The Visual Toolbox of Feminist Musicians

Since the 1970s feminist musicians have been conscious of the political need to consider the role of visuals in their work. Tools such as costume and make up, and later the music video and visual album, have been utilised to interrogate the conventions that surround the appearance and behaviour of women, to counter the `male gaze, and to engage in feminist consciousness raising. This chapter traces a lineage of feminist praxis in popular music from second- to fourth-wave feminisms, outlining some of the most prominent examples of feminist music and music movements in this period. Furthermore, it highlights how a visual toolbox has been used by feminist artists of the past fifty years, from the womens musicians of the 1970s, to fourth-wave feminists of the 2010s. In tracing the debates that surround the reception of this music, it becomes clear why the existence of feminism within the musical mainstream remains problematic, despite progress in some respects towards equality within the industry.