Do Re Me Too: Examining Sociopolitical Women’s Rights Messages Within Me Too Era Music

The explosion of the Me Too Movement in late 2017 sent shockwaves that have been felt globally throughout the professional and entertainment industries. Just as every other political and social movement that has come before, art and music has reflected the voices of change. This thesis explores the interactions between fourth wave feminism and the Me Too movement with popular music and protest songs. Over the last five years, private citizens and celebrities have generated music to use as a tool to express unity, share their personal experiences, and mobilize the cause through song. Artists like Beyoncé Knowles uses her music to express the struggle that come with racism and sexism. Whereas musicians like Taylor Swift highlights the double standards in behaviors between men and women. The first part of the thesis dives into the history of the feminism waves and the Me Too Movement, and the second half analyzes the use of protest and popular music in history and the present-day cause. Through understanding the ways in which art and society interact, this thesis aims at showing the power that music has to inspire sociopolitical ideas of change.