I remember the music.
The first song that I can remember hearing was Waterfalls by TLC. I loved it, and thus my interested in music began. I look back and I can still see myself sitting in the backseat as my mom drove, listening to the radio.
So many powerful, fond memories of that music, especially in the late 90's: Destiny's Child, TLC, Alanis Morissette, Spice Girls, Melissa Etheridge, Shania Twain... Notice that these are all women.
I was discussing this with my friend Shelby today and I said that with the music that was popular during our childhood, how could a 90's kid grow up without being a feminist in adulthood.
Let me re-iterate:
Feminist (noun) - a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.
No man-hating here, obviously. This married girl even prefers the company of men in many situations, but as I've gotten older, I've seen more and more men my age becoming less feminist. Why do people still use these words: bitch, slut, whore, pussy, skank, 'stitute, hoe, etc.? All of these terms degrade women in some way or another, especially when used by a woman.
During my time listening to music in/from the 90's, which I still do to this very day, I was born into feminism. Why? The messages that were sent streaming across airwaves were powerful and showed a true respect and understanding for the women in the world.
The standard of beauty for women:
"Never insecure until I met you... I used to be so cute to me, just a little bit skinny. Why do I look to all these things to keep you happy? Maybe get rid of you and then, I'll get back to me..." -"Unpretty," TLC
The expectation that a woman is "lucky" to have a man, any man:
The double-standard for cheating:I don't want your number (no), I don't want to give you mine and (no), I don't want to meet you nowhere (no), I don't want none of your time and (no)." -"No Scrubs," TLC
"Any other day, I would call, you would say, 'Baby, how's your day?' But today, it ain't the same, every other word is 'Uh huh,' 'Yeah, okay.' Could it be that you are at the crib with another lady? If you took it there, first of all let me say: I am not the one to sit around and be played." -"Say My Name," Destiny's Child
"Is she perverted like me? I bet she'd make a really excellent mother... And every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back, I hope you feel it... I'm here to remind you of the mess you left when you ran away. It's not fair to deny me of the cross I bear that you gave to me." -"You Oughta Know," Alanis Morissette
"No inhibitions, make no conditions, get a little outta line. I ain't gonna act politically correct, I only want to have a good time." -"Man! I Feel Like A Woman," Shania Twain
The complexities of being a woman in a man's world (unfortunately):
So take me as I am. This may mean you'll have to be a stronger man. Rest assured that when I start to make you nervous and I'm going to extremes, tomorrow I will change and today won't mean a thing. I'm a bitch, I'm a lover, I'm a child, I'm a mother, I'm a sinner, I'm a saint--I do not feel ashamed--I'm your hell, I'm your dream, I'm nothing in between... I'm a tease, I'm a goddess on my knees. When you hurt, when you suffer, I'm your angel undercover. I've been numb, I'm revived, can't say I'm not alive. You know I wouldn't want it any other way" -"Bitch," Meredith Brooks
Now, it's not just my mother that I have to thank for making sure important feminist-messages were getting to me from a very young age, but the women who expressed them. I've wondered if I was born in the right time period, as we all do, but recently, I have discovered that I definitely was. I can be a key aspect of a revolution.
At the end of the day, we're all human, we're all equal, and I have the 90's to thank for that message.
