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Sofia Deeb

English 103H

Professor Granillo

10 October 2018

‘I Hope You’re Somewhere… Supporting the Feminist Movement’

In recent years, the issue of sexual assault has become a prominent topic within the

movement. The “#MeToo” trend on social media gave people everywhere a platform to speak

up about their experiences. Not only did this help bring awareness to the issue, but it brought

victims closer together as they realized that they were not alone. Last year, recording artist,

Kesha, perfectly captured the significance of the “#MeToo” movement in her song, “Praying”.

By examining this song through the lens of two feminist theories known as “women-speak” and

the “angel/whore dichotomy”, we can see how, Kesha’s, “Praying”, works to unite victims of

sexual assault and encourage them to speak out against their perpetrators. While it can be argued

that Kesha used this song to exploit her situation and place herself on a pedestal, we can still

identify this song as a feminist anthem as it brings the issue of sexual assault into the mainstream

media—which is the primary goal of the fourth wave of feminism.

To understand the significance of this song in regards to feminism, we must first

understand the events leading up to the release of the song. In 2017, after a hiatus from making

music, Kesha had come forward about an event that had taken place three years prior. She

accused her record producer of drugging and sexually assaulting her. She had taken the issue to

court in an attempt to get out of her six-album contract with the producer. However, in the
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meantime, Kesha was still legally bound to this contract and had to release more music until the

court was able to make a decision. That summer, she released her single, “Praying”, which

became a turning point in her career as well as her healing process. As we make our way into

the fourth wave of feminism, and shift into a more media-oriented world, the need for artists to

discuss such topics in their songs is ever-increasing.

The feminist movement has been around for decades, yet, only now are we beginning to

see an increase in such themes within pop culture and the media. This change can be directly

linked to society’s movement out of the Third-wave feminism, and into the fourth wave. To

understand how this progression has led to an increase in prevalence within the media, we must

first examine each “wave” of feminism and what they encompass. The first wave of feminism

began in the 19th century, as women began to fight for their right to vote. By the 1960’s, after

accomplishing this task, we began to move into the second wave, which advocated for gender

equality in other areas, such as within the workplace. The third-wave of feminism began in the

1990’s, in which diversity became the issue at hand—feminists focused on creating equal

opportunity for marginalized groups such as people of color, people with disabilities, and

members of the LGBTQ+ community. Author, Lois Tyson, explains in her book, Critical

Theory Today, that, “for centuries feminism has worked for gender equality: for a dissolution of

the patriarchal gender roles that, even today, continue to short-circuit efforts to achieve complete

equality between women and men” (Tyson, 111). Today, we find ourselves moving into the

fourth-wave of feminism. The primary concern of feminists within the fourth wave is

combatting sexual abuse and assault. As the internet, as well as other forms of media, become

more and more prevalent within our everyday lives, the discourse of the feminist movement has

changed drastically, creating the need for a phenomenon known as “women-speak”.

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French feminist and writer, Hélène Cixous, created the idea of women-speak and

described it in her book, The Laugh of the Medusa. She writes that, “women must write herself:

must write about women and bring women to writing, from which they have been driven away as

violently as from their bodies-for the same reasons, by the same law, with the same fatal goal.

Woman must put herself into the text-as into the world and into history-by her own movement”

(Cixous, 875). In other words, Cixous believes that is essential for women to develop their own

language, or way of talking about issues that affect them, in their writing. She also believed that

the world needed more women-oriented writing, or content written by women, for women.

Kesha’s song, “Praying”, exemplified the idea of women-speak, as she wrote the song to

specifically address the issues that she, as a woman, had been facing. Her song begins with the

lines, “You almost had me fooled. Told me that I was nothing without you” (Kesha, 2017).

While this part is referring to what Kesha had personally experienced with her producer, when

looking at these lines through the lens of women-speak, we can see how others may be able to

hear this part and relate it to their own experiences. These lines, in a sense, “set the scene” of

how an abusive relationship begins—one person taking control over the other, making them feel

worthless and trapped. The concept of women speak argues that it is necessary to discuss such

ideas within writing, to allow other women to unite over shared experiences and find the strength

to stand up for themselves.

In addition to creating a new way in which women can talk about sexual assault within

the media, another important goal of women-speak is creating a language to help victims heal

after being sexually assaulted or abused. Kesha uses women-speak to share inspiring words on

her healing process. She sings, “Cause I can make it on my own, oh. And I don't need you, I

found a strength I've never known” (Kesha). This line is important in reassuring people that
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whatever they are going through, is not the end. Women in particular can listen to this line and

understand that there is a way out, and that they are much stronger than they may think. Kesha

used this song as a new platform to talk about everything that she had faced, however, women

everywhere can use these lyrics wherever they see fit within their own lives. While the lyrics to

“Praying” provide a new language of talking about sexual assault in media, there is an

incongruity, known as the “angel/monster” dichotomy, present within the song’s music video.

