In this week’s edition of the Henry Hype, I ponder what exactly empowers women and the conversations around the topic.
I came across an article about musician Cardi B responding to someone wondering how her new music video, which consisted of herself and other women twerking in thong bikinis on a beach, empowers women.
In a tweet, Cardi responded, “It says to women that I can wear and not wear whatever I want. do w.e I want and that NO still means NO.”
After watching a few minutes of the video, I could see where both sides are coming from. There’s this weird line for feminism when it comes to women being objectified and feeling empowered to do what they want.
Robynne Henry The Henry Hype
We should be allowed to wear what we want, do what we want, and not have to live with the fear that we may be punished for our actions. If Cardi wanted to be painted like a tiger and twerk in the music video, who are we to tell her that’s not the best idea?
It brought me back to university when we discussed a performance at an awards show where a female performer was dancing and singing on a chair, soaking wet, in a revealing outfit, while her male counterpart was dry and wearing a three piece suit.
A lot of women in the class felt empowered watching her performance, while I was left wondering why she was drenched with water and gyrating on a chair. I didn’t feel empowered, but that doesn’t mean my classmates agreed with me.
It all comes down to each person and what they want to do. What may feel empowering for one woman may not be empowering to another, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a very personal thing, and I’m not sure why there seems to be such an argument about coming up with a universal idea about it.
A big component for me about feminism is women having the right to choose whatever they want to do with their bodies, and not facing ridicule or abuse because of it. While you may not agree with what makes one woman feel empowered, it doesn’t mean that she’s doing it wrong.
Criticizing Cardi B on her choices doesn’t change the fact that she has a successful career, where she chooses to twerk when she performs, nor will it make her stop.
Instead of belittling and attacking women, maybe we should talk about why they do what they do and why it makes them feel strong.
