Last night’s Grammys were full of moving performances, funny and awkward moments, and empowering red carpet interviews—but obviously here at BUST we were on the lookout for feminist moments, and we’ve narrowed it down to our top five.
This last year has shone a lot of light on domestic violence and assault issues, so we’re dedicating our first three moments to the three people that rose to the occasion about brought awareness and empathy to this year’s Grammy awards.
1. President Obama began the moment, giving a speech that highlighted the statistics on domestic and sexual abuse and called for an end to the silence surrounding these issues. He also gave a shout out to the pledge-based campaign “It’s On Us.”
2. Following Obama’s words, rape and domestic abuse survivor Brooke Axtell shared her story through a beautiful and powerful speech on the importance of love, safety, and self-worth in a relationship. Note, though, the elephant in the room–having a survivor give an empowering speech against domestic violence while some audience members have been accused of the very crimes she is speaking out against.
It is of the utmost importance that we use social platforms like the Grammys to shine a light on domestic violence and sexual assault, and we are so glad it’s finally beginning to happen. However, the industry is still upholding plenty of stars who have committed domestic and sexual crimes. There’s something to be said about who this speech is reaching when the people who need to understand it most are constantly let off the hook because of their fame.
3. Katy Perry closed the occasion with her emotional song “By the Grace of God” off her 2013 album, Prism. The powerful performance moved many in the audience to tears.
And on the non-gender violence feminist-worthy moment front…
4. The late Joan Rivers was awarded with a posthumous Grammy for her 2014 memoir “Diary of a Mad Diva.” Daughter Melissa Rivers stated that the moment was “a little bittersweet” but that it’s “wonderful how loved she was and she’s getting so much attention now… people are really understanding what she’s about.”
5. Despite some Internet beef surrounding Beyonce not winning album of the year, the self-proclaimed feminist did rack up 3 awards last night, making her the second-most Grammy-awarded woman artist in history (with 20 Grammys!) and the most nominated female artist of the Grammy awards with 57 nominations. Go Queen Bey!
Image via International Business Times
