Is Jagged Little Pill the most feminist album of the 90s? | Life and style | The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle ... -album-90s

Yes, it's yet another Guardian guerilla take on feminism/sexism, but is JLP the most mainstream feminist album of the 90s? It might be by default I guess. I certainly couldn't name another one, but then it's only in recent years have I discovered 80s female artists via the internet. The likes of Pat Benatar would definitely fall under the Guardian's current concerns lol.

Anyway, JLP is a cracking album IMO, it's just it last reminded me of a more innocent time in an uncomfortable way. I'm gonna listen to it again and see if it still has that feeling... And I couldn't have remotely told you what feminism was when I first listened to it!

What are your thoughts on the album? I know quite a few people who loved it at the time at least, men and women.

I only have the 10 year acoustic release that she did of the album, but electro or acoustic, it's a cracking album.
I was a bit too young in the '80s to know about or 'get' feminism or what feminism was even.
To me, it was just a really good album.
I guess it could be argued that Celebrity Skin by Hole also has a strong view of feminism running through it, but I guess it's just not etched in the public consciousness the same way Jagged Little Pill is.

Mark

I thought it was a great album, although I only bought it for the first two tracks.

It is a great album - the majority of the tracks are really good - not the usual to or three decent songs and a tub of polyfilla, which seemed to be the norm at the time.

Loved this album but reckon I first listened to it in 1996. One of my mates had it on CD. I copied it to tape. Again, I had no idea of feminism but just enjoyed the music for what it was.

I've never actually listened to it as an album before, just heard the odd track from it that got radio play. Going to stick it on now and see what it's like.

I find it odd to conflate one woman's cathartic process poured forth into a set of songs (JLP is patently the nastiest breakup album ever written) with 'feminism'. JLP isn't making any point beyond "my ex boyfriend was a **** and **** him". Is that what feminism is now? It's not saying anything about equality or freedom of choice or stopping the institutionalised abuse of women around the world, it's just one individual woman's expression of her hurt and anger over her personal circumstances. Which she has every right as an artist to do and well done to her but beyond that...

is that what feminism has come to? That's the best it can find to represent itself? I kind of hope not, actually.

Jon

It's the now standard scattershot Guardian approach, applicable to absolutely anything.