This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mass Amherst chapter.
*Trigger Warning: Mention of Abuse*
If you watched the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, you definitely saw Phoebe Bridgers decked out in her notoriously-amazing skeleton attire inspired by her “Punisher” album released this past June of 2020. Bridgers is known for constantly defying the stereotypical gender norms of the 21st century and demonstrating a form of self-healing that is transparent yet complex. Here is why Phoebe Bridgers is the Ultimate Badass-Feminist:
Photo by Francis Specker / CBS
Her “Saturday Night Live” Killer PerformanceÂ
Bridgers’ “Saturday Night Live” performance ended in a rather intense, unexpected manner, yet she did not disappoint. Following in the footsteps of other alt-rock artists, such as Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Helene, and Kurt Cobain, to name a few, Bridgers ended her performance by smashing her guitar. After the episode of SNL aired, she received backlash on Twitter. One user stated, “Why did this woman, Phoebe Bridgers, destroy her guitar on SNL? I mean, I didn’t care much for the song either, but that seemed extra.” This caused a heated backlash due to the condescendingly sexist tone of the tweet; would a male rock artist be questioned to the same caliber? Bridgers clapped back at the backlash by turning to Instagram. She captioned her picture, “got some really great feedback from my performance! next time I’ll just burn it and it will be more expensive.” Go, Phoebe, go!
In 2014, Bridgers was personally invited to the famous Pax Am studio by Ryan Adams, a popular singer-songwriter and producer known for his band, Whiskeytown. At just 20 years old and relatively new to the music industry, Bridgers was captivated by Adams and believed “he had the power to propel people forward.” Ryan’s intense flattery and confident enthusiasm in Bridgers was quite forward from the get-go. Soon, this flattery turned into flirtatious texts, and weeks into their romantic relationship, Adams began discussing marriage and his obsessive attention began turning abusive. Bridgers recalls endless bombarding texts from Adams regarding proof of her whereabouts, and he would force her to leave situations to have phone sex. Adams would even threaten suicide if Bridgers ignored these calls or texts. Recognizing his abusive behavior, Bridgers broke off their relationship, yet Adams withheld her music and repealed his offer to open in his upcoming concerts. Several other women came forward and described similar behaviors and instances of abuse, including Adams’ ex-wife, Mandy Moore.
Bridgers was able to captivate her trauma into her music. She released her song, “Motion Sickness,” which was wholly inspired by the rollercoaster of emotions (or the lack thereof) she experienced throughout her “fling” with Adams. Through her notoriously poetic lyrics, she conveys the indescribable emotions of abuse in the most honest and transparent matter.
Hannah is currently an Honors Biology student who writes for the UMass Amherst chapter. Aside from her love of Cellular Biology, Hannah enjoys playing with her Covid-cats, tending to her copious amounts of plant children, and hiking various trails up North.
Follow her Instagram to see pictures of her cats, her dog, and her lizard! @hanngarand
