#FreeKesha has been trending on majority of social media sites since the American justice system put a piece of paper and profit over a woman’s well-being. The judicial system failed Kesha by essentially forcing her to work for her abuser. And, in the music industry, working with, and for, him will profit him in the long run. Needless to say, Kesha probably will not be making music anymore, despite her outstanding and underrated talent.
Her heart-wrenching reality is the reality of many other women all over the world. She now the spokesperson for the “little people” who go through the same thing. Sometimes it’s abuser’s threats to “ruin” the victim that keeps the victim pressing charges, like Kesha faced with Dr. Luke for majority of her career. Other times it is a failed judicial system putting a contract over someone’s happiness, sanity and safety. Either way, it is important to remember that, though Kesha’s battle is groundbreaking for someone as famous as her, it is happening all over.
Before the ruling, I thought for sure Kesha would win her battle. It seemed like she had substantial evidence. She went to the hospital after being drugged and raped. Her rehab stint for her eating disorder stemmed from the abuse. In her MTV series, “My Crazy, Beautiful Life,” she unintentionally hinted at the abuse, making fans question what was going on behind the scenes. And, despite all of this hard evidence, why would Kesha put herself through this? Why would she risk her career? Why would she give up what she loves to fight her label? Well, because the abuse did happen. So, what really bothers me with the ruling is that there was an apparent lack of evidence.
THIS. NEEDS. TO. GET. MORE. ATTENTION. #FreeKesha pic.twitter.com/aFLwCGo8Mv
— Tweet Like A Girl (@TweetLikeAGirI) February 21, 2016
The judicial system basically told Kesha that the rape and abuse did not happen.
Why? The only reasoning I can muster up is her image. Kesha sang about getting wasted, hooking up with guys, and not giving a care in the world. So, why would she be a reliable source?
I’ll tell you why.
Because it happened to her. She suffered. She experienced everything first hand. Yeah, maybe she drank a little bit after her shows, just like any celebrity does. However, her being drunk is not her saying, “yes.” On top of that, I highly doubt she popped the date-rape drug voluntarily.
Now, what if I told you her “party girl” image was illustrated by Dr. Luke in the beginning of her career? She did not actually brush her teeth with a bottle of Jack. She did not wish to get Sleazy every night. She is not who she acted as. Dr. Luke thought that “Ke$ha” would sell. He thought that Ke$ha is what the people want, a hot girl who doubles as a crazed partier. So, years later, when she is going to fight her abuser, the image he made is fighting against her.
It is almost like he drew up the perfect plan to get away with this abuse.
Since the ruling, fans, fellow celebrities and social media users have been standing up for her. Demi Lovato and Lorde showed their support through tweets and the hashtag #FreeKesha. Many women have been sharing articles on Facebook, calling out the judicial system for another outlandish failure. However, what I have yet to see is a straight male mix in his voice. I have yet to see a straight, powerful male celebrity tweet the hashtag. What does this tell me? That us women can yell and scream all we want, yet something is not going through.
There’s a quote, “How about we stop teaching our girls how to not get raped, and we teach our boys not to rape?” I am not sure if this is comparable in this situation, but for some reason, it keeps coming up in my head. While Demi Lovato and Lorde have their following, most of them are women. So, essentially, situations like this instill feminism and “girl power” into the female population, and it basically ends there. It almost seems like men do not want to stand up in fear for losing their man card. And, this is the problem. This is why rape and abuse continues to happen. Fighting against these awful realities is just as manly as it is feminine. It is a combined fight.
Three things to take away from Kesha’s battle is this: one, other women fight this same reality regularly; two, a girl with a partying-reputation is as equal as the clean cut girl at the top of the class; and, three, we all need to stand up.
#FreeKesha
