--- title: 2014 MTV VMAS: Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj's Feminism description: This year's Video Music Awards were all about girl power canonical: https://time.com/3172050/vmas-2014-beyonce-nicki-minaj-female-performances-feminism/ author: Eliana Dockterman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-25T10:40:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:02:26.739Z og:title: This Year's VMAs Were All About Empowered Women og:description: This year's Video Music Awards were all about girl power og:url: https://time.com/3172050/vmas-2014-beyonce-nicki-minaj-female-performances-feminism/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc18f7980fa799597/6986a0b4d0b6f29756305cfa/454110136.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4600 og:image:height: 2588 og:image:alt: 2014 MTV Video Music Awards - Show og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Year's VMAs Were All About Empowered Women twitter:description: This year's Video Music Awards were all about girl power twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc18f7980fa799597/6986a0b4d0b6f29756305cfa/454110136.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Year's VMAs Were All About Empowered Women > Sponsored content. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture recommendation newsletter, edited by culture editor Eliza Berman. Twice a week it surfaces the books, shows, films and ideas TIME's editors think are worth your attention, and explains why. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Does TIME have a culture newsletter? Yes. Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published Tuesdays and Saturdays. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Watch the Highlights From The 2014 VMA's [Watch (HLS stream): Watch the Highlights From The 2014 VMA's](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/GgUnXJ2l.m3u8) (2:08)  _Published 2014-08-25. Watch the Highlights From The 2014 VMA's_  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Aug 25, 2014 10:40 AM UTC  Honoree Beyonce performs onstage during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 24, 2014 in Inglewood, California. Honoree Beyonce performs onstage during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 24, 2014 in Inglewood, California. Michael Buckner—Getty Images  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Aug 25, 2014 10:40 AM UTC From Nicki Minaj’s defiant twerking to Taylor Swift’s sly role-reversal to Beyoncé singing with the word “FEMINIST” emblazoned behind her, empowered women stole the spotlight at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. Not only were their performances the best (sorry, Usher), but their message was clear: We’re taking over. And we’re not sorry. Here’s the breakdown: **Nicki Minaj** When Nicki Minaj’s [“Anaconda” video](http://time.com/3147565/nicki-minaj-video-anaconda-drake/) dropped last week, bloggers couldn’t help but notice that not a single man appeared in the video—except for Drake at the very end. (And let’s be fair: His mere presence is justified by her pleasure in teasing him.) Minaj has always done what she wants whenever she wants without any consideration for anyone, let alone the opposite gender. The same is true in this video—all that glorious twerking in the jungle isn’t for the sake of a man but for Minaj herself. And even when Minaj does proceed to give Drake a lap dance at the end of the video, it’s all on her terms. When he finally tries to reach out to touch her bottom, she slaps his hand and struts away, leaving him miserable with his head in his hands. Her VMAs performance was similar: all her backup dancers were female. And while she didn’t get the chance to utter some of the more [choice lines ](http://rap.genius.com/Nicki-minaj-anaconda-lyrics)from “Anaconda,” her dancing alone gives us the sense that Minaj could not care less what any man thinks. View the full performance [here](http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/videos/break-free-anaconda-bang-bang-medley/1066931/#id=1729742). **Taylor Swift** Taylor Swift, who [recently declared herself a feminist](http://time.com/3165825/taylor-swift-feminist-lena-dunham/), eschewed tradition in her “Shake It Off” performance. In an interesting role reversal, all of Swift’s backup dancers were men while women sang backup and played instruments. It’s not a completely original move: many divas have been carried onstage by an entourage of men before. But when Swift was given the option to jump off a platform into the arms of the guys below her, she decided to walk down the stairs herself instead. The move was a [nod to her clumsiness](http://time.com/3144645/taylor-swift-shake-it-off-22-pumpkin-spice-latte/), but T-Swift was also sending the message that she doesn’t need to depend on a man to catch her either. View the full performance [here](http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/videos/shake-it-off-live/1066927/#id=1729742). **Iggy Azalea &** **Rita Ora** For those who haven’t seen the music video for [“Black Widow,”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3u22OYqFGo) it’s a re-imagining of _Kill Bill_, one of the most iconic female empowerment flicks ever made. (And reminiscent of when Lady Gaga and Beyoncé teamed up for the “Telephone” music video, referencing _Kill Bill_ as well as _Thelma & Louise_). The song has similar themes of women-on-man vengeance, and the music video—along with the VMAs performance—celebrates girl power in a way rarely seen in pop culture. Heck, maybe Iggy Azalea should [play Spider-Woman on the big screen.](http://time.com/3079882/a-female-superhero-movie-is-finally-coming/) View the full performance [here](http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/videos/black-widow-feat-rita-ora-live/1064161/#id=1729742). **Beyoncé** I’ve [written before](http://time.com/1851/flawless-5-lessons-in-modern-feminism-from-beyonce/) about how Beyoncé’s latest album, “Beyoncé,” is basically a [lesson in modern feminism.](http://time.com/1851/flawless-5-lessons-in-modern-feminism-from-beyonce/) That continued to be true Sunday night during her finale performance when she sang the anthems that women across the world have had on repeat since the surprise album drop in December. These are songs that remind women not to obsess about looks and perfection (“Flawless”), sexual pleasure ought to be a two-way street (“Blow”) and pleasing your man isn’t an anti-feminist endeavor (“Partition”). But the peak came during “Flawless,” which began with the recording of Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s call to feminism (which is also featured in the album). Her words flashed in bold letters behind the singer: “We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are. We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, you can have ambition but not too much. Aim to be successful, but not too successful otherwise you will threaten the man.” The word “feminist” then flashed on the screen and lingered long enough for Beyonce’s silhouette to pull into the frame—and for her to be photographed with the words behind her a few thousand times. Think about that: feminist sat written in huge letters on a screen behind the most popular pop star in the world on an awards show whose main demographic is tweens and teens. The 2013 VMAs may have been the year of [performances](http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/09/13/robin-thicke-dishes-on-mileys-vma-performance/) that gave us pause for all of the wrong reasons, but this year’s VMAs were something completely different. ## Transcript The 2014 Video Music Awards were all booty shaking and Beyonce. Here are our favorite moments of the night. First, Bey and Jay seemingly squashed those divorce rumors. [ NOISE ]. Go mommy. And the greatest living entertainer, Beyonce. Boo doo, I love you. My beloved, I love you. My fans, I love you, MTV, I love you, good night. Yes, that was Blue Ivy on stage. Cue the tears. Next, Nicki Minaj and her booty were all over the show. She opened with Anaconda, [ MUSIC ] then had a wardrobe malfunction [ MUSIC ] But obviously held it together. Icky ended at Usher's side. [ MUSIC ] There were also awards. Miley Cyrus won video of the year for Wrecking Ball but asked someone else to give her acceptance speech, a homeless man. I've been an extra in your movies. I've been an extra in your life. Though I may have been invisible to you on the streets, I have a lot of the same dreams that brought many of you here tonight. Cyrus teared up during the speech which directed viewers to her Facebook page for info on how to help. And Sam Smith had us all wanting to stay with his emotional, Emmy debut. [ MUSIC ] Of course throughout many of the performances there was one constant, Taylor Swift dancing all night. There were plenty more jaw dropping moments at this years VMAs, including performances from Swift, Iggy Azalea, Rita Ora, Maroon 5. 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