Kesha released, “Praying”, after a long hiatus from making music and listeners

everywhere were shocked by her new sound. The artist was known for her wild, and often

explicit, pop songs, however, “Praying” featured a slower tempo with cleaner, and more uplifting

lyrics. Many believed that after being abused by her producer, Kesha gained a new sense of

maturity that allowed her to write songs with deeper meanings. However, others argued that

Kesha had not changed, and that she was exploiting her situation in an effort to promote her new

album. The two differing viewpoints on Kesha’s new sound can be explained through a concept

known as the “angel/monster dichotomy”. This concept was first introduced by writers, Sandra

M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar. In 1979, they published the book, Madwoman in the Attic, in

which they played off the idea that all female characters in media and literature were either

portrayed as an angel (a respectful woman who keeps quiet and follows orders), or a monster (a

rebellious woman who stands up for herself). (Gilbert and Gubar, 14).

In the music video for “Praying”, Kesha places herself in the angel role—literally. One

of the opening scenes of the video shows her playing the piano wearing large, feathered angel

wings and an all-white outfit (Kesha, 1:23). The video makes several references to this idea of

Kesha being angelic or holy, including the majority of scenes taking place inside of a chapel

(Kesha, 1:58). Many people argue that through these scenes, the artist is attempting to place
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herself on a pedestal in which she may be viewed as respectful and innocent. This is a stark

contrast to many of Kesha’s older music videos, in which she places herself in the monster role.

Popular themes from her earlier albums were sex, drugs, and partying. The artist’s older music

aimed to challenge the ways people thought women were supposed to act. So why did Kesha

suddenly change her motives? While many people label this inconsistency with a desperate cry

for attention, it can be suggested that she was trying to prove a larger point about feminism.

When Gilbert and Gubar theorized the angel/monster dichotomy, their purpose was to show that

women do not have to fit into either category, and that womanhood is whatever you make of it.

Author, Roxanne Grimmett further explained this point in her article, “By Heaven and Hell”,

when she stated that the angel/monster dichotomy, "facilitates the manipulation of women",

since being able to place female characters within this dichotomy allows them to be controlled

and read accordingly (Grimmett, 36). Whether it was done intentionally or not, “Praying” works

to show how women are not limited to only two ways of being. But perhaps more importantly,

the song showed that women do not have to stay quiet in order to keep up their “angel” persona.

Through this music video, Kesha showed her fans how they can speak up about sexual assault,

but do so in a respectful, mature manor.

Kesha’s song, “Praying”, became an anthem for feminists everywhere because of its

ability to relate to several key aspects of the fourth wave of feminism. After speaking out about

being sexually assaulted by her record producer, and taking a long break from music, she

returned with a brand-new sound, sharing new, and more personal ideas within her song. The

lyrics, as well as the music video, can be examined through the lens of feminism to show how

Kesha’s main goal was to unite victims of sexual assault and encourage them to come forward

and accuse their perpetrators. Using a concept known as women-speak, we are able to
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understand how the lyrics address particular issues that plague women and help to unite them

over their shared experiences. Through “Praying”, song becomes the new language through

which women can talk about issues. When looking at this song in relation to the music she has

released in the past, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that Kesha was using her position as a

victim of sexual assault to gain attention in the media and promote her new song. This song is

much more toned-down from some of the artist’s previous releases. This is an example of the

angel/monster dichotomy which suggests that women can not be both a respectable “angel” and a

rebellious “monster”. However, Kesha suggests otherwise. Her ability to come forward after

her incident and write a meaningful song about something so personal to her shows how women

can break out of the two categories they have been limited to. This further proves that women

are complex beings with a variety of attitudes and beliefs. A fundamental part of the fourth wave

of feminism is not only having these complex attitudes, but being able to express them on a

public platform such as the media, in an effort to bring attention to the issues effecting women

everywhere. Kesha used her platform as a popular recording artist in a positive way with her

song, “Praying” by simply getting the message out there. As we continue on through the fourth

wave of feminism, women must continue to utilize the media, just as she did, in an effort to have

their voices heard.

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Works Cited

Cixous Hélène. Laugh of the Medusa. The University of Chicago, 1976.

Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the

Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. Yale University Press, 2006.

Grimmett, Roxanne. “'By Heaven and Hell': Re-Evaluating Representations of Women and the

Angel/Whore Dichotomy in Renaissance Revenge Tragedy.” Virtual Commons -

Bridgewater State University, vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol6/iss3/4/.

keshaVEVO. “Kesha - Praying (Official Video).” YouTube, YouTube, 6 July 2017,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Dur3uXXCQ.

Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: a User-Friendly Guide. Routledge, 2015.