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Music can be seen through many lenses, but female artists throughout time have spoken of public issues regarding to female rights, justice, equality, work, sexual orientation, and power. From Beyonce’s Lemonade to Kesha’s Rainbow, there are many artists who have shed light on feminism in the 21st century. There are many political movements related to musical representation in the American society. The evolution of feminism has rapidly changed due to the political issues in all different ethnicities. The symbolism in an 21st century female artist’s album has more power behind the live touring. The symbolism and political activism is seen through a more dramaturgical lens in response to the political regards of the United States of America. From costumes, to dance numbers, and visual art, one can see that there is true power behind the ways 21st century artists can make political impacts on society. Female artists in the modern era have been the central voice of entertainment for generations all over the world. Female artists uphold a backbone to the cultural and gendered strength of women. <\/p>\n
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Introduction of Female artists in 21st century politics <\/strong><\/p>\n Artists all over the world have used music to\u202finfluence the political world.\u202f One of the\u202fhottest topics\u202fthat\u202fimpacted the public is the relationship between the music industry\u202fand politics.\u202fIn\u202fthe 21st<\/sup>\u202fcentury, female artists\u202fhave expressed the violence and racism in the presence\u202fof politics through their music. There were many cases that showed the real\u202fideological\u202fperspective of feministic activism. The production of many songs and support\u202ffor feminism within the political atmosphere influenced the public.\u202f\u202fThree female artists in the music industry who highlighted the rights for equal treatment for everyone were Taylor Swift, Kesha, and Beyonc\u00e9.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n Taylor Swift is one of the most powerful musicians of the current decade. She has been in the industry since 2006. When\u202fshe first broke out, she didn\u2019t have a voice in the political world. Over time, she has developed a foundation of connections. In the last two years, she woke up to the political scene and has \u201cbroke the silence.\u201d <\/p>\n Kesha, another female artist, spoke of the mistreatment of female artists within the music industry. After winning her case, she recorded an album that expressed the harm and hurtful battle for freedom against a powerful rich man named Dr. Luke. <\/p>\n Beyonc\u00e9 is known as the queen of speaking up about African American rights through her music. Her album\u202fLemonade expressed the real injustice in the political system. Tied all together, Beyonc\u00e9 symbolised the equality\u202fof\u202fblack culture\u202fwithin the current political world. Beyonc\u00e9 established the cultural reality of African American women through her lyrics, performances, and her videos. \u202f <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Taylor Swift\u2019s\u202fPolitics<\/strong>\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n \u201cI cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for all Americans, no matter their skin, color, gender, or who they love\u201d, (Taylor Swift, Billboard). Taylor Swift is the highest paid and the largest female icon in the music industry. With doors shut and a conservative power, she didn\u2019t reveal anything about her political conservatism. Now, she is expressing how she is liberal and very much against Trump. She did not speak up about gendered politics until her case against the Colorado DJ and Kesha\u2019s case against Dr. Luke. <\/p>\n \u202f<\/em>In the paparazzi world, she is known as the \u201csilence breaker\u201d as she is the one who started lengthy responses to Trump\u2019s decisions as president. She reached out to Hillary Clinton and fought actively for justice against Trump\u2019s actions. Even though she is one of the most powerful women in the music industry, she had no skill in standing up against Trump because she was afraid of diminishing her reputation. With one hundred and twelve million Instagram followers, there is symbolism behind the belief of solving political chaos. Through Twitter and other social media platforms, the public commented that it is Swift\u2019s obligation to stand against negative bureaucratic situations. The only chaos she dealt with was her court case against the Colorado DJ. She saw the political scene as a way to boost money in her pockets. She didn\u2019t care about political activism unless it involved cash. However, most recently she has been posting about the governor election in two thousand and eighteen. Trump\u2019s abrupt response to Taylor Swift was, \u201cLet\u2019s just say that I like her music 25% less, \u201c(Trump, the guardian) with a smile at the paparazzi.