ms. violet’s feminist spotlight: ani difranco
If you haven’t heard of Ani Difranco, then I urge you to rush out and find her music as soon as possible.
Ani is everything I could want in an artist. She’s fiercely intelligent, opinionated, political, brave, independent, honest and - of course - unashamedly feminist. At age eighteen she started her own record label Righteous Babe Records with just $50 and has not looked back since, successfully managing to stay true to her independent roots and avoid the anti-feminist glare of the media.
Lyrically, she covers all the issues close to her heart, including sexism, racism, homophobia, reproductive rights and sexual abuse - and always honestly and emotionally. Her musical style is pretty innovative (described by some as folk-punk) and she sings in a way that demands you pay her attention.
I will forever kick myself for missing her perform when she was last in the UK, but I am holding out for her next European tour!
“I am not an angry girl
but it seems like I've got everyone fooled
every time I say something they find hard to hear
they chalk it up to my anger
and never to their own fear
and imagine you're a girl
just trying to finally come clean
knowing full well they'd prefer you
were dirty and smiling
and I am sorry
I am not a maiden fair
and I am not a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere”
- ani difranco, ‘not a pretty girl’
April 3, 2006 at 9:20 pm
I LOVE Ani Difranco.
April 3, 2006 at 9:35 pm
Both Ani herself and her music are amazing and inspiring. I just love her!
April 8, 2006 at 4:13 am
My favourite quote from ani difranco:
“All decent people, men and women, are feminists. The only people who are not feminists are those who believe that women are inherently inferior or undeserving of the respect and opportunity afforded men. Either you are a feminist or a sexist/misogynist. There is no box marked ‘other’.” -ani d
April 13, 2006 at 12:32 pm
I love her and I love that song!
I actually saw her live in London a few years ago, she’s amazing in person. it was just her and her acoustic guitar, but somehow she manages to completely dominate the stage and the huge venue.
April 19, 2006 at 8:58 pm
i just saw that episode of “king of the hill” that she did a voice on. it was a great episode and as usual she was wonderfully feminist.
another song i really love by her is “my IQ”. the lyrics are so good i always get choked up when i hear it.
xoxo, jared
September 18, 2006 at 10:36 am
Words cannot not explain the impact of ANI she is a one off.. absolutely brilliant!!!
“When I was four years old they tried to test my IQ, they showed me this picture of three oranges and a pear. They asked me which one is different and does not belong, they taught me different was wrong.”
That is one of my fave Ani quotes, one of many