing the situation because many still felt that sexual and physical abuse were not topics up for public debate (Davis 1999).
Embracing Womanhood
On the contrary, starting around the ‘90s, third wave feminists began to redefine and embrace elements of traditional femininity. The third wave emphasized that there are multiple layers to the category of “women.” Women of all racial identities came together to create a more sex-positive environment (Snyder 2008). Artists like Rihanna, JLo, Nicki Minaj, and Beyoncé have become prime examples of this through their songs, performance attire, and music videos. Additionally, Rhianna, who was a victim of domestic and sexual abuse, wrote a song called “Man Down” which tells a story of a girl hunting down and murdering her offender after being sexually abused. She wrote this song to empower other women who have suffered as she did. Although these singers were not specifically leading movements, they were famous, credible musicians that were well-liked and could get people to listen and follow their actions to speak out.
The blues evolved into rhythm and blues (R&B) and has continued to be an outlet for confronting sexual crime. Popular artists like TLC and Destiny’s Child released songs supporting the empowerment of women, and TLC’s “His Story” stresses the notion that people often refuse to believe women when they come forward about issues. In the music industry, punk rock played a role in the social movement the “Riot Grrrls” tackling violence against women including rape and abuse, and encouraging sexuality and empowerment among women with artists such as Bikini Kill, Heavens to Betsy, Excuse 17, and more (Dunn 2014).
The fourth wave of feminism, beginning in 2012, incorporates new technology such as the internet and intertwines with the third wave (Ramnath 2021). At this point, Tarana Burke’s #MeToo Movement was beginning to take off. Lady Gaga wrote “Til it Happens to You” for the 2015 documentary The Hunting Ground. The film exposes the failure to provent sexual assault on college campuses. As a survivor of sexual violence, she also wrote “Swine” to express how she felt after her traumatic experience. She called her offender out, singing, “You’re just a pig inside a human body / Squealer, squealer, squealed out, you’re so disgusting.” She carefully chose a rhythm and lyrics that elicited emotions of sadness, fear, and distress associated with such a traumatic experience. This masterpiece sends a powerful message that only those who have suffered firsthand can truly grasp the level of mental and physical pain that comes with the aftermath.
Tarana Burke, an activist and survivor, who started the #MeToo Movement.
Kesha, another well-known artist, wrote “Praying” after being sexally abused by her music producer Dr. Luke. She writes, “‘Cause you brought the flames and you put me through hell / I had to learn how to fight for myself / And we both know all the truth I could tell / I’ll just say this is ‘I wish you farewell.’” Taylor Swift also spoke up as a sexual assault survivor with many iconic hits. She also sends messages about woman empowerment in songs like “The Man”.
The War Continues Against Rape Culture
Although feminist music can be a medium to call forth cultural change, popular music choices have grown to include increasing misogynistic themes and ideas in support of rape culture. A study of songs from the 2007 “Hot 100” list uncovered stereotypes conveying ideas of men in power, objectification and ownership of women, rape culture, women devaluation, sexual abuse, and men driven by sexual behavior (Bretthauer et al. 2007). Men are more likely to sing about sexual behavior and intercourse explicitly, whereas women are more likely to sing about love and relationships that involve dating (Smiler et al. 2017). Taylor Swift also exemplifies this, writing songs about love and her romantic life as well, such as “Lover”, “Enchanted”, “All Of The Girls You Loved Before”, and many more.
Another study examined the negative effects of degrading music lyrics and sexual behavior on adolescents (Martino et al. 2006). Young adults who listen to degrading music are more likely to engage in unsafe sexual activity learning that it is seen as “normal,” or socially acceptable, since everyone listens to it (Martino et al. 2006). In addition, the repetitive exposure to derogatory language towards women becomes normalized teaching that usage of these words is tolerable when it is not.
An End to Sexual Violence
Whether artists wrote songs deliberately for movements or as a means of expression alongside these movements, they were forms of musical activism that contributed to raising awareness and addressing sexual violence. Especially with the rise in technology, which allowed for the growing popularity of music, the powerful messages in these songs have been able to reach a greater audience. Music is more than just an arrangement of musical notes as demonstrated by the many artists mentioned above. It can provide powerful anthems to bring on cultural change
References
Bretthauer, B., Zimmerman, T. S., & Banning, J. H. (2007). A feminist analysis of popular music. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy , 18(4):29–51. (https://doi.org/10.1300/J086v18n04_02)
Davis, A. (1999). Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday, 3–41. Vintage.
Dunn, K. C. (2014). The nine lives of the riot grrrl evolution. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 16(2):317-334. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14616742.2014.919103)
Freedman, E. B. (1974). The new women: Changing views of women in the 1920s. The Journal of American History, 61(2):372-393. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/1903954)
Martino, S. C., Collins, R. L., Elliott, M. N., Strachman, A., Kanouse, D. E., & Berry, S. H. (2006). Exposure to Degrading Versus Nondegrading Music Lyrics and Sexual Behavior Among Youth. American Academy of Pediatrics, 151(3). (https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-0131)
Mohajan, H. K. (2022). Four waves of feminism: A blessing for global humanity. Studies in Social Science & Humanities, 1(2). (https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/114328/)
Ramnath, A. (2021). “Tracing the History and Role of Music in the Evolution of Feminist Movements.” Feminism in India. Retrieved March 30, 2023 (https://feminisminindia.com/2021/12/03/tracing-the-history-and-role-of-music-in-the-evolution-of-feminist-movements/)
Smiler, A. P., Shewmaker, J. W., & Hearon, B. (2017). From “I Want To Hold Your Hand” to “Promiscuous”: Sexual stereotypes in popular music lyrics, 1960-2008. Sexuality & Culture, 21:1083-1105. (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-017-9437-7)
Switzer, R. (2001). Signifying the blues. Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics, (21):25+. (https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A126164938/AONE?u=nysl_ce_hamilton&sid=googleScholar&xid=2df2b677)
