BIO

My name is Kylie Cowley and I am a first year student majoring in Finance. I currently serve as a Presidential Scholar and University Ambassador, conducting service within the local community and engaging in campus leadership. My research delves into feminist theory, specifically within the music industry, where I'm passionate about understanding and addressing gender dynamics and representation. Through my work, I aim to foster inclusivity and bridge research gaps within this field.

Echoes of Empowerment: Feminism in Music of 2023

Abstract

The aim and purpose of this project is to understand how prominent women discuss feminism, sexual agency, and womanhood in their music. Feminism is the concept of inclusivity for all regardless of our identities in order to create a free and safe environment for people to live in. Those that have researched feminism in music have largely focused on the presence of sexualization and feminist themes (or lack thereof) in rap and R&B music, finding that it is in these genres where these themes are most present, both in the lyricism and the music videos. There is very minimal research on the presence of feminism in pop music, especially by female artists, as well as on the impact of these topics on women in the industry. For this study, a qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyze song lyrics by the Billboard Top 20 Female Artists of 2022 to find lyrics containing themes of feminism, sexualization, and womanhood in order to better understand their successes/failures, fame, and historical significance to women in the music industry.

Keywords: Feminism, Music, Artists