Advocacy in April

When I decided to go back to college, I was assigned to write an argumentative essay relating to music that shared an important topic. Something I’ve always advocated for was women’s rights. Women have been fighting for their rights for quite some time, and even to this day we are fighting for whatever rights that are left. Women are recognized for their accomplishments, but also when they are taken from us. I wanted to advocate for women’s rights by writing this essay and utilizing two songs that had me thinking how the world is run by men: “The Man” by Taylor Swift and “Man’s World” by MARINA. Years after this paper was submitted and graded, I’ve decided to make this my first post, and with plenty of updates.

When a man, such as fictional character Tyler Swift experiences the most minor inconveniences, his reactions and actions are validated. However, when a woman, such as Grammy-award winning artist Taylor Swift, is expressing her feelings about her life’s work being taken away by a man (who actively bullied her during her time in the industry), it is seen as “no big deal.” [Author’s Note: I appreciate Taylor’s strong advocacy for women and female artists while encouraging young people in the United States to vote, but I do not support her lack of advocacy for women across the globe.] In “The Man,” Taylor expresses that if she was a man, she would be worshipped for her actions unlike how she is deemed in a negative light for the exact same actions as a woman. Prior to the release of her seventh album Lover, Taylor had to wake up to news that her entire music catalog (from Debut to Reputation) was sold by her former manager, Scott Borchetta, without her knowledge. Owned by Scooter Braun, who formerly owned Ithaca Holdings and managed artists like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, a man in power can suddenly claim the success from the work of a woman. Swift also directs the video to “The Man,” and creates the Tyler Swift persona, where this man acts erratic. We see him throwing fits during a tennis match and shamelessly smoking a cigar and “manspreading” on a NYC subway. Coming full circle, Taylor sings “if I was out flashing my dollars, I’d be a bitch, not a bother. They’d paint me out to be bad, so it’s okay if I’m mad,” because her reality as a woman is that she is always going to be painted as arrogant if she were to share her success, compared to Tyler Swift, who is seen as an influence, although he truly acts arrogant.

Formerly known as Marina and the Diamonds, Greek and Welsh singer Marina Diamandis depicts in “Man’s World” how women and the LGBTQ+ community live in a world with rules set by men and catered to suit the needs of only men. Globally and historically, women have had to fight for their basic rights since they haven’t had many to start off with, especially women of color. Women are heavily oppressed by laws passed to control basic livelihood whether it be about healthcare safety, religious ties, or injustice for violence against them, but when a man sees a risk in his rights, he will fight to protect his rights: rights that are catered so men will get what they want. In MARINA’s music video, we see both women and members of the LGBTQ+ community gathered together in a field, dancing, Later, they are all seen running away in this dark land (referencing running away from this “Man’s World”). Diamandis is a huge climate activist and has advocated immensely for women’s rights, so she compares women to nature in her chorus when she sings, “Mother Nature’s dying, nobody’s keeping score.” The difference between this song and “The Man” by Taylor Swift is that Marina forms the song as a plead for men to not punish women for not being a man, rather than Taylor expressing that she would get praise if she was a man rather than the woman she is today. The plead shows itself more when the post-chorus plays, “if you have a mother, daughter or a friend, maybe it is time, time to comprehend.” “Man’s World” soon ends with the same plead, “so don’t punish me because I’m not a man.”

Taylor Swift and MARINA both have shared their perspectives of how women are truly treated, both within the music industry and in their personal lives. All women experience injustices at the hands of men, especially men who think they can never be held accountable. Look at Hugh Hefner and Richard Poncher with the way they objectified Marilyn Monroe, even after death. The founder of Playboy had purchased a plot back in 1992 and had planned to be buried in the crypt next to Marilyn. You would assume maybe they had some sort of relationship, right? In fact, Hugh never met Marilyn. Hefner was always seen as a respected businessman (although his entire company profited off the objectification of women) and yet, Marilyn Monroe’s success was overshadowed with controversy surrounding her ties to the Kennedy family. Richard Poncher, similarly to Hefner, also had no relation to Monroe, but was fascinated by her and so much to the point where he requested to be buried face down so he could be “forever on top of Marilyn Monroe.” This request was unfortunately fulfilled by his wife. Even in death, women can never be left alone by the grotesque fantasy of men and their power.

