Blog Post #3

Estelle Park




Author, Emily White emphasizes the pressing question in the music realm raised by the petty wars between indie and rock bands: “Do you separate from the sexist world or try to engage in it?” (1997). Many female hip-hop artists such as Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj rap and sing about the feminist movement and liberation for all sexes and genders, engaging in the sexist world. Beyoncé’s song “***Flawless” touches on many societal issues on sexism, individual’s worth, and the definition of feminism. Likewise, Nicki Minaj raps in “Feeling Myself” about turning the tables and demanding respect, justice, and liberation for womxn, which was later deemed as the feminist national anthem.


It is evident that hip-hop artists are able to use their artistic abilities and powers as a platform to bring awareness to social issues present today. And it couldn’t have been done or as impactful without the help of the punk rock scene as Alice Bag portrays in Violence Girl. Bag says, “some people in the audience slam their bodies into him attempting to swat the bug.” Her experience was monumental in illustrating unity among womxn audience members. I want to emphasize that, though indie rock bands and artists chose to “separate” from the sexist world, many artists today including indie bands and artists have chosen to use their commercial success to opt into moving the feminist movement forward. This empowers me to undo and reeducate how societal barriers have impacted not only myself but oppressed groups and utilizing storytelling as a way of engaging and breaking barriers in this sexist world.



Beyoncé - “***Flawless” https://youtu.be/IyuUWOnS9BY

Nicki Minaj - ”Feeling Myself” https://youtu.be/0Kg9xRooTVk