Cool refers to something dangerous, original, a style and always related to sex. The feminist movement has always been cool throughout history. Some of the feminist movements that represented cool in the 90s include the Riot Grrl and the spice girls among many others. Feminists usually ascribe to girl power girl power which refers to women’s physical and mental strengths, standing up for women’s rights and dignity and women having control over their lives. The cool culture usually signifies defiance in an attempt to express oneself. In the 90s women were largely undermined and could not express their selves freely. Consequently, the feminists’ movement like the spice girls enabled them to express freely. For instance, the spice girls hit “wannabe” is a demonstration of girls demanding freedom of expression as they sing “I’ll tell you what I want, what I really want.” The women also demand that they stand up for their own opinions and beliefs. In the song, she says “I’m not your bitch. Don’t hang your shit on me.”
Cool feminist movements in the in the modern age also has similarities with the 90s. the present day musicians such as Beyoncé remain ascribed to girl power. They aim to encourage women in their mental strengths and physical capabilities standing for equal women rights in the society and dignity. Beyoncé champions the feminist movement in the modern-day age. In 2013 she released an essay “Gender equality is a myth” which describes the struggles women go through to make it easy in life while their male counterparts still keep having it easy.
Rebellion is also an attribute of cool. Women in the 90s were rebellious against unequal treatment. Women rebelled against their male counterparts through the Riot Grrl movement to form girl power bands. The women broke the music gender barriers as they started singing and playing musical instruments like the guitar which was previously a preserve for the men. Consequently, they inspired women to stand up for the rights using music as a platform.
In the modern era just like during the spice girl era, women are able to articulate their challenges and encourage each other through their art. For instance, Lily Allen’s video by the title “Hard Out There”. The lyrics of the song criticizes the double standards in the society concerning women’s sexuality, physical appearances, and ambitions which the women face daily.
In the modern day era, feminists still continue to be cool. Just like during the Grrl movement era, the music scene is recently witnessing a number of women venturing into the lady rock, punks, drummers, rappers, crooners, and even producers which was initially a preserve for the men. Also presently women are the ones dominating the Billboard charts. Women have also diversified their genres and they have many artists to look at from the fierceness of Beyoncé, the boldness of Adele, rock by pink, hip-hop by Nicki Minaj and the coolness associated with Janelle Monae.
The 90s also had feminists’ anthems whose aim was to break down the patriarchy and notions of how women should act. The women started appreciating and taking control of their sexuality. The Riot Grrls movement empowered each other braking stereotypes and encouraging women to do what they want with their sex lives and that it should be no one business to dictate. For instance, Salt N Pepa’s song titled “None of your business” was an anthem that is anti-slut shaming. In the song, Salt N Pepa lyrics say that women’s sex lives are not anyone’s business contrary to the previous belief that women need to be modest and submissive to their husbands. Madonna also is not tolerant of people dictating what she should do.
Just like during the Grrl movement era, women are still being slut-shamed by men and even their own peers. Many people have a say in women’s sexuality. They are expected to society’s description of modesty. However, there are musician feminists who advocate that women should express themselves sexually the way they feel like. For instance, Miley Cyrus represents a new brand of fresh ideas on expressing female sexuality. In her 2013 MTV video performance, she performed wearing a nude bikini-clad, and she was tongue wagging. Her complete turn over from the sweet and naive Disney character to a fully grown woman who is not afraid to express her sexuality is a major stride of the feminist movement of cool. From the definition cool usually has something to do with sex. Consequently, the feminists’ movement in both eras is cool as they are confident and encourage other women to express themselves sexually the way they like. Jennifer Lopez in her song “I ain’t your Momma” signifies the feminist revolution to being submissive to their husbands and do all the house chore for them. The song incites the girlfriends and wives to stand their ground and not just submit to doing everything for their husbands and boyfriends. Consequently, the modern era of feminist just like the nineties is cool such that they do not fear to engage in rebellious acts and living in defiance against society’s norms. They also are not afraid to demonstrate and proudly own their sexuality just like the cool feminist movement of the 90s.
Works Cited
Dunn, Gaby. "A Playlist Of The Best ’90s “Feminist Anthems”." 12 March 2013. Thought Catalog Website. 19 March 2018. .
Hirsch, Afua. "‘As a 1990s teenager, the world gave us girl power and pornification’." 31 January 2018. The Guardian Website. 19 March 2018. .