Meanwhile on the other side of the world, we see many injustices against women, not only because of men, but men in power. In Iran, the government was faced with protests from women’s rights activists for the arrest and death of Mahsa Amini. Mahsa was an Iranian Kurdish woman who was arrested for incorrectly wearing her hijab. Her family was not allowed to see her, and they were later notified of her passing while in custody. This sparked outrage with the people of Iran and throughout the world, which resulted in the government arresting and punishing those who protested. Many of those women who protested went as far as going against Iranian dress code and even ripping off their hijabs and cutting their hair. Unfortunately, for those that were arrested, this male-dominated government punished them with execution. This is a very big display of men who place laws oppressing women and punishing them when they fight against it, intentionally or not. Aside from oppressing women with laws surrounding dress code, they also discriminate women seeking employment. The thought process behind improving Iran’s economy is to force women to increase their population with more kids than allow them to work, even though half the percentage of university graduates in Iran are women.

Women are also heavily stripped of their rights down in Afghanistan, which even raised concerns with UN Women. As of August 2024, a law was passed that enforced women to no longer speak in public. The de facto government already enforced women to cover themselves from head to toe, and on top of that, they are no longer able to interact. It’s as if women are being asked to simply exist but not for the purpose of thriving, but to be restricted, both politcally and socially. Women have had their rights taken from them at the hands of men since 2021 when the Taliban took control of Kabul. It is an apartheid against women.

Another set of men in power that are responsible for, not only the apartheid of a state, but the genocide of many men, women and children, are none other than the leaders of Israel against the people of Palestine. Since October 7, 2023, Gaza has been subject to mass murder at the hands of Israel. Women living in Gaza had faced gun violence, sexual violence and the loss of their children. Just today, Northern Gaza’s last hospital was under siege by occupation forces! And this apartheid against Palestinians did not start on October 7th, Israel’s apartheid against Palestine has been around for decades. While Israel claims they are on a mission to eliminate Palestinian group Hamas, there have been countless videos online of young girls being shot and burned alive. There’s not a day that goes by where we hear the voice of Bisan Owda saying, “this is Bisan from Gaza, I’m still alive,” where she documents the ongoing genocide and includes the violence against women and young girls.

Apartheid also falls on the women of Sudan during an ongoing conflict between rival militaries. They are subject to mass violence on top of discrimination, including mutilation. Women in Sudan also struggle to find food, clean water, and access to healthcare services. This is a conflict that I don’t see posted on social media compared to the ongoing problems within other global countries, and I want to encourage my readers to please share awareness and advocacy for the women of Sudan; they deserve freedom as much as other women in crisis do.

Within the United States, there has been a mass punishment on women, courtesy of the American government. This topic has been an ongoing debate between them and the people to determine whether access to abortions should or should not be legalized. Liberals and progressives can argue that it is a basic human right and women should be supported to make their own choices regarding their health. This is also not solely for women who choose not to have a child, but for women who have reproductive health risks if they are carrying an unborn child or have intentions to concieve. Conservatives have argued that it is also basic human rights, but on behalf of the unborn child. To them, women are murdering unborn children and ethically, this is a crime for women to terminate a pregnancy. There are many factors as to why women choose to get abortions aside from the decision to be a parent. In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court made the decision to overrule Roe v. Wade, a law that gives women the right to reproductive decision making. This was a decision that was heavily urged by Justice Clarence Thomas who is (you guessed it) a man. To follow up on this decision, President Donald Trump had also promised that during his next term in office, he wants to enforce an abortion ban that overrules safe haven states such as Illinois and New York. Government officials and men in power shouldn’t have to declare the legality of women’s healthcare rights, let alone women’s rights.

