Eurovision, a feminist platform

From its inception, the Eurovision Song Contest has given pride of place to female performers , both in entries and in the charts. But this predominance is a deception: their songs were, with one exception (the Dutch Lenny Kuhr), written by men and full of sexist stereotypes.

The undisputed pioneer of musical Eurofeminism was the Italian Mia Martini in 1977 with Libera , and her famous verse "free to experiment, free to be a mother", an unambiguous statement at a time when her country was debating the liberalization of abortion (which would be adopted the following year). This superb disco-soul ballad would even be recorded in French .

In recent years, as LGBT+ themes and aesthetics have become more prominent in the competition, women's perspectives have also become more evident. This year, during the final on Saturday, May 17 , at least three songs represent the demands of "powerful women."

In the text defended by Laura Thorn, 25, a music theory professor at the Esch-sur-Alzette conservatory, the doll takes on her autonomy, "empowers herself" and proclaims: "If you were planning to display me in your window [...] sorry for you, but I alone determine / Where my heart goes, yes, I pull the strings." The budding singer explains in an interview : "France Gall's doll [winner of the competition with Poupée de cire, poupée de son in 1965, editor's note] no longer needs to be directed by someone else : she takes control, she asserts herself, [...] and assumes her power." In short, she "needs no one," like another motorized heroine of the same Gainsbourg.

The diva therefore had to get dressed again. "The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) considers the outfit too sexual. Plus, they also want me to cover my buttocks," the Finnish candidate told the Swedish newspaper Expressen. Erika Vikman nonetheless advocates sexual and sartorial freedom, and makes no secret of her admiration for Ilona Staller, singer, actress, and member of the Italian Parliament, better known by her stage name: Cicciolina. The blonde candidate, highly ranked in the predictions, began her career in the erotic musical genre par excellence: tango, which the Finns have appropriated and enjoyed for a century.

Used by some English-speaking men as a synonym for "slut," the word cunt has been diverted from its sexist and offensive meaning to become a form of praise for female power. A bit like "faggot" for gay men. France Inter journalist Manon Mariani deciphered the expression in a podcast in 2023, pointing out that it has been used in a positive and militant way by Beyoncé and RuPaul . The BBC in London did not see it that way and wrote to the EBU, requesting that the supposedly inappropriate term be banned from the competition.

Under duress, PBS, the Maltese television channel, changed the song's title to Serving , while deploring a decision that was "unfair, disproportionate and discriminatory towards the Maltese language and people." As for the expression "serving kant," it was simply deleted. On May 15, during the second semi-final, Miriana Conte brilliantly qualified, in a fairy-like dress that fell to reveal a tight-fitting red outfit. And she will defend her chances this Saturday with her generous, extraordinary curves and her contagious joie de vivre.