Feminist product placement This week saw a newfeminist anthem thrust upon us. As when anything is called feminist and presented to the feminists it got ripped apart. Some feminists loved it and hailed it as the beginning of a new pop video era. Some feminists did not care for it because it did not satirise the music industry in the way the director and singer might have intended.
But! Let's not dwell, instead let allow us to direct you to Woman's Hour's interesting discussion on the subject and decide what our feminist anthems are.
But! Let's not dwell, instead let allow us to direct you to Woman's Hour's interesting discussion on the subject and decide what our feminist anthems are.
1. It was really hard not to take the sarky route here and choose something with a chauvinist slant. What can I say? I like causing trouble. But given that the feminist wave we're on right now is vocal about including absolutely everyone while spending a disproportionate amount of time contemplating the contents of its navel, I nominate Project Pitchfork's We Are One (Mirror Split Up Into Pieces).F1 Kate
2. My ultimate feminist anthem has been mimed by me since the tender age of 7. Even then I know I couldn't sing so I'd dance about to this in the living room mouthing the words while my best friend Daniel flicked a broken red car light across the front of my bedside lamp - disco! Buffalo Stance by Neneh Cherry. "No money man can buy my love, it's sweetness that I'm thinking of" then there's a whole bit about just dancing and at the time I missed the bit about not taking coke but I agree whole heartedly with that too. Squeamish Nicola
3. I thought I was going to pick a classic from the Riot Grrrl genre, something Bikini Kill or Sleater-Kinney (see what I have sneakily done there? Bwahaha!). But I think it is important I go for something more recent and as I have nursed a small flame for Erykah Badu since I saw her at Werchter with my friend Peter and she snapped her fingers at an audience member, walked AMONG US and grabbed his camcorder (this might have been a while ago) I am going to go for Janelle Monae's Q.U.E.E.N. Do shameless Prince style dancing to it. Electric ladies, will you sleep, or will you preach? Squeamish Kate
4. Ani DiFranco, Not a Pretty Girl. I'm not sure about an anthem for feminism, but it's fun to sing and it helped get me into feminism. I was introduced to Ani's music when I was 15 and it was one of those life-changing 'oh my goodness THIS, THIS is what I have been missing' moments. I could have chosen anything off this album, but this song sums it all up for me. She sings about being responsible for herself, not needing someone to rescue her, about wanting to be "more than a pretty girl" and there are nods to classism and the hipster idea of opting out not being an option for everyone. It's about how female anger is never received well:
I am not an angry girl
but it seems like I've got everyone fooled
every time I say something they find hard to hear
they chalk it up to my anger
and never to their own fear
And about the expectations that are heaped on female shoulders:
imagine you're a girl
just trying to finally come clean
knowing full well they'd prefer you
were dirty and smiling
I still find myself singing it on a regular basis.
Squeamish Louise
2. My ultimate feminist anthem has been mimed by me since the tender age of 7. Even then I know I couldn't sing so I'd dance about to this in the living room mouthing the words while my best friend Daniel flicked a broken red car light across the front of my bedside lamp - disco! Buffalo Stance by Neneh Cherry. "No money man can buy my love, it's sweetness that I'm thinking of" then there's a whole bit about just dancing and at the time I missed the bit about not taking coke but I agree whole heartedly with that too. Squeamish Nicola
3. I thought I was going to pick a classic from the Riot Grrrl genre, something Bikini Kill or Sleater-Kinney (see what I have sneakily done there? Bwahaha!). But I think it is important I go for something more recent and as I have nursed a small flame for Erykah Badu since I saw her at Werchter with my friend Peter and she snapped her fingers at an audience member, walked AMONG US and grabbed his camcorder (this might have been a while ago) I am going to go for Janelle Monae's Q.U.E.E.N. Do shameless Prince style dancing to it. Electric ladies, will you sleep, or will you preach? Squeamish Kate
4. Ani DiFranco, Not a Pretty Girl. I'm not sure about an anthem for feminism, but it's fun to sing and it helped get me into feminism. I was introduced to Ani's music when I was 15 and it was one of those life-changing 'oh my goodness THIS, THIS is what I have been missing' moments. I could have chosen anything off this album, but this song sums it all up for me. She sings about being responsible for herself, not needing someone to rescue her, about wanting to be "more than a pretty girl" and there are nods to classism and the hipster idea of opting out not being an option for everyone. It's about how female anger is never received well:
I am not an angry girl
but it seems like I've got everyone fooled
every time I say something they find hard to hear
they chalk it up to my anger
and never to their own fear
And about the expectations that are heaped on female shoulders:
imagine you're a girl
just trying to finally come clean
knowing full well they'd prefer you
were dirty and smiling
I still find myself singing it on a regular basis.
Squeamish Louise
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