Hip-hop feminist Joan Morgan spoke to an audience of more than 100 people last night on the issues surrounding a woman's role in the hip-hop industry.
Morgan said that often, the term feminism provokes assumptions of bitter, anti-male messages condemning our patriarchal society.
Yet, she was neither bitter nor anti-male. Rather, her speech in Maxwell Auditorium addressed the responsibilities of women in the hip-hop industry to take action against what they feel is wrong.
"Hip-hop feminism is not just a critique of dominating masculinity," she said.
Rather than criticizing the degrading lyrics and images of females often associated with hip-hop culture, Morgan was more concerned with the roles women play in their own stereotypes.
"The image of women as victims and men as oppressors is very comfortable," she said. "But it's often inaccurate."
The problem is not what the rappers say or what the videos portray, but rather the internalization of those images, which leads to a quiet acceptance of it, she said.
Morgan also criticized females in the industry for catering to this type of commercialism that hip-hop has succumbed to. There are fewer empowering female personalities now than before, she said.
Morgan also pointed out that females who do enter the world of hip-hop cater to the "hyper-sexuality" aspect of it because sex sells.
By comparing women's roles in the corporate industry to their roles in the hip-hop industry, Morgan emphasized the need for women to voice their opinions, rather than to settle for being a victim.
As she pointed out, women are making great strides in the business world, despite the presence of a "glass ceiling."
Morgan ended her speech by making a call to action.
"Hip-hop feminism is a noun, but it needs to be a verb. It needs to be about what we do. It's not enough to say hip-hop hurts our feelings," she said.
Morgan hoped that her speech would empower both men and women alike, to speak up about issues that are important to them, she said.
Ryan Travis, a graduate Pan African studies major, said the lecture helped him recognize feminism.
"It helped me see what it means to support feminist tradition and also to comment on it," he said.
Durriyyah Rose, a junior political science and African American studies major, said she read Morgan's book and enjoyed her speech.
"It makes you think things that are dormant," she said. "We have the power to make changes, and if we want to see a change, we must stand up and take action."
unnguyen@syr.edu
Be the first to comment on this article!