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In June 2022, in the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, taking away the constitutional right to an abortion. This ruling shifted the responsibility of determining laws on reproductive rights to individual state legislatures. Since then, politically conservative states like Idaho and Texas have adopted strict bans, many of which do not include exceptions for specific circumstances such as rape or incest.
In the two years since this ruling, millions of Americans have been left without access to proper health care. Many have taken to the street to protest for reproductive justice, though these demonstrations have not garnered overwhelming federal support.
In the wake of this dystopian reality, Greta Gerwig emerges. The summer after the overturn of Roe, she released the box-office hit “Barbie” (2023), starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Despite its universal wash of hot pink and overt silliness, the film explored challenging issues surrounding womanhood, femininity and the patriarchy.
Now, I’m not saying that “Barbie” saved women or somehow empowered enough of us enough to fight back against systemic injustice. But it did prompt an important cultural phenomenon: it put feminism on a national stage.
“In the wake of this dystopian reality, Greta Gerwig emerges.”
Everyone, even your Republican uncle, was talking about this movie. I feel like that has to count for something ─ even if that “something” is just basic empathy for experiences of misogyny and gender discrimination. Maybe it is this exact “something” that could spark political change.
As I entered Summer 2024, I wondered how TikTok would define my next three months. What trendy words would be buzzing in my head?
I got my answer to those questions on June 7, when Charli XCX released her critically acclaimed hyper-pop album “brat.” With curated promotion, talented featured artists and catchy beats, the album exploded on social media. Influencers danced to “Apple” and raved about having their own “brat summer” in city nightclubs.
Critics herald the album as a staple in the emerging renaissance of club music, but many failed to notice its implicit feminist themes. In the wake of last summer’s “Barbie” phenomenon, “brat” continues a discussion about womanhood while tackling some of its less glamorous aspects.
Most notably, “I think about it all the time” describes the tension Charli XCX feels between the possibility of motherhood and forging her personal freedom. The song seems apt to describe the panic of a post-Roe era.
Likewise, “Girl, so confusing” addresses the strained relationship between Charli XCX and fellow musician Lorde. The song encompasses the feelings of self-doubt and jealousy that sometimes arise in female friendships, while its remix discusses Lorde’s struggles with vulnerability and body image. Ultimately, the two artists “work it out on the remix” with a new sense of support for one another.
“Sympathy is a knife” touches on similar themes about industry pressure and envy for another female pop idol. “I don’t wanna share this space / I don’t wanna force a smile / This one girl taps my insecurities,” Charli XCX sings. “Cause I couldn’t even be her if I tried / I’m opposite, I’m on the other side.”
Her indignation for this “one girl” highlights the complex challenges that come with being a woman in pop and the relentless pursuit of commercial success in an ever-competitive industry.
It is her exact position as a woman in music that produces this contentious environment and fuels her internal conflict, as the industry profits from the rivalry among female artists. Her radically vulnerable lyrics reflect the way that many women feel in competition with their peers in their careers and elsewhere.
I do not mean to suggest that Charli XCX represents all women. Rather, by sharing her personal experience, she sparks a powerful discussion about the various ways that women navigate life. Her vulnerability allows women to find connections to her own personal and professional challenges. In a time of uncertainty for women’s rights, these conversations are essential for fostering solidarity and discovering shared experience.
Charli XCX’s music serves as a reminder that art has the ability to challenge norms, provoke thought and guide us through an increasingly hostile political landscape. Maybe that’s where progress begins: in the shared stories, beats and experiences that make us reflect and, ultimately, act.
Anna Peterson SC ‘25 is from Scottsdale, AZ. She studies politics, but spends her free time making Spotify playlists, writing Letterboxd reviews and drinking too much coffee.
