Girls just wanna have fun...damental rights!
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On the occasion of the Bulgarian women’s month we have compiled our favourite enchanting and empowering songs written about and by women for you. Check ‘em out.
“Pretty
Hurts” (2014) - Beyoncé
The lyrics deal with the issues of ideal beauty imposed
on women today and self-empowerment. The song and the video
depict the effects society's
high standards of beauty has, such as eating disorders. Although Beyoncé
meets the standardized ideal of beauty herself the song is a critical comment
on today’s society, where you can see women’s body’s at every corner, not
noticing that they can mostly be considered as variations of one body used over
and over again.
“Je
veux” (2010) –
ZAZ
Catchy
French song spreading joie de vivre and a spark of anti-consumerism.
“Bad
Romance: Women’s Suffrage” (2012) - by Soomo Learning
Great
Parody of Lady GaGas famous “Bad Romance” as a tribute to the American suffragist
and activist Alice Paul and the generations of women who fought for the passing
of the 19th Amendment which allowed women to vote in 1920. (note: although
not depicted in the video women of colour were also part of this struggle
although they were not always welcome)
“I can’t breathe” (2015) - by Russians famous feminist-music-group Pussy Riot
With the song title being the last words of Eric
Garner the song refers to a black American who died after the police put him in
a choke hold on July 17, 2014. This incident was one of the triggers that led to
protests all over America against the police mistreatment of people of colour
and systemic racism.
Although Pussy Riot are usually occupied with feminism, LGTB rights and the
opposition of Putin in Russia, they “realized
that when it comes to freedom, protests, and the value of a single human life,
people from different continents can all speak the same language.” (http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/02/what-is-pussy-riot-doing-making-a-video-about-eric-garner/385643/)
“All About
That Bass” (2014) - Meghan Trainor
An energetic and viral hit about positive body images.
The sassy lyrics are inspired by Trainer’s own
troubles with self-acceptance due to her body size as a teenager. The addictive
bassline makes you almost forget that Trainor bases her positive self-image a
bit too much on the claim that men find her more attractive.
“You
don’t own me” (1963) - Lesley
Gore
Timeless
call for self-determination and independence which inspired the second wave of
feminism in the USA in the 60s.
“Bitches
Butches Dykes and Divas” (2011) –
Sokee
German
rapper calls women with different gender identities to keep standing up against
sexism.
For further reading:
The Guardian, article on the effects
of the beauty ideal on women nowadays: read: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/14/women-body-image-anxiety-improve-body-confidence
photo: https://myspace.com/riotsnotdiets
written by Ann/a
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