Little Mix are currently thriving with the rise of their new era. They’re celebrating the release of their latest single, ‘Shoutout To My Ex‘, as well as their latest book and busy promoting their fourth album, ‘Glory Days’. But why is it so important that a girl band such as Little Mix exist in the music industry?
As I’m sure you’re aware, the ‘trend’ of equality and girl power is rising on social media, and we’re currently in the fourth wave of feminism. While that may be considered a ‘taboo’ word for some people, it really is an important topic and we should be learning about it as well as teaching the concept to young people. Little Mix are known for really empowering their fans and educating them about the concept of ‘doing it for girls’. While they may not actually be using the term to describe themselves, they are definitely feminists.
Girl power is a term which is used for female empowerment, independence and self-sureness. There’s such a massive stigma on gender where the man is considered to be more powerful, but with the movement of feminism working vastly to make that a thing of the past, it’s vital we bring up the new and future generations to understand the equality of the sexes. The role of feminism and girl power is discussed at large in politics today but doesn’t tend to appeal to everyone. Bringing up simple topics such as self-love and self-esteem, understanding healthy relationships and what we, as women are capable of is something girlband’s such as Little Mix and Fifth Harmony are doing with their music. Using their power of fame and the gift of music to send messages about important topics as well as a sick beat to get down to is one of the best ways to get young people to understand, especially with a lack of schools teaching about women’s rights.
While not many people may realise that these topics are essentially what Little Mix sing about. Looking at songs such as ‘Boy’, which is a message for girls to be able to understand an unhealthy relationship and realising they don’t need it, nor should they be putting up with being treated poorly. ‘Little Me’ is an empowering song which sees the girls who are now confident in themselves, giving a message to their younger selves (and essentially younger fans) to be more themselves and understand they are capable of being whoever they want to be. ‘Salute’ may be considered the ultimate girl power anthem with lyrics such as, “You think we’re just pretty things. You couldn’t be more wrong,” “We’re standing strong. We carry on… can’t stop a hurricane. Ladies, it’s time to awake” and of course “representing all the women, salute!” which are strong messages of women standing together to represent the gender and being capable of more than what is stereotypically associated with women.
The latter song is such a powerful message that it has been used in many campaigns – from a flash mob against forced marriages to being the soundtrack of the women’s Olympic team in the USA.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUTM3lgmFx4]
What is most notably credible recently from the girls is their comment about double standards following their choice to wear leotards on their last tour, ‘Get Weird’, as well as their outfits from their recent performance of ‘The X Factor‘, which saw a wave of criticism in the media. Speaking on breakfast show ‘This Morning’, Jade said: “It’s a bit double standards, you always see lads with their tops off and everyone congratulates them and woos them, and we get a bit of thigh out and it’s a bit of an issue.
“We were really comfortable in our outfits and we loved what we wore, so that’s all that matters.”
Of course, it’s not just Little Mix who fly the flag of feminism, as Fifth Harmony also are heavy on the topic. Speaking to ‘Latina’ magazine not too long ago, 5H member Normani Kordei said: “Anything a man can do, a woman can do just as well. In society today, people devalue women and they try to pin us against each other. Like a man can walk outside without a shirt on, but a woman can’t.”
“I am part of the feminist movement,” she continued, “but I also feel that a lot of the times women aren’t supporting each other. We stand for equality and claim to be feminists, and need to support one another.”
Lauren Jauregui added: “We’re all women trying to do our thing. We’re spreading a positive message of girl empowerment, love, and self-love. And there’s plenty of room for us.”
And while it may be a subconscious act, neither group rises to the comments by both media and fans when pinned against each other, which is a lesson in itself that we should not be seen as each other’s competitors or be intimidated by other females.
Personally, I am in awe and feel so passionate about female artists, in particular, girlbands, standing up for the rights of women. My dream for these two girlbands is for them to group together and work with an organisation which is all about feminism and equality.
We really need to practise the act of feminism and gender equality as a society and I truly believe music is a fantastic place to start.
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