Women, Music and Power Student Presentations at the 2016 Student Arts and Research Symposium

It has been a whirlwind of a semester for my First-Year Seminar students. We started this class way back in January and through the past four months, we've listened to and discussed the music of Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Patti Smith, Tracy Chapman, Fiona Apple, Dolly Parton, Queen Latifah, Bikini Kill, Beyoncé, and so many more. This past Monday, the groups got together to present their research at the Arts and Research Symposium at Bridgewater State University. They worked hard on these projects and this hard work shone through as they presented research on how women in music confront domestic violence and sexual abuse, organizations that support women in music, how women in music are sexually empowered rather than submitting to the male gaze, the political power of Beyoncé, and finally, the contrasting ways the media, specifically Rolling Stone Magazine, writes about women musicians versus male musicians. They all did an amazing job and it was by far our biggest audience of the day! I am so proud of all their work over the semester but particularly the way they worked together to put these amazing projects on display. I've had such an amazing time with this group all semester. We have shared, sometimes disagreed, but always trusted and respected each other.

Queen Latifah

Queen Latifah was a very inspirational person. One of her most famous songs was Unity and it was about spreading awareness about women standing up for what they believe in and fighting for equal rights. I like how she was able to turn important issues in the word into rap songs. Domestic abuse was a big problem and to put a stop against it she wanted women to unite and stand up for themselfs. Queen Latifah didn't care what people though and I like that about her she swears multiple times in her songs and it gets the message across very well. I also find it very interesting that she was one of the first African American rapper. Women rappers in the 90s are not like the  women rapper we have today. Queen Latifah wore very baggy clothes showing almost no skin while female rappers today barely even wear clothes. Queen Latifah was a very talented music artist and her music still impacts the world today.  
 

I really enjoyed our Queen Latifah topic. I really had never heard any of her music before class on Wednesday, but that made it all that much better. Her music was a total throw back and I loved every minute of it! While her music was an example of many topics we have covered this semester, it was also very entertaining for me. The way it was taped and the clothes they were wearing washouts awesome.

It's In Our Hands Now

            This is the last blog post for this class, and to be honest I find it bittersweet. I know most people just think of it as an assignment, but I think it is pretty incredible that we all come here every weekend and post our honest opinions on things we have discussed in class. We all have respect for each others thoughts and I also love that we can write these posts as if it were our own blog. I find that makes it a lot more valuable and personal.

            On Monday we discussed the Dixie Chicks and listened to their song “Not Ready to Make Nice.” To be honest, I had completely forgot about this song and I certainly had no comprehension of the meaning of the lyrics when I was younger. A small off topic thought: Amber brought up something that also jogged some childhood memories. There used to be these “toys,” I guess you could call them, but they looked like small speakers and they came with little microchips that you could place in and it would play a portion of a song. Amber was saying how she had this song on one of those little “chips,” and a million memories flooded my head. I miss those things!

Anyways, I think the Dixie Chicks did a fantastic job on this song because they found a way to get their feelings and opinions across in such a way that people could understand and listen to. This song for me, doesn’t only relate to the tribulations that the group faced, but so many other trials that people experience. It shows that they will not be silenced by they cruel words that people say about them. Our discussion in class about what the Dixie Chicks were subjected to was mind boggling. I just don’t understand why, if people don’t like a certain song, why they can’t just turn it off instead of creating a ruckus. Calling someone a name doesn’t solve anything! I think the Dixie Chicks did a great job responding to the harsh words, name calling, and criticism. The result of their response was a beautiful and powerful song.

I am so glad to have rediscovered this song! I can apply it to so many issues in my own life and feel empowered! This class has introduced me to so many beautiful, strong and powerful women. Talented women who have made a lasting impact on women’s culture and the feminist movement. I am so thankful for all of the giant steps forward these women have taken for us, and I hope and pray we can do the same for years to come.

Bush’s Best Friends

This week we had the opportunity to explore two different genres of music.  Country from the Dixie Chicks and rap from Queen Latifah.  The Dixie Chicks aren’t on the top of my everyday music list but the articles we read about them made me learn much more than I knew.  Which isn’t a lot, all I knew was they were country musicians.   The Dixie Chicks were frowned upon after one performance in London.

