Talyor Swift, Adele, Lady Gaga, Lorde, Miley Cyrus, Reese Witherspoon, Ariana Grande and Kelly Clarkson are just a few of the mega-stars who have publicly rallied behind Kesha this week who is locked in an ugly legal battle with her former mentor, Dr. Luke.
Last week a US court ruled that the 28 year old pop star Kesha could not be released from her recording contract with Dr. Luke and Sony Music Entertainment while a case in which she alleges he “sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally abused” her at age 18, plays out. Dr Luke denies these allegations.
A #FreeKesha campaign was born and support for the artist who hasn’t recorded any music since 2013, came flooding in. Some of it from high places.
From Taylor Swift giving her $250,000 to help in this ‘trying’ time, to Adele dedicating her Brit Awards speech to her to a swag of artists publicly offering Kesha their support, the camaraderie and solidarity displayed has been epic.
Watch the speech here. Post continues after video…
And it’s worth celebrating. Many of these women are technically Kesha’s competitors, they’re musicians who work in the same space. They compete for sales, for record deals, for profile. It would be easy – and predictable – to expect professional rivalry at best and glee at worst.
Instead we have seen the opposite.
The idea that all women are harmoniously bonded to one another on account of being female is maddening. But the idea that women are perpetually jealous, self-interested and vindictive is equally maddening.
Yet the narrative that girls and women are universally bitchy is ever present and powerful. In some cases, certainly, it might be true. But to cast aspersion on womankind’s ability to support another is to undermine something to behold: female friendship and solidarity.
Being female comes with some pitfalls: there’s the pay gap, period pain, always having to queue for the bathroom to start. But being female has some spectacular upsides and the strength of female friendship is chief among them.
For all the talk about ‘mummy wars’, it is other mothers from whom many many women derive incredible support and solidarity.
For all the talk about the evils of other women at work, it is other women whom have given many females their start, their next opportunity, the encouragement to persist.
For all the talk about girls being bitchy and their own worst enemies, it is other girls whom often give one another an endless source of comfort, enjoyment and fortitude.
For many women, their friends provide the colour and texture in their tapestries of life. Too often that is overlooked in favour of the tired notion women can’t stand one another.
The ability for women to bind together is on show at the moment. The circumstances certainly aren’t great, but the support Kesha can bask in right now is brilliant.
Top Comments
No, it's not brilliant. It's an accusation. Sexual assault is a serious allegation and Kesha has, according to Kesha, allowed this guy to get away with it. Instead of going to jail, he's roaming around the streets, which, if we believe Kesha, then there's a fair chance he's going to sexually assault someone else. But Kesha can't be bothered to stop this happening to other women. I don't think that's brilliant, I think that's either a spoiled brat not getting what she wants and is happy to trash someone's reputation or someone that is happy for someone else to be sexually assaulted because it's too hard to do the right thing.