Radio 1's What The F: The Story Of Feminism And Pop

I was really intrigued when I found out that Radio 1 were going to be broadcasting a show about feminism and pop. I missed out live but caught up on it the next day (headphones whilst sat in a very warm, sunny yard in March nonetheless!) It was a bit of a disappointment. Whilst I think it's fantastic Radio 1 are giving airtime to discussing feminism and bringing it to mainstream radio, there were two problems for me. 1) It seemed to lack real substance and just felt like it was skimming the surface... 2) ...and maybe that was because of the focus being feminism and pop music, rather than feminism more broadly, but if that's the case then it was also limited in scope. For instance, there was discussion of some of the issues concerning women in pop music but I was also expecting more on feminism within pop e.g. the impact feminism has had on pop music itself But as I've said, I do appreciate that it provided an opportunity for feminism to get public attention through a mainstream radio station. And having musicians such as Professor Green being quoted saying he considers himself a feminist may do some good in opening up some of the audience's eyes to issues concerning gender inequality.

Rave, Jewish Punks and Female Masturbation

Some interesting pieces on The Guardian today: - the secret history of the UK's 'punky Jews' - images of 90s rave culture - pop music and female masturbation

NME Awards 2014 - Blondie

Nice to see Blondie receive the NME 2014 award for Godlike Genius. There has been some backlash over this, namely that this is the first time a female musician will have been awarded this (emphasis on musician, see Penny Smith 2002). And fair enough, that considering how many female musicians there are there does appear to be a disproportionate amount of male musicians who have received the award. Not too convincing are the mumblings regarding the award being given to Blondie as a band, rather than Debbie Harry in her own right (it's been awarded to bands previously to recognise the genius of said band, their collective effort). But that aside, it does seem to further emphasise that despite the increasing numbers of females in the music industry (whether creating, playing, producing or distributing), there is still a prevalent focus on the men. On a side note...also disappointing to see a number of news reports on Blondie's receipt of this award using very dated images of the band. They're still active so why not use an image which reflects them today?

Lady GaGa..Postmodern Feminist?

So yes, firstly I do find it strange that a new 'out-there' female singer enters the fold and we're clambering over their stance, if any, on feminism - but hey, I'm guilty as the rest of us. Lady GaGa...the epitome of post-modern feminism? Some articles suggest that LGG isn't a feminist (and in one she is quoted as saying this) yet she states her music is about "sexually empowering women" and:

I think it's great to be a sexy, beautiful woman who can f--- her man after she makes him dinner...There's a stigma around feminism that's a little bit man-hating. And I don't promote hatred, ever. That's not to say that I don't appreciate women who feel that way.

and

Young women equate feminism with man hating and not embracing any tradition as a woman, and I think it’s okay to embrace tradition. Look after your man and take care of your father; be good to your mom and dad; cook sometimes at home.

Perhaps LGG herself suffers from the "I'm not a feminist but..." syndrome or, on the other hand, this is all part of a post-modern identity creation - defying definitions of concepts such as 'feminist, feminism' or even 'woman' which the gender-bending aspects of some songs might suggest. Perhaps this is just all part of the performance.

Some bloggers' thoughts below:

Another Resolution: Lady GaGa is not a feminist
Rosemary Mac Cabe: this video makes me want to...
Feminist Music Geek: Lady Gaga - not buying it
We Are the Wave: Lady Gaga


x-posted at Subtext Magazine

Dr Jessica Rongrose - Feminism in Schools

Girls should be taught feminism at school to stop them being disrespectful to each other, according to a leading academic.

I completely agree with this. We SHOULD be teaching feminism at school - not just to girls, but to boys and even to the teachers themselves. Feminism is relevant to everyone, no matter who they are, and we should stop seeing it as a 'bad word' which we can acknowledge, but which cannot actually promote. I would love to see this taken further in the future. I know how accessible teaching feminism is within my course (Sociology) but this subject is mainly taught at post-compulsory (i.e. sixth form and college level) and the subject itself is male-dominated (in terms of research, sociologists and so forth). But we could incorporate feminism into a wide variety of subjects, something which I am sure some teachers already do out of their commitment to the cause and not because of it being required.

Britney (Breakdown) Bashing

Subject title says it all really. Now I don't like Britney Spears as a (ahem) musician and I was not particularly keen on the messages she was sending out to young fans BUT can't everyone take a step back from the Britney bashing? Please find below my points of reference which has resulted in a rather fed-up moi.

1. Britney has been bashed for certain lifestyle practices which have strayed from the perfect princess of pop picture (think smoking, partying, pictures of Brit with a burger and chips...) yet we're completely forgetting that she's a young woman in her early twenties who is not only capable of making her own choices, but is free to let her hair down. The minute a young starlet (Lohan I'm looking at you here too) is seen clubbing or hitting the town BAM! the media's all over it like a fucking rash - double standards somewhat? I'm sure there's not this much commotion with male stars.

2. Britney was slammed in the press for being a "bad" mother, mainly due to driving with one son on her lap and the infamous (near) baby dropping incident. I just saw a You've Been Framed this evening in which a bride dropped her baby down some stairs. Did the YBF screen the video and think 'Jesus Christ we have a bad mother on our hands...', course not! We merely got a joke about mistaking your baby for the bouquet.

3. In the same breath in which we comment on Amy Wino's skeletal drug-induced frame, put Nicole Ritchie on magazine front covers with headlines like "TOO SKINNY!" and applaud Beth Ditto for breaking the mould, we leap on Britney's comeback performance and her (apparent) tummy. Whilst the stomach may not have resembled the toned (result of workout after workout) tummy of Hit Me Baby Spears, it was your average, healthy looking belly (and using the word belly even seems wrong). So let's call it fat shall we? Really scrapping the barrel here for justified bitching people...

4. Lastly (and probably the most serious) Britney obviously has some issues (post-natal depression perhaps) which no-one seems that bothered to deal with as they're too happy reeling in the soap drama which her life has become. I might not be too proud of the fact I'm discussing Ms.Spears on my feminism blog* but I'm happy in the knowledge I'm voicing what I feel is the unjust treatment of a woman.

* also slightly perturbed by the amount of 'starlets' I've referenced

Spice Girls video

Because curiosity always gets the better of me, I just watched the Spice Girls new video. I think I'm missing something...at what point in the video do they take their clothes off? One minute you've got Ginger with her head in Vicky B's lap having her hair stroked and the next BAM they're in their bras. Is there an adult version of this video? A sort of Spice Girls go crazy in lesbos? Seriously though (feminist cap on), why was it integral (it's clearly not!) to the video that they tops came off and the bras came out? And I also find it interesting that Baby Spice doesn't strip down. Was this out of choice or the fact that she was pre-pregnancy and there would be uproar if she let the bump loose, or was she post-pregnancy and therefore had not regained the washboard stomachs of the other mothers? Who knows but I find it kind of disturbing, especially when I think it's affiliated with Children In Need. Yeah, that's just what the children need..."Mummy, mummy...why are the Spice Girls in their underwear?"