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n Taylor swift\u2019s case and Kesha\u2019s case were two cases that had the most significant impact on Taylor Swifts first steps in being an activist in feminism. Taylor Swift took to court the groping act of the Colorado DJ. She actively spoke out by inappropriate action of this musician to court. She said after winning her one-dollar case, \u201cI think this moment is important for awareness, for how parents are talking to their children, and how victims are processing their trauma, whether it be new or old,\u201d (Taylor Swift, TIME). To backup Kesha, she donated two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to Kesha, so Kesha could cover any financial issues regarding her case against Dr. Luke. Taylor Swift has previously tried to express her politics in Reputation<\/a>. <\/p>\n Red and black with a snake being slowly uploaded in the month of October showed the fuming new Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift released \u201cLook What You Made Me Do<\/a>\u201d with a lyric in the lyric video saying \u201cthe old Taylor Swift can\u2019t come to the phone right now, oh why? Oh. because she is dead,\u201d (Taylor Swift, Look What You Made Me Do). Taylor Swift spoke out when it came to when she made a very detailed political statement about the election in the West. She made sure that her evolution in her public image was evolving into this state of the game. Along with her reputation in flame, she takes her political statement with fiery mannerisms and symbols within her Instagram posts and music. As a message it is seen that Swift has turned a cheek from being so silent for so long to biting back at the hate around her political image. She wrote\u202fReputation\u202fwhen it came to deal with \u201cslut shaming\u201d and \u201cracism\u201d. This focus was on her case against the Colorado DJ and the issue of politics within the music industry. She wanted to make it known that one\u2019s reputation is to be able to take in account one\u2019s stand just as she does politically for women through her posts on social media.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n KE$HA\u202f<\/strong>\u202f <\/p>\n Kesha won her case against Dr. Luke in a male dominant entertainment industry; she spoke up about being sexually assaulted by Dr. Luke.\u202fKesha\u2019s abuser\u202fis rich and powerful, but Kesha fought against him with support from other female artists and many other activists in the political colosseum. Dr. Luke\u2019s lawyer said there was no physical evidence that Kesha was sexually assaulted, but\u202fsexually assaulted people saw Kesha was telling the truth. The lawyer insisted that she was just trying to defame his reputation. Dr. Luke denied any accusations that he\u202fassaulted Kesha, but with enough backup and evidence,\u202fshe won the case for equal treatment of female artists in the music industry.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n The case\u202fitself,\u202fDr.\u202fLuke versus\u202fKesha,\u202fgot\u202fthe world spinning when she spoke up about her past experience with\u202fhim. She said how much she didn\u2019t want to work with Dr. Luke because of what he did to her. \u201cFor the past ten years, Dr. Luke has sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally abused Kesha to the point where Ms. Sabert almost lost her life, (Lawsuit, Why Taylor Swift gave $250,000 to Kesha. An act of feminism?). Kesha in the eyes of the music industry disrupted her five-year deal with working with Dr. Luke and she replied in August saying, \u201cI cannot work with this monster\u201d, (lawsuit, Why Taylor Swift gave $250,000 to Kesha. An act of feminism?). She was backed up by other artists who said she didn\u2019t have to deal with the producer because the deal at this point set Kesha to crash and burn. The worst part was Sony said they would not promote any of her songs unless she collaborated with\u202fDr. Luke. He replied with, \u201cAll the horrific allegation of abuse, threats, and other purported misconduct by me against Kesha are completely untrue and deeply hurtful,\u202f\u201c(Lawsuit, Why Taylor Swift gave $250,000 to Kesha. An act of feminism?). Kesha replied within the music industry with other female artists through her music. She showed feministic stability in the political foundation through all of her challenges. <\/p>\n Kesha was backed up by many different artists from Taylor Swift to\u202fDemi Lovato. From Taylor Swift\u2019s donation to Lady Gaga\u2019s response with 88,000 retweets. Lady Gaga tweeted to Kesha by saying, \u201cThere are people all over the world who love you,\u201d (Lawsuit, Why Taylor Swift gave $250,000 to Kesha. An act of feminism?). Demi Lovato who is the queen of feminism tweeted, \u201c#freekesha this is only gonna make you stronger you brave and beautiful girl.