First – how’d I miss CHVRCHES until now? They are awesome and from Scotland, which is something akin to an exponential increase in coolness.
Next – The singer for this trio is a well-educated (Law degree and Journalism, pro journalist before starting the band) woman who’s not going to just “take it” when it comes to online misogyny, as she writes in the Guardian. Reminds me of Grimes being fed up as she finished her last tour.
Just had a conversation with my fantastic coworker and friend Ashley about feminism and the way it’s considered a bad word by what too often appears to be a whole generation of young women. I brought up a very weird article I read about Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill being a fan of Taylor Swift and her women-centered lyrics, even though Swift has been attacked by Camille Paglia as “killing feminism.” Swift herself has shied from the word “feminist” – and has, in fact, characterized feminism as “a guys vs. girls” thing. Jezebel and The Frisky have taken her to task for this mischaracterization.
As disheartening as it is to hear Swift misrepresent what feminism even means, and as weird as it is to hear Hanna defend her, it’s reassuring to hear Grimes and Mayberry speak out (even if it remains discouraging to think that they have to do so). I wonder what Paglia would say about these two ladies? Sadly… she’s probably never heard of them…
Paglia and Grimes agree, though – Beyonce has the right idea. In particular, Grimes links to NPR’s Fresh Air coverage of Beyonce’s new album and its sample of the TED talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on feminism:
The Conversation