            I found the severity of measures that followed the comments in London were not particularly right.  Less than two weeks before we invaded Iraq the lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, Natalie Maines, said to everyone in attendance “‘just so you know, we’re ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.’” These comments were scrutinized by many Americans, and even the President himself commented.  Most things said were not nice comments.  I was thrown of at the reactions because it is her right to freely speak out about whatever she believes.  Yes, the circumstances of being in another country could throw people off.  They were trying to let people know, all Texans are not like the President of the United States and they don’t want to be judged by being from the same place.  I think that because they’re women who spoke out about the President at the time, they were examined further than any male musician would have been.  As touchy as the topic seems to be, if a male band was out of country and said those same exact words it wouldn’t have touched the media for more than a day.  People would’ve probably nodded their heads yes and thrown riots against the President.  Their records probably would’ve sold more.

            The Dixie Chicks took in all the criticism and rode it like a gnarly wave.  They knew it wasn’t going to go away easily but over time people forgive and forget.  They continue making music, some breaking off to play other gigs.  I think they were strong to get past the fact that everyone was out to get them over one comment.  I find it really powerful they could overcome so much, even death threats, and do what they love, play music. 

Blog post #9

            After listening to Queen Latifah’s song “U.N.I.T.Y.” it honestly made me want to go out and spread her message to people with my fist in the air. I wish that we still had women like Queen Latifah from the 90’s to educate people, especially women with their lyrics today because the world and music industry would be a lot different. Stars now a days, particularly men make music that degrades women now than ever, and I feel like that needs to change because it is causing the younger generation to feel like it is okay to do the same. What I like most about the song is that she has multiple messages in it which includes domestic violence, cat calling, and women uniting. I have either experienced, or witnessed all of these in my life, particularly when it comes to cat calling, and I feel like it’s something that really needs to stop because it is a form of disrespect to women. I think that these are important issues that are still going on today and need to be put to an end. The message that Queen Latifah is trying to get across is that society doesn’t have to be that way and instead of trying to tear each other down, (black people mainly) we need to build each other up, as well as have more respect. I personally like her style of music because it’s catchier and just makes people want to listen to what she is trying to convey. If her sound was boring and flat, I don’t think people would give her the time of day. She also uses different scenes in her video to get her message across, for example a man grabbing her butt, arguing with her boyfriend, and a group of men, women, and children uniting as a whole, which was very powerful to see visually. The fact that Queen Latifah is a women too just makes it even more interesting because you would typically see male rappers with powerful messages in their music like the late Tupac Shakur. If Queen Latifah still rapped today, her message would probably be a lot stronger due to the increase of things such as women and their sexual images.

The Dixie Chicks

                  Prior to this week’s class, I had never listened to the Dixie Chicks. However, I had heard of them before but I had a completely wrong vision of who they were and what they sang about. I thought that the Dixie Chicks were an older group of women who sang country that was really about “banjos” and “fiddles. I, myself, am a huge country fan, so I may have heard some of their songs, not realizing it was them. When we started talking about them, I realized that they weren’t as old as I thought they were and when I heard their songs, I became more interested.

                  One thing that I did like about their music was that it was kind of a pop and country mix. Their songs are very catchy too. If someone were to listen to their songs, they may not even realize that they are a country group. The song we listened to in class was, “Not Ready To Make Nice”. This song is very very powerful but there was controversy over it.

                  At one of their concerts, Natalie Maines stated that she was “Ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas”. Following her statement, the Dixie Chicks were dropped off of many playlists and radio stations. They received death threats and were attacked on their character. This caused a major uproar for the Dixie Chicks. Although she had admitted that what she said was meant to be an insult, I think it is very important to watch the things you say when you are in that industry. I’m not saying that I agreed or disagreed with her statement, but when you’re in the public eye, people watch and listen to everything you say and do. The media will always have something to say about you no matter what. Aside from that issue though, I really think the Dixie Chicks are a talented group and I look forward to hearing more of their music.