Female artists’ contributions to feminism

and students’ individuality

By Stella Wahnaik, Reporter

As March marks Women’s History Month, let’s take a moment to highlight the female artists who run the music industry. For many people, music has a positive effect on their mental state, and with so many genres and styles that can influence people as individuals, music can empower people to feel comfortable with being who they are.

It’s important that people find music that resonates with them, and female artists have been at the forefront of finding individuality and becoming more comfortable in expressing their femininity for many people.

“When I was younger, I sort of rejected the stereotypical girly stuff, but after listening to a lot of female artists, I’ve accepted a lot of different aspects of girlhood,” senior Maisy Long said.

One of the biggest artists of this generation is none other than Taylor Swift. With 188 songs that have charted Billboard’s Hot 100, and 46 Grammy nominations, it’s no wonder she is a major influence to the students at VHS. From her older albums where she sings about her life and growing up to the sister albums she released over the pandemic “Evermore” and “Folklore” where her lyrics stray to more fictitious tales—
Taylor Swift is known for her songwriting and storytelling.

“I love Taylor. Just everything that she does is so cool. In Folklore and Evermore, the storytelling and all the complexities, she can just do so much,” Long said.

With influence in all different styles and genres, female artists like Swift have the power to impact individuals from all walks of life.

“I feel like female musicians really show how independent women can be, and when I hear about a female musician, and one of her songs going way past a male artist, it makes me kind of happy because it’s like, look at how much this music impacts people and makes a difference,” freshman Ashley Rice said.

For a long time, female artists were judged by the public for being too open about their relationships or for being too feminine. For example, artists like Lana Del Rey and Megan Thee Stallion, artists from completely different genres, have received misogynistic criticism for talking about their relationships,
sexuality, and femininity.

“I think that women should be able to write breakup songs, or they should be able to write about embracing femininity, it’s fun to sort of dive into the extremes of femininity,” Long said.

Regardless of the musician, music can be an escape from reality, and be a way to relax, or calm the nerves when things are stressful. Music can make people feel that they are not alone, that others share similar experiences and feelings.

“Music helps me calm down when I’m stressed, and I’ll find songs that really hit me and they make me realize, ‘Oh wait, there’s other people that have similar feelings as me or that think the same way,’” Rice said.

Female musicians can influence and empower everyone, and as March marks Women’s History Month, take the time to sit down and listen to a female artist.