\u201d (Lawsuit, Why Taylor Swift gave $250,000 to Kesha. An act of feminism?) Women empowerment is speaking up for other women even when it\u2019s something uncomfortable to speak up about. With backup and winning the case, she released her most powerful album: Rainbow.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n During the Grammy\u2019s performance, Kesha performed the song \u201cPraying<\/a>\u201d with many powerful artists including Rihanna which represented the real power behind lyrics of the emotional and physical instability of sexual violence. She was singing with the resistance revival chorus and other major activists in the me-too movement. She sang with people such as Camila Cabello and\u202fBebe\u202fRexha. The performance itself was seen as making a huge impact that stood out at the end when all the women came together for a group hug. This performance Kesha made with the female artists stood out more than any performance before.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n Kesha made a mark in history in female power when it came to sexual violence.\u202fSexual assaults are not reported out of fear, power dynamics, and personal guilt with victim pointing. Any kind of sexual violence is statistically told to be sixty eight percent not reported to the police. Ninety eight percent of rapists get away and never get in jail. <\/p>\n Lemonades and Police\u202f\u202f<\/strong>\u202f <\/p>\n Beyonc\u00e9 is known as the queen of black culture and it shows in her smashing film and album called\u202fLemonade. The narrative behind this\u202falbum\u202fwas\u202fderived by a political movement Malcolm X evolved as a historical movement. Everything about the production and album had African symbolism for activism. Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s album shows real fight within the modern era of the 21st<\/sup>\u202fcentury regarding feministic and cultural rights. Beyonc\u00e9 shows her political lens through three bases of ethnicity, class, and gender. <\/p>\n Beyonc\u00e9 has mastered the color presentation in every performance and video she has made. She symbolised the New Black Panther movement through all African American materialistic attire from Afro hair to her outfit. There are certain points in her film\u202fLemonade\u202fthat show real social politics and love topics when involved in all moments of ethnicity, gender, class, and female power.\u202fBeyonc\u00e9\u2019s specific songs such as Formation<\/a> had huge activism throughout her outfits and representation of the black culture in both her film and her Super Bowl<\/a> performance. The main symbolism was the police brutality within the Civil Rights fight. She also represented the shooting of the black church in South Carolina. To add onto the symbolism\u202fwas\u202fthe\u202fway she dressed in the Super Bowl performance. This was the day she represented the black culture in a show. She had passed the challenge other African American female artists have failed to pass; she expressed political injustice through Lemonade. Beyonc\u00e9 not only is a huge influence of political resonance in the country, but she also is the weapon against the bureaucratic message against police brutality.\u202f\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s\u202fpolitical symbolism is in the way she performs in places such as Coachella. Her presentation of self was diversely in the way she was\u202fsaying no matter how successful she is, she won\u2019t disconnect with African American culture. She states that controlling black mannerisms and presentation shouldn\u2019t be an issue at all. Her mom was concerned that Beyonc\u00e9 would fail at promoting Black Lives Matter and Beyonc\u00e9 responded saying, \u201cI have worked very hard to get to the point where I have a true voice. And at this point in my life and my career, I have a responsibility to do what\u2019s best for the world and not what is most popular \u201c(Beyonc\u00e9, Beyonc\u00e9 and the end of respectability politics). She dropped Malcolm X\u2019s wisdom by even saying this, \u201cThe most disrespected woman in America is a black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman,\u201d (Beyonc\u00e9, Beyonc\u00e9 and the end of respectability politics).\u202fBeyonc\u00e9\u2019s\u202foutfit made\u202fa statement to express with denim jeans and a cover up. She appeared to be shadowing the college experience of black females in a college setting as full of pride and intellect.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n Beyonc\u00e9\u202ffor the rest of time has been an activist in feminism and African American activism in the political world.\u202fLemonade\u202fwas a swallow of reality when it came to what needs to be done with police brutality. She spoke of true politics through every detail in her performance, presentation, and production of her musical journey. As she has demonstrated the real stride in black activism that other\u202fAfrican American artists in the past failed to do.