March brings one of my favorite annual celebrations: Women’s History Month. For much of our history, women have been bound by the strings and weight of oppression. It makes it more important that in our significantly freer society, we remember the women who have fought to secure the liberties that we enjoy now. I can’t think of a better way to kick off this month than by commemorating the women who have impacted their fields and society by redefining art!
Artists particularly move me. It’s fascinating to see the impact that art can have on our sociocultural landscape. From writers and visual artists to musicians and designers, countless amazing women have set society ablaze with their work, inspiring future generations. Here are four out of the many women that I admire for having redefined our world through their art.
BESSIE SMITH
Born in 1894 in Tennessee, Bessie Smith was a jazz and blues singer who took the industry by storm. With a strong voice that demanded attention, she was given the name “Empress of Blues” and became the highest-paid Black artist of her time. Her music was imbued with her personal stories as part of the Black working class and as a woman. She often touched on themes of sexism, poverty, racism, and female sexuality.
Unfiltered and authentic, Smith was open about her alcoholism, racial struggles, and bisexuality during a time when oppression and segregation were rampant. She’s known to have revolutionized music by constructing melodies that would enhance the storytelling in her songs. Her music influenced iconic musicians like Billie Holiday and Janis Joplin, establishing Smith as a force to be reckoned with both musically and personally.
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
Vivienne Westwood will always be known as an icon in the fashion industry. Born in 1941 in England, Westwood had no connection or formal education in fashion. In her 30s, she decided to change career paths and pursue fashion with her partner, Malcolm McLaren. They widened the musical punk movement into fashion. Her activism was imbued into her fashion, seen in her evolution throughout the political climate of the following years.
After the punk era, Westwood’s designs changed to a Tatler style. This following era focused on the luxury of high-class British elegance. Always fearless, she was a parody of the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during this era. She used her fashion design to protest against Thatcher’s politics and challenge the older British generation. In the latter part of her career, Westwood heavily campaigned for climate activism.
Her impact changed the fashion industry and culture itself. Her legacy still burns bright and hot to this day. Vivienne Westwood’s not one to follow the trends — she’s the one leading them.
GLORIA ANZALDĂšA
Born in 1942 in Texas, Gloria Anzaldúa is a writer notorious for her work on Chicana cultural, feminist, and queer theory. Her most known book Borderlands/La Frontera explored the intersection of identities in the U.S.–Mexico border where those who did not fit in the majority were othered. Her work impacted a lot of academic fields and redefined how people can understand the experiences of those living in areas where there is a convergence of identities and cultures.
AnzaldĂşa is also a key figure in Third World feminism. She used her concepts of intersecting identities to highlight the experiences of women of color. Her legacy as a paradigm-changing woman remains a profound influence on scholars to this day. As a woman of intersecting cultures and identities, I found AnzaldĂşa a significant figure in understanding myself and my reality.
MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ
Born in Serbia in 1946, Marina Abramović is a conceptual and performance artist who has one of the most interesting and controversial lives I’ve learned about. Raised in a turbulent post-war society and household, her career was inspired by the impact it had on her. A pioneer of performance art, her work explores both the connection a person has with themselves and with others. She studies concepts of identity, pushes boundaries, and makes political statements. For her, art is not decorative — it’s meant to be disturbing, ask questions, and predict the future.
Her most provocative work was “Rhythm 0” (1974), a six-hour performance that examined the relationship between artist and audience, requiring the audience to take on an active role. Abramović laid 72 objects, ranging from lipstick to guns, and told the audience to do whatever they wanted to her as she stood still, with no repercussions. While the audience was hesitant and gentle at the beginning, they turned alarmingly violent as the hours progressed.
This piece highlighted the intersection of power dynamics with oppression and gender. It raised important questions on morals, agency, consent, and action and inaction. Abramović’s performances leave us to think: if we were left unaccountable, to what extremes would we humans let ourselves go?
It’s because of daring women like these that we get to live in the society we do. One with more freedom and opportunities than ever before. But it’s also because of women like these that countless others are inspired to push current boundaries and strive for an even better life and agency. Their courage, resilience, and creativity will continue to pave the way for future generations.
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