Kelly Clarkson just said in an interview with Time Magazine that she’s not a feminist. The woman who sings a cadre of WHATEVER-your-loss break-up songs like “Stronger,” and belted lyrics like “don’t let a man interfere,” and “never let a man help her off her throne,” says that she thinks “feminist” is “too strong” of a description for her.
I wouldn’t say [I’m a] feminist, that’s too strong. I think when people hear feminist it’s just like, ‘Get out of my way I don’t need anyone.’ I love that I’m being taken care of, and I have a man that’s an actual leader. I’m not a feminist in that sense … but I’ve worked really hard since I was 19, when I first auditioned for Idol.
Well, under that definition of feminism, we are operating under the incorrect definition of feminism.
There is a very real chance that Clarkson is, in fact, a feminist. Let’s turn to her other answers. They’re the best! They have feminist scrawled all over them. She argues that performers should be free to determine how they’re represented. She speaks gracefully about the use of sex appeal in music, basically saying that it’s everyone’s choice. She criticizes “douche moves” that pressure singers to do things they’re uncomfortable with.
She gushes about women who have helped her individually and who paved the way for female singers in the industry. And she refuses to give Miley Cyrus “advice” because screw that, she doesn’t know her business.
In the 10 years since you broke out, female singers have dominated the charts, but they’ve also become more provocative. How have you resisted that?
There’ve always been women in the industry who have pushed the envelope — Cher, Madonna, Annie Lennox. I don’t think anything different is going on. People say, “Oh, you never go for the whole sex-appeal thing.” Well, I don’t ever not go for it, either. I just go for who I am. People in the industry have tried douche moves with me, but of course they’re going to, because they make money when girls do that.Do you have any advice for Miley Cyrus?
I honestly don’t, because we’re nothing alike — I wasn’t a child star. I have no idea what her life was like or what she goes through.
We don’t want to go foisting any unwanted labels on anybody. But we hope Clarkson won’t be offended if we say that IF SHE WERE a feminist, she’d be a great and fantastic one.