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Work Cited<\/strong><\/p>\n Brooks, Daphne. \u201c\u2018All That You Can\u2019t Leave Behind\u2019: Black Female Soul Singing and the Politics of Surrogation in the Age of Catastrophe.\u201d Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism<\/em>, vol. 8, no. 1, 2008, pp. 180\u2013204. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mzh&AN=2008391201&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n Reger, Jo. \u201cDebating US Contemporary Feminism.\u201d Sociology Compass<\/em>, no. 1, 2014, p. 43. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.356004196&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n \u201cTaylor Swift Is No Silence Breaker; Because of Her Spineless Feminism and Political Passivity, Taylor Swift Is Hardly the Figure of Female Empowerment That Time Magazine Is Making Her out to Be.\u201d The Daily Beast<\/em>, 2017. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsggo&AN=edsgcl.517634729&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n Hinckley, Story. \u201cWhy Taylor Swift Gave $250,000 to Kesha. An Act of Feminism?\u201d The Christian Science Monitor<\/em>, 2016. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgin&AN=edsgcl.443977798&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n Lathen, Hannah. \u201cSwift Finally Speaks up on Politics.\u201d UWIRE Text<\/em>, 2018. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.557341395&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n Moscatello, Caitlin. \u201cSo … Are You a Feminist? Miley and Lorde Say They Are, Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson Say They Aren\u2019t, and You\u2019re Just … Confused. Find out What That f-Word Actually Means to Girls Now and Then Decide Whether You\u2019re on Board with It.\u201d Seventeen<\/em>, no. 4, 2014, p. 122. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsggo&AN=edsgcl.367244233&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n Cohen, Jonathan, et al. \u201cBackstage With Billboard.\u201d Billboard<\/em>, vol. 118, no. 7, Feb. 2006, p. 77. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=19799787&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n \u201cKesha Ruling Perpetuates Rape Culture in Music Industry.\u201d UWIRE Text<\/em>, 2016. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.444766740&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n Bates, Laura. \u201cWhy Kesha\u2019s Court Case Matters to All Women.\u201d Time.Com<\/em>, Feb. 2016, p. 1. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=113548163&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n Robinson, Lisa. \u201cMusic.\u201d Vanity Fair<\/em>, vol. 60, no. 8, Aug. 2018, p. 34. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=130425766&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n LIROFF, MARCI. \u201c3 Resources for the pass:[#]Me-too Era.\u201d Back Stage (1946-5440)<\/em>, vol. 59, no. 13, Mar. 2018, p. 11. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=128725558&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n Edwards, Erica B., et al. \u201cDoes Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s Lemonade Really Teach Us How to Turn Lemons into Lemonade? Exploring the Limits and Possibilities Through Black Feminism.\u201d Taboo: The Journal of Culture & Education<\/em>, vol. 16, no. 2, Fall 2017, pp. 85\u201396. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=128644057&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n Hayes, Eileen M. Songs in Black and Lavender\u202f: Race, Sexual Politics, and Women\u2019s Music<\/em>. University of Illinois Press, 2010. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=569748&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018She Just Ended Her Career\u2019: Taylor Swift Foray into Politics Sparks Praise and Fury; Endorsements of Democrats Blasted by Republicans, White Supremacists and Trump, Who Now Likes Her Music \u201825% Less.\u2019\u201d The Guardian (London, England)<\/em>, 2018. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.557462059&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n Leszkiewicz, Anna. \u201cTaylor Swift\u2019s Change of Tune: How the Singer Is Politicizing Her Fans.\u201d New Statesman<\/em>, no. 5440, 2018, p. 19. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsglr&AN=edsgcl.559830050&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n Johnson, Myles E. \u201cBeyonc\u00e9 and the End of Respectability Politics.\u201d The New York Times<\/em>, 2018. EBSCOhost<\/em>, goddard40.clarku.edu:2048\/login?url=http:\/\/search.ebscohost.com\/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.534931511&site=eds-live.<\/p>\n \u201cBeyonce’s ‘Formation’ Is A Visual Anthem.\u201d NPR<\/em>, NPR, 8 Feb. 2016, www.npr.org\/2016\/02\/08\/466036710\/beyonces-formation-is-a-visual-anthem<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wordpress.clarku.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/562\/2018\/12\/download.jpg\")
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