Fans and detractors may debate whether Beyonce is feminist or anti-feminist. Yet there's no trace of self-doubt in Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It), which earned her Song of the Year at the 2010 Grammys.
Single Ladies draws a line in the sand in the battle of the sexes. Holding out for respect and commitment in a relationship, Beyonce sings about moving on after a breakup:
I got gloss on my lips, a man on my hips....Beyonce, who broke all previous records at the 2010 Grammys by winning more awards in one night than any other female artist , revisits the classic breakup song and seizes on a key truth: in the long run, a woman shouldn't stay with a man who doesn't treasure her and won't take that final step.
I can care less about what you think
I need no permission, did I mention....
Cause you had your turn and now you gonna learn
What it really feels like to miss me
Cause if you like it then you should have put a ring on it
Single Ladies may work as a female anthem, but is it a feminist anthem? Many say absolutely not, among them Amanda Hess, who writes The Sexist blog at the Washington City Paper. Yet feminist and novelist Edan Lepucki disagrees. At TheMillions.com, Lepucki observes:
Yes, girls and young women need mentors and positive role models, but....I don’t want a feminist anthem if it requires aesthetic restraint and an avoidance of emotional honesty....In a world where the majority of women understand that gender equity is still unrealized -- but hesitate to call themselves the "F" word -- the idea of a single female anthem that every woman can get behind is no longer practicalPerhaps it’s anti-feminist for sex to lead to marriage, or to desire that. But why? Why is it unacceptable for a woman to require commitment from the man she’s sleeping with?...
Perhaps “Single Ladies” can’t be a feminist anthem because, to reduce it to a rallying cry, a slogan, does not acknowledge it for the complex song that it is.
Perhaps we would have an easier time deciding on what female anthems best represent us by letting go of our need to have them define some sort of universal condition of women. Instead of looking for a handful with an all-encompassing message, why not choose dozens of anthems that detail the diverse issues and unique situations women face throughout their lives? Songs about being a single woman, recovering after a breakup or divorce, pursuing younger men as a cougar, making it in a man's world, or becoming a mother can celebrate a single moment just as meaningfully as I Am Woman celebrated a large-scale movement. And building a new discography of female anthems would empower every woman of every age to contribute songs that speak to her.
Women need more than just one song to represent who we are and what we want. So where are all the great female anthems? They're still out there, waiting to be chosen. Which one is yours?
Sources:
Grigoriadis, Vanessa. "Can Shakira Conquer the World?" Rolling Stone Magazine. 12 November 2009.
Harding, Kate. "The album that made me a feminist." Salon.com. 2 April 2008.
"I Am Woman (Helen Reddy)." Women's and Gender Studies Blog. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
Lepucki, Edan. "All The Single Ladies: The Problem with Feminist Anthems." TheMillions.com. 15 December 2009.
Roberts, Robin. "'Ladies first': Queen Latifah's Afrocentric feminist music video - Black Women's Culture Issue." African American Review Summer 1994 at bnet. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
