Since launching into stardom with her 2021 debut album Sour, three-time Grammy-winning artist Olivia Rodrigo has used her voice for more than just singing—she’s also using it to speak up about world politics. From calling out ICE propaganda and exposing the sexualization of women’s fashion to creating a nonprofit music festival that generated $20 million in donations, Rodrigo remains one of Gen Z’s most dedicated political advocates.
One of Rodrigo’s most recent and important efforts to make a positive impact is the Daisy Chain Fields festival that took place on Aug. 29 in Irvine, California. According to the Daisy Chain Fields mission statement, the festival “celebrates the voices, artistry, and contributions of women in music, fostering an inclusive environment in which all are welcome. Daisy Chain offers more than live performances; it provides opportunities for education, dialogue, and engagement around issues affecting women and girls in the United States and globally.”
The mission statement also explained that net proceeds from the festival were directed to nonprofit organizations, including Baby2Baby, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Center for Reproductive Rights, FreeFrom, Jhpiego, John Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Institute for Reproductive Health, National Women’s Law Center, and Planned Parenthood.
On Aug. 28, Rodrigo announced at a press conference that the festival raised $10 million for these nonprofit organizations. The following day, Rodrigo shared with 45,000 festival attendees that philanthropist, businesswoman, and global advocate for women and girls Melinda French Gates pledged to double every dollar raised, bringing the total to $20 million.
During her set, Rodrigo brought out Stevie Nicks, who recently dedicated herself to becoming more politically active after admitting she regrets not voting until she was 70. It took humility and strength to admit this fault, but it can teach the young girls and women of Gen Z not to make the same mistake.
Other artists who took the Daisy Chain Fields stage earlier that day included Bikini Kill, Chappell Roan, Devon Again, Die Spitz, Doechii, Eli, Garbage, Mitski, Not For Radio, Quiet Light, Rachel Chinouriri, Santigold, The Breeders, Karen O, and Sarah McLachlan, making the lineup all-women. If there’s one person I wish could have also been there, it’s Dolly Parton, but I’d say her legacy is in very good hands.
The impact of Daisy Chain Fields wasn’t limited to the artists and donations; it also extended to small businesses. On the night of Rodrigo’s press conference, she stepped out in a handmade, embroidered mini dress created by Nöl Collective, a Palestinian brand.
According to Vogue Arabia, founder and designer Yasmeen Mjalli almost shuttered the brand after “a shipment of naturally dyed handwoven wool ordered from India for its autumn collection was held for months by Israeli customs, then destroyed.” Devastated by the loss and growing more fatigued by constraints placed on her work by the occupation, it looked like the end of the road was near for Nöl Collective. That was until Rodrigo commissioned a dress that same week.
It “was like divine intervention,” Mjalli told Vogue Arabia, adding that “obstacles are always going to be there, but if you can adapt, you will be rewarded. I rise, and I rise, and I rise.”
Nöl Collective shared a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Rodrigo’s dress in a TikTok. In the video, you can see Uncle Ibrahim cutting the raw silk, Auntie Amal sewing, Auntie Adileh handling the dress, and Mjalli’s colleague Majdy, who also helped bring the dress to life.
Rodrigo has shown that fashion is inherently political in more ways than one. Shortly after the release of her third album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, Rodrigo came under fire after wearing a Chloé babydoll top, a pair of bloomer shorts, and white knee-high socks in her music video for “drop dead”. Immediately, the comments started rolling in. Some of the biggest critiques were that Rodrigo was leaning too far into the Lolita aesthetic and she was infantilizing herself by dressing like a “sexy baby.” (I can’t even believe I just wrote those words.)
The scrutiny only grew after Rodrigo took the stage in Barcelona for Spotify’s Billions Club on May 8 in another babydoll top, ruffled bloomers, and knee-high Dr. Marten boots, a look she defended in an interview with Popcast. Rodrigo responded to host Joe Coscarelli’s questions about the controversy, stating:
“I didn’t think that I looked sexy in that at all. I was like, this is so cool. I feel like Kathleen Hanna or like Courtney Love, all these people who are my heroes. And I felt cool and comfortable in it. And like I just think if we start dressing in a way that’s like, ‘Oh, I don’t want some f*cking freak to think that I am sexy like a baby’ or like some crazy thing like that, I just think it’s like losing the plot a little bit. No, I’m just very protective of younger women and girls, and I just don’t want them to ever be bigfed that rhetoric, I guess.”
In the same Popcast interview, Rodrigo’s addressed her politics. Some issues that Rodrigo has spoken on over the past few years include the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Trump’s Department of Homeland Security using her song “all-american b*tch” to promote ICE propaganda, and the atrocities happening in Palestine.
Coscarelli asked Rodrigo if she had received any pushback or if someone had ever told her that using her influence while on stage to speak out is a risk to her business, to which Rodrigo replied, “Honestly, I feel like I’m surrounded with people who are very like-minded and I really appreciate that. No one has ever been like, ‘Don’t do that, no.’ And I always say I really try to stay educated on things, like I make a conscious effort to try my very best because I think that’s important for everyone.”
And Rodrigo has stayed true to her word. On Aug. 24, she surprise-dropped a new single, “serena joy,” with a portion of the net proceeds going to the Daisy Chain Fields funds. The song title and lyrics are clearly inspired by the character Serena Joy, who appears in Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale.
As explained in a Cosmopolitan article, “the figure of Serena Joy represents precisely the paradox of the woman who helped build a freedom-destroying system, only to find herself stripped of all power by the very structures she helped consolidate.” “Serena Joy” is one of Rodrigo’s most political songs yet and, notably, her 40th Top 100 hit on Apple Music.
When I listen to this song, I can’t help but think of the many real-life Serena Joys (I’m looking at you, Melania Trump…) who are living in pure bliss while the rest of us women live in fear of what the administration might try to take from us next. This makes me feel all the more grateful for Rodrigo, who continues to use her platform to speak on crucial issues and help communities of women all over the globe.
We’re living in a time when people would rather duck their heads than acknowledge the terrible things that are happening around them, but Olivia Rodrigo hasn’t. Instead, she faces it head-on and spreads the word. And that means something.
Needless to say, if there’s one thing I love more than Rodrigo’s music, it’s her dedication to speaking out for the greater good. I’ll be cheering her on as she continues to accomplish so many more amazing things, and I hope that there will always be another young girl or woman right next to me doing the same.