Force of Nature, Forced by Nature? Esthonus Silvanus Inspired Femininities in Popular Music

A prevalent theme in the construction of Estonian pop music femininities is their strong connection with nature. In this article we examine the connections between portrayals of women and nature in Estonian pop music, focusing on visual and textual discourses in Estonian pop artists’ music videos and in-depth interviews. More specifically, we look at how these depictions intersect and interact with the prevailing local eco-nationalist folk femininity discourse. Our analysis shows that the dominant characteristics of nature-inspired femininity are simultaneously reinforced, challenged, and negotiated. We present two nature-related forms of femininity that emerge in popular music portrayals: on the one hand, a mystical, goddess-like woman as a force of nature, or a woman “naturally” belonging to nature; on the other hand, a broader alignment of a woman as agent of biological reproduction, women as natural, which merges femininity with motherhood, and can, we suggest, be made sense of as woman as forced by nature. Keywords: pop music femininities; music videos; eco-nationalist femininity; folk femininity; Esthonus silvanus