When Art Becomes Advocacy: Music in the #MeToo Movement

Abstract

Music has been an undeniable propelling force in social movements throughout history, including in those that occur in the United States. Based on historical analysis and discourse analysis, I explored music used in past U.S. social movements, with a focus on the abolitionist movement, the Civil Rights Movement, the anti-war/pro-labor movement, and the four waves of feminism. I used these movements’ music and their reception/discourse to contextualize music’s role in more modern movements, such as in the #MeToo movement. Music can reflect the cultural context of the era in which it was written and released, thus making it an essential piece of understanding history as it happens. Music can reflect politics, social movements, power dynamics, and the feeling of an era.The music created and shared throughout the #MeToo movement highlights the range of emotions that come with any healing journey: rage, despair, turmoil, hope, and peace. When artists and musicians share their own stories of sexual assault with the public, other survivors were empowered to come forward and share their journey – a sense of community begins to develop among people who are survivors of sexual assault. Aided by social media and the digital age, music in #MeToo was shared on a global scale at a faster rate than ever before. This virality helped popularize the #MeToo movement almost overnight. #MeToo’s legacy and music remain timeless and forever relevant, and this thesis intends to capture the role that music played in this historical moment.