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Curious if and how the 2017 #metoo movement impacted other countries outside the US? Today, let’s take a look at the French music scene.
In October 2017, the movement and hashtag #BalanceTonPorc (= snitch your pig) was started by a French journalist, Sandra Muller. Although it echoed the sentiments of the US #metoo movement, it received mixed reactions in France because its concept, naming and calling out alleged abusers rather than talking about personal experiences, felt too harsh for some people. The French slogan itself is rougher too: the verb “balancer” means “to throw away” and “to snitch” in informal language, and “porc” means “pig,” so it’s fair to say it has some added rawness to it.
Nevertheless, the movement has since then gradually picked up with some high profile women coming forward about their experiences, and led to two very popular songs.
The first one is by Angele, called “Balance ton Quoi” (=Snitch your what) which was released in 2019. Her voice is beautiful, and the song was a huge success. Her video clip recorded an impressive 95 million views. It blends a pop and fun beat with a serious message, and has English subtitles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi7Rx3En7-k
The second song, which I posted on the top of my post, was created a year ago by the collaboration of two French popular singers, Suzane and Grand Corps Malade. The latter made an album called “Mesdames” (= Ladies) in which he collaborated with other female musicians, including Suzane. The song “Pendant 24 heures” (= for 24 hours) and its concept was created by Suzane: the two singers swapped their bodies for 24 hours, and so they experience how it feels like to be living as the other’s gender. The lyrics they collaboratively wrote talk about gender stereotypes, the issues and gender gaps women face in the society, including a mention to the #BalanceTonPorc movement, all done with humor and wit. Check it out!