Feminism is a word tied back to negative connotations in modern society today. Where did this movement come from? The first wave of known feminism reaches back to the Seneca Falls convention in 1848 where a declaration was formed to state equality between men and women. This declaration is substantial proof that feminism was never created to put down men but to put women on the same playing field as them. Today, the fight for equal rights is still present and a fight that has now moved into things like songs, movies, and speeches. Over the past decades, there have been many movies and songs that make the move to portray feminism and what everyday women have to go through in a man’s world. But do they do this all while degrading men?
In the history of music, there have been multiple songs that try to highlight inequality issues, but one that persists in my head is “The Man” by Taylor Swift. In this song, many lines are comparisons of what men get treated like in a situation compared to women. Swift’s main focus during the song comprises the difference in treatment between men and women in work fields. Swift says many things like “I’d be a fearless leader, I’d be an alpha type. When everyone believes ya, what’s that like?” which immediately places the idea that women do not get believed in certain situations. Swift chooses to say things that depict the worth and preconceived notions of women in a field, “They’d say I hustled, put in the work. They wouldn’t shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve” and “If I was out flashin’ my dollars I’d be a bitch, not a baller. They’d paint me out to be bad. So it’s okay that I’m mad.”
The choice to use situations where women don’t get the same treatment as men are all done in slight anger at the different treatment and questioned worth and desperation just to be recognized for what she is, a hard worker. A feeling many women can relate to. Swift’s chorus repeats throughout the song saying “I’m so sick of running as fast as I can. Wonderin’ if I’d get there quicker if I was a man. And I’m so sick of them comin’ at me again. ‘Cause if I was a man, then I’d be the man, I’d be the man (Man), I’d be the man (Man).” It displays how tiring living can be when you instantly get put below someone just for your gender. It becomes a show of tiredness and desperation. This chorus carries a lot. It says what every woman thinks at least once in their life: Would it have been different if I was a man? “The Man” leaves a longing for equality. She does it all while shaming the treatment but never putting a man down, Swift uses them for her examples but doesn’t go out of her way to shame them. It’s a portrayal of all her true feelings and thoughts, ones that women can resonate with.
Music has always been a way for people to portray their feelings out loud, to send a message or a feeling. Artists’ words that make you think and resonate with them leave an impact.
What about movies? They also send out messages as their story develops, but do they also do it without degrading men?