Another right that the United States has heavily targeted within women’s rights (and LGBTQ+ rights) is transgender rights. Trans women, especially women of color, are heavily targeted for political strategy and hate crimes simply for their existence. Many have faced violence without justice. Transgender women take numerous steps to become who they are and this includes taking hormone pills, gender reaffirming surgery, and having to purchase clothing that affirms their identity. They also have to go through legally changing their identity (which requires hiring a lawyer). Doing none of these things does not make them any less of a woman, but according to those who discriminate against them, they are targeted for hate crimes and violence. Black trans women also experience harsher obstacles because of cases such as poverty and violent murder. Laws have not been changed much to protect trans women from the unfairness they receive for simply existing. Transgender women are not heard enough and because they are also women, they deserve equal rights in the United States.

I urge you all to take a look at this and wonder, is it worth praising “The Man,” only to live in a “Man’s World?” Is it worth living in a world where your rights can be stripped away by men in power? Is it fair to witness women from around the globe face injustices at the hands of men? To witness women in your country face injustices? To be a woman objectified before and after death? We must advocate for women and their rights. It is time to stop wishing we were “The Man” or wish we can escape living in a “Man’s World.”

Sources:

“Afghanistan: The Taliban’s War on Women: The Crime Against Humanity of Gender Persecution in Afghanistan.” Amnesty International, 30 May 2023, www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa11/6789/2023/en/.

Begum, Rothna. “Iranian Women’s Demands For Freedom Must Be Heard.” Human Rights Watch. 2022, November 16, from https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/11/16/iranian-womens-demands-freedom-must-be-heard. , Retrieved April 9, 2023.

Diamandis, Marina. “’Man’s World’ Music Video.” YouTube, 2020, from https://youtu.be/obxFWNeGDOg. Retrieved April 9, 2023.

 Forestiere, Annamarie. “America’s War on Black Trans Women.” Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, 2020, September 23, from https://harvardcrcl.org/americas-war-on-black-trans-women/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=americas-war-on-black-trans-women-, Retrieved from April 9, 2023.

Grant, Rosie. “To whoever sold Hugh Hefner the grave next to Marilyn Monroe.” TikTok, 2021, December 12, from https://www.tiktok.com/@ghostlyarchive/video/7040041733123591471?embed_source=71112494%2C121331973%2C120811592%2C120810756%3Bnull%3Bembed_blank&refer=embed&referer_url=www.dailydot.com%2Funclick%2Fmarilyn-monroe-hugh-hefner-grave-tiktok%2F&referer_video_id=7040041733123591471, Retrieved April 8, 2023.

Jaworski, Michelle. “‘That’s surprisingly not the worst person to be buried by her’: Viral TikTok showing Hugh Hefner’s crypt next to Marilyn Monroe’s sparks debate.” Daily Dot, 2021, December 15, from https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/marilyn-monroe-hugh-hefner-grave-tiktok/, Retrieved from April 9, 2023.

“Roe v. Wade.” Center for Reproductive Rights, 1 Apr. 2024, reproductiverights.org/roe-v-wade/#:~:text=In%20June%202022%2C%20in%20a,The%20ruling%20in%20Dobbs%20v.

Sherman, Mark. “Supreme Court Overturns Roe V. Wade; States Can Ban Abortion.” AP NEWS, 2022, June 24, from https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0, Retrieved April 9, 2023.

Swift, Taylor. “’The Man’ Music Video.”  YouTube, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqAJLh9wuZ0, Retrieved April 9, 2023.

“The Challenges of Being a Woman Today in Gaza.” UNICEF State of Palestine, 8 Mar. 2024, www.unicef.org/sop/stories/challenges-being-woman-today-gaza.

“Tracking the Taliban’s (Mis)Treatment of Women | United States Institute of Peace.” United States Institute of Peace, www.usip.org/tracking-talibans-mistreatment-women. Accessed 28 Dec. 2024.

“UN Experts Warn of Israeli Violations against Palestinian Women, Girls.” Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 19 Feb. 2024, www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/19/un-experts-warn-of-israeli-violations-against-palestinian-women-girls.

“UN Women Deeply Concerned by New Afghanistan Morality Law.” UN Women – Headquarters, 28 Aug. 2024, www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2024/08/un-women-deeply-concerned-by-new-afghanistan-morality-law.

“Women and Girls in Sudan Disproportionately Impacted by Ongoing Conflict | UN News.” United Nations, United Nations, news.un.org/en/story/2024/09/1155056. Accessed 27 Dec. 2024.