By Maddie Bazinet, VI Form
Second-Wave Feminism Through Music
Editor’s Note: This paper was completed as a part of the History Research Fellowship, a one-semester course available to sixth form students.
Songs, artists, and the underlying implications of their music undoubtedly impact the everyday lives of individuals in contemporary society. Humanity consumes music to derive feelings from the lyrics and composition, and develop curiosity as to how and why the artists made the choices that they made. Moreover, musicians create their art to come to terms with their personal feelings and thoughts, and further expand their opinions on issues within themselves or greater society that remain pressing. One of these ongoing societal and cultural concerns, that also impacted and continues to influence American individuals at the emotional level, is the perception of women and their role in society. During and before twentieth-century America, stereotypes surrounding what it means to be a woman governed United States culture, and sustained an influence on how the media portrayed the female image. Today, the feminine image continues to be dynamic, and develop nuances of different lifestyle choices, giving women the opportunity to grow into their genuine personas. Despite perilous stereotypes of women as subjects to men, from specific political groups within contemporary American society, prominent figures in various industries and their diverse representations of typical femininity, empower the current generation of women. However, this inspiration originated in earlier versions of American society, which worked to create a concrete definition of feminism and transparency surrounding the steps for future gender equality. Similar to contemporary culture, popular figures during early feminist eras represented these values through their work, intending to empower women, and transmit a message that was consequential to them.
The beginning feminist movement in the United States surfaced between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Primarily, the first wave of feminism focused on obtaining suffrage for women, especially as a competitive environment surrounding urbanization, industrialization, and the mobilization of politics began to emerge. At the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, the first wave of feminism promoted significant change, as three hundred men and women gathered to rally for the cause of gender equality. The movement gave voice to now well-renowned figures of feminism like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Sojourner Truth, who sought to examine the differences in perception between men and women, politically and socially.1 Overall, the first wave of feminism in the United States focused on providing women with equal opportunities to contribute politically, and thus, socially in America—specifically with the right to vote.2
Like several other social and cultural movements, feminism resurfaced and remained dynamic throughout different time periods in United States history. Second-wave feminism began in the 1960s, and continued into the late 1980s and 1990s. The movement emerged alongside anti-war and civil rights movements, and exemplified the increasing self-consciousness and desire for equality from various minority groups across America and beyond. Second-wave feminism maintained many of the political and social ideals of the first wave, and also developed dominant goals such as the normalization of sexuality and the promotion of reproductive rights. Moreover, the movement concentrated on passing the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, to guarantee equal rights regardless of biological sex.3 The central figure of second-wave feminism was Betty Friedan, whose publication of The Feminine Mystique in 1963 made strides for the desire to change the societal perception of femininity.
This paper and its backing research will provide an analysis of second-wave feminism’s core text, Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique, to understand the specific values and goals within the novel that empowered women across the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. Additionally, it will analyze how the feminist movement transcended into various waves, while developing nuanced aspects, such as intersectionality. Furthermore, this paper will articulate an in-depth exploration of second-wave feminist female musicians’ lives and songs, to inspect how their translations of Friedan’s ideals to the underlying messages of their music, helped the movement of feminism resonate with women; additionally, the research and analysis explore their lives and presence on and off stage, and their methods of channeling creative talent, that invoked their statuses as dominant figures in the music industry, and in the greater context of gender equality.
The mid to late twentieth century marked a pivotal time in United States history for gender equality—in the context in which different activists went about advocating for it. Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique provided concrete goals, that she desired women and men to internalize, to take the steps necessary for obtaining gender equality in the social, political, and emotional realms. Moreover, music from individuals who identified within groups facing inequality emerged as a pervasive type of activism, especially in the context of feminism, as female artists such as Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin demonstrated the core values of second-wave feminism with their music. Finally, these artists and their music served as precursors to later feminist waves, that fused identities that concurrently sought equality along with women. The era of second-wave feminism in the United States addressed issues such as the concept of dissatisfaction, the image of an “ideal” American wife, and the male role of invoking gender equality. Female musicians of this time period created music that portrayed these ideologies, expanded advocacy beyond women’s rights, and rendered valiant personalities that helped them harness creativity into power—which conveys empowerment for women in today’s culture.
TO CONTINUE READING, CLICK HERE FOR A FULL PDF VERSION
Maddie Bazinet is a VI form day student from Grafton, MA.
LEO 