A Woman's Own: Hip Hop, Lipstick and Orthodox feminism

If I were a boy
Even just for a day
I'd roll out of bed in the morning
And throw on what I wanted then go
Drink beer with the guys
And chase after girls...
I'd put myself first
And make the rules as I go
Cause I know that she'd be faithful
Waitin' for me to come home

No, this is not Feminist Theory 101. This is Beyonce protesting that women have a double shift at home, while men continue to live carefree lives, that men put themselves "first" while women take care of everyone, that women are "faithful" in relationships while men can sleep with whomever they feel like it, and that women continue to wait by the window while the men are out gallivanting. That's a lot of stuff!

Beyonce is also challenging the notion that gender is innate. Here, gender is all socialization. That is especially obvious from the accompanying video, in which she swaps roles with the male character who is a police officer. There are enough women police officers out there that the video hardly even seems to be making a new point. Still, the image of Beyonce-as-policewoman against the backdrop of a melancholic ballad with slow, clear lyrics is enough to send a powerful message that women and men are equally competent, and that society should do away with double standards around gender.

It is possible that this song is part of larger trends of artists using their pop music to undo gender socialization."Like a Boy" by Ciara, is not melancholy and ambivalent like Beyonce but is angry and confronting both in lyrics and appearance. She announces, "2007, Ladies, I think it's time to switch roles," as she makes the transition from a white, flaring, girly mini-dress to loose-fitting jeans and a tank-top, adopting an entire gruff and irreverent "male" pose, including impressive muscularity and some astounding break-dancing stunts. Here are some of the lyrics:

Wish we could switch up the roles
And I could be that..
Tell you I love you but when you call I never get back
Would you ask them questions like me?..
Like where you be at?
Cause I'm out 4 in the morning
On the corner rolling
Doing my own thing

What if I had a thing on the side?
Made ya cry?
Would the rules change up or would they still apply?...
If I played you like a toy?...
Sometimes I wish I could act like a boy

…Keep a straight face when ya tell a lie
Always keep an air-tight alibi

Ciara is fighting back at a culture creates the passive woman "waiting" for the man who lies, cheats on her, and "plays with her head." Ciara, like Beyonce, is also challenging the notion that gender is innate, but with more force and determination and less despondency. Like Beyonce, she is changing her clothes and putting on this form of masculinity, and is thus saying that these behaviors are learned, and hurtful - and can, and should be changed. It is a very powerful song, especially the video. It is perhaps the first truly radical feminist video I have ever seen.

Hip-hop feminism is a contrarian concept, seeing as hip-hop culture, like rap music, generally is filled with some of the most gendered and misogynistic language and images of women in American society. Yet, hip-hop feminism takes the idea of fighting the sexism from within the culture, keeping the elements that women like - the rhythm, the music, the overall style - while unpacking that which is hurtful and damaging to women. One might even say that hip-hop feminism has something strikingly in common with Orthodox feminism: an attempt to root out sexism and patriarchy while taking ownership of the culture from within.

Although the term "hip-hop feminism" is quite a recent invention, the shift in music between images of "girly" women to tougher, assertive women has arguably been taking place in the world of popular music for over a decade, though it has taken a while to take hold. Gwen Stefani, for example, with her brash, aggressive style was arguably a leader in the whole genre of female artists who are loud, tough and free from being "nice girls", challenging gender through her lyrics since the 90s. Take, for example, the lyrics from one of her original hits, "Just a girl":

Take this pink ribbon off my eyes...
This world is forcing me
To hold your hand
'Cause I'm just a girl, little ol' me
Don't let me out of your sight
I'm just a girl, all pretty and petite
So don't let me have any rights
Oh...I've had it up to here!

Here, Stefani is unpacking many aspects of female socialization: the pressure to be pretty, small, pink, and frightened; being incapable of self-management including "driving at night"; being "watched" all the time; and feeling "in captivity." Unlike Beyonce who is soulful, and perhaps ambivalent, here Stefani is powerful, angry, and actively protesting "I've had it up to here."

Still, Stefani's music, while from lyrics alone is pretty radical feminist, may or may not have created a broader shift. In addition to her persistent platinum-blond, midriff-baring appearance that does not in itself challenge accepted societal norms for women’s body, her girl-as-tough form of resistance has not necessarily taken hold, and in some places it has also regressed. Avril, Levigne, for example, who was admired by many teenage girls for her tough girl, anti-girliness style, recently reverted to a very disappointing blond, fish-net stocking Barbie doll begging a boy to let her be his girlfriend in the annoying song "Girlfriend". One step forward, two steps back.

But, perhaps in corners of the pop-music world, there is a growing number of female artists who are using their music as a platform for promoting gender change, and that is in itself quite intriguing. The Ting Tings, one of the brazen hip-hop groups that Gwen Stefani and Ciara arguably paved the way for, has come out with an angry and intriguing declaration against the way women are treated. Check out some of the lyrics of the thumping, minimalistic song, "That's not my name":

Listen to me, oh no
I never say anything at all
But with nothing to consider they forget my name
They call me Hell
They call me Stacey
They call me her
They call me Jane
That's not my name

Here, women are demanding to be seen and heard, even if they cannot keep up with the loudness or the physicality of the boys. Reminiscent of Beyonce in, "Say my name," she is demanding to be called by her name, to be recognized and acknowledged the way she wants to be, not the way others see her.This song, with its original, rhythmic use of body music, challenges society to hear women in their own way. It's a brash and catchy women's song.

Of course, all of these trends, along with this new hip-hop feminism, remain in the realm of "lipstick feminism" - that is, where women seek out power and equality using their bodies and appearance. Lipstick feminism, while promoting certain changes in society, does not challenge the notion that an ideal woman is a gorgeous, thin, blonde and sensual woman. Most of these artists, while offering some demanding lyrics, are not entirely challenging the construction of gender. After all, appearance still counts for almost everything in music. The women promoting change are still conform to society's strictest notions of beauty and thinness - and of course that conformity is what gives them the power to say what they're saying. But the effect is that it becomes something of a mixed message. Moreover, there are other stars, like Britney Spears, who does not challenge femininity at all.

Even Madonna at 50 has done little to assuage women that there is more to being a female than having a pulsating body. Madonna had the potential to elevate women, to create a feminine culture of strength, spirituality and resistance, like the life she constructed for herself during her forties. It was inspiring, offering an evolving image of womanhood that is separate from body. But as she turned fifty, Madonna sadly reversed all of those messages that she had come to during her forties. As a result, Madonna did some great damage, I think, to the ways in which many of her female fans see themselves, especially her fans over the age of 30 or 40 who are stuck wondering, when will I stop having to try and look like an 18-year old? When can a woman just be herself?

Nonetheless, within the intriguing hip-hop feminism and lipstick feminism of American pop music, there may be yet signs of real change. It's worth noting, for example, that Beyonce spends most of the "If I were a Boy" video dressed in a simple police uniform, not shimmying or even dancing. And when her face is shown, it is with just the bare amount of make-up and without any of the suggestive, sultry close-up shots typical of music videos. Moreover, Ciara, whose style is confident and fearless, not questioning but asserting, is a highly accomplished Grammy winner, while being all of 23 years old (she was born when I was finishing high school, and cites Beyonce, who is all of 27, as one of her inspirations). In other words, Ciara is just getting started. She may not have to work so hard at the empowerment of women - her world is already different from Beyonce's and from mine, and may offer her the opportunity to freely and powerfully make change.

So maybe there is something of a revolution on its way after all. I am eager to hear what's next.