Feminism in country

Recently, I discovered country artist Loretta Lynn and was struck my the feminism expressed in her lyrics. Loretta will turn 78 in April, and has quite an extravagant history which may add a background to her feminist lyrics. She was first married when she was only 14 years old to a man 8 years older than herself, in order to escape the coal miner's town and life she was heading down. Her marriage was rocky, her husband had many affairs, and she was a very headstrong woman. Her lyrics reflect a lot of that:

"And don't come home a drinkin' with lovin' on your mind/Just stay out there on the town and see what you can find/Cause if you want that kind of love well you don't need none of mine/So don't come home a drinkin' with lovin' on your mind"-"Don't Come Home A-Drinkin

Loretta also brings out the topic of contraceptives in her song, "The Pill."

"All these years I`ve stayed at home while you had all your fun/And every year that`s gone by another baby's come/There's gonna be some changes made right here on Nursery Hill/This old maternity dress I've got is going in the garbage/The clothes I`m wearing from now on won't take up so much yardage/Miniskirts hotpants and a few little fancy frills/Yeah I`m making up for all those years since I've got the pill."

Now, being written in 1975, this was very, very risky. This song started a whole knew craze for women country stars, proving that you can write about what you think and feel just as men can, without losing popularity or respect.

Loretta was something completely different than what the country music world had know. However, her courage and willingness to sing the truth was a guiding light for future country stars.