Celebrating Feminist Accomplishments in Music: FemFest 2017
By Terry Nguyen ‘20
On Friday, April 5, USC hosted its fifth annual FemFest, a festival dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments and promoting women within the music industry. The event was made possible through the joined efforts of various feminist organizations on campus, including the Undergraduate Student Government, USC’s Student Assembly for Gender Empowerment, and MUSE at USC. On the Facebook page, USG Program Board and USC FemFest also contributed to hosting the event.
FemFest 2017 was a six-and-a-half hour event that took place in Founder’s Park, starting at 5 p.m. with a variety of female musicians headlining the show. The event was free and open to the public, featuring local community vendors, musicians, and even members of the Trojan family.
The festival featured a wave of female musicians who were talented and unique in their craft. Starting at 5 p.m., BAUM opened up the show to enthusiastic applauses. In-between the performing sets, female DJs also took the stage to create a distinctive environment of sound. Perhaps the most eclectic performance was from DJ Emmieshouse, a New York City based DJ named Emmie Lichtenberg. Each DJ produced an impressive array of music and truly contributed to the “girl power” mood of the event.
In addition to the musicians, FemFest featured a variety of local vendors and artists who were selling their goods. There was feminist merchandise on-site, and attendees were seen strewn across Founder’s Park wearing purple t-shirts and buttons that displayed their proud feminist identity. Some booths sold quirky goods that attracted the attention of many guests, and the intersectional identities represented through the paraphernalia appealed to many.
One booth sold various pins, buttons, and baseball caps that had unique messages. There was a red cap that said, “Make America Gay Again,” and a vintage “Not Your Babe” patch on display. The vendors at this event catered their goods towards millennials and college students who wore these pins and buttons in an attempt to showcase their feminist spirit.
The spirit continued long into the night with headliners Miya Folick and HOLYCHILD making their respective appearances. The stage was lit with bright purple lights as the artists captured the crowd’s attention. Miya Folick’s indie, alternative pop sound complemented HOLYCHILD’s upbeat, pop melodies.
FemFest was a successful celebration of feminist culture, leaving guests with lasting impressions of lesser-known feminist musicians. The event’s intersectional focus on feminism was inclusive and contributed to the growing representation of women during a divisive political climate.
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