People Who You Didn't Know Were Feminists

[GothAnneGeddes]

I was listening to Ode To Billie Joe and thought I'd look Bobbie Gentry up on Wikipedia. These two quotes sprang out at me:

"Fancy" is my strongest statement for women's lib, if you really listen to it. I agree wholeheartedly with that movement and all the serious issues that they stand for ? equality, equal pay, day care centers, and abortion rights.

and

Gentry continued to write and perform, touring Europe, generating a significant fan base in the United Kingdom. She signed a million-dollar contract to headline in her own $150,000 nightclub revue in Las Vegas for which she produced, choreographed, and wrote and arranged the music. She said,

? I write and arrange all the music, design the costumes, do the choreography, the whole thing. I'm completely responsible for it. It's totally my own from inception to performance. I originally produced "Ode To Billie Joe" and most of my other records, but a woman doesn't stand much chance in a recording studio. A staff producer's name was nearly always put on the records."

I never knew she was so cool.

So is there anyone else out there who was more of a feminist than you thought?

The country singer/songwriter Hank Wangford

I remember reading an article in the eraly 1990's he'd written under his given name of Samuel Hutt (Dr) about PMS and pain, and how many male GPs dismiss women and their symptoms.

Someone posted a link on here to a video of Matt Damon recording a voice over for a documentary on female victims of war crimes. That definitely had some strong echoes of feminism, just from what Matt was saying.

The King Blues, a punk-poetry band, have some very feminist messages in some of there songs. But that's the reason I became interested in them, and the exact reason a friend sent me the link to 5 Bottles Of Shampoo.

I absolutely love P!nk, btw. She made a speech against homophobia last year which I thought was amazing. Some of her earlier tracks definitely have echoes of feminism ideology.

never knew that about Beastie Boys, that's awesome....leopard's can change their spots after all

Aye, VERY glad to hear that about the beastie boys

and they still kept the 'feel' of the music, SGM, thereby nullifying the oft-used 'argument' that certain genre need certain language to remain 'pure'

sorry, have gone off track slightly and hope you GWIM

Ooh, hip hop has a lot to answer for...

Was quite chuffed a few weeks back. On the way to the train station pre-holidays, was having a chat with the taxi driver. He mentioned his disdain for hip-hop, the main reason he cited "I hate hearing people talking about women in a derogatory way, and all you hear from these rappers is "ho", "bitch", etc..."

I was grinning all the way to London, seeing as my first chat of the day had NOT been laden with sexism.

That's what made me laugh about Beyonce's "Run The world"... If she thinks women are so empowered, why is she married to someone who sprouted the gem "I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one"?

My heroine of the moment is Annie Lennox. She is a feminist and activist.

Sorry to burst your bubbles re Pink. I went to a concert of hers thinking that she was a feminist as I do agree, many of her songs do have feminist ideals. However, she was in her underwear on stage and had very scantily clad female dancers with her. There were no scantily clad male dancers on stage. I was gutted as I didnt expect that from her. She is what I call a misguided feminist who thinks it is empowering to be on stage half naked. I find her a double standard. She criticised women in her 'Stupid Girls' song who parade around with next to nothing on as in the Jessica Simpson video washing the car. She did exactly the same on stage, what a hypocrit.

Eeek, MrsClown, I'd have been quite put off to see that. :/

I like Pink as well - not perfect (but then who is?) but she doesn't pander to what is thought "sexy" does she? She might be undressed but she is fierce and never simpers AFAIK.

Probably not what the OP meant but Louisa May Alcott did a lot of feminist work in the 19th century.

Mariella Frostrup

The myth of equality, or near enough, was one I fell for like so many others until I was asked to participate in a debate at the Royal Geographical Society a few years ago. "We're All Feminists Now" asserted the motion ? and faced with the literary might of the likes of Howard Jacobson and Tim Lott I was initially struck dumb, fearing it was going to be a tough challenge to argue the opposite. A quick Google put me straight. Two-thirds of children denied school are girls, 64% of the world's illiterate adults are women, 41m girls are still denied a primary education, 75% of civilians killed in war are women and children, causing Major-General Patrick Cammaert, the former UN peacekeeping commander in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to declare in 2008: "It is now more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in modern conflict."

Lady Brenda Hale - only female supreme court judge.