One Feminist's thoughts on "chicks in rock"

Why Is This Still A Thing?

From the numbers, it is highly likely that I have a bias towards female vocals. (check out my LastFM library http://www.last.fm/user/FLuidXsaLe)

But here is the thing with that. Suppose I told you I was into Classic Rock. You might ask what sort of Classic Rock? to which I might  respond something like: Stones, Beattles, Hendrix, CCR, Zeplin, Sabbath, Aerosmith, and some more recent classics like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, NIN, Tool, etc.

Now if I gave a list like that, would you count it all up and observe... "All male vocalists? what's up with that?" I doubt many would ask that question.. and even fewer out loud. Most would think, yep, that's some good old-school Rock-'N'Roll. So is it remarkable that my list includes lots of women?

Now here's the more telling question... is it remarkable that so much popular, radio-type hard rock is not skewed female?

Could it be that some of us have an expectation of an archetype Rocker? It seems likely to me that some (bigger) record companies have that bias. I imagine record executives walking around a rock-n-roll festival thinking "what are these girls doing on stage and when does the show start?" Of course, record execs are not really that oblivious, but I think there is a much more subtle bias that, effectively, works the same way. I mean how, in this day and age can a person so versed in rock and pop music as a journalist, ask a question like "What's it like to be a girl in music?" or "Why did you choose to be in an all-girl band?" I mean WTF kind of question is that? Successful female musicians are all around us, and have been for years. But yet, I have heard Carrie Brownstein point out those very questions posed for real. See her book Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl here

http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Makes-Me-Modern-Girl/dp/1594486638/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1460220391&sr=1-1&keywords=carrie+brownstein

I'm sure the Sleater-Kinney shirt line "Show me your riffs" is inspired by morons shouting "Show me your tits".

Now I hear Ariel point it out. And I've read articles where Siouxie talks about playing festivals, where the majority have not yet heard Dead Sara... chants like "take it off". How by the end of the set, they've made fans of most of the crowd, but still there is a startup cost.. still have to prove oneself. Carrie talks about the feeling that they had to prove themselves, in the culturally progressive Pacific Northwest, no less. Carrie has pointed out in the book, and other interviews, that the question "why did you decide to be in an all-male band?" has probably never been asked.. until now. I'm pretty sure Tobi Vail from Bikini has asked that question, or maybe she was joking, I'm not sure.

So strangely, being a woman in rock somehow is a thing. I'll suggest that to Jon Oliver as a segment, how is this still a thing?


What about the use of sexually provocative videos and stage shows?

Another feminist issue in music. So what to make of musicians like Miley Cyrus twerking? Or Madonna's Sex picture book? What about Revolver magazine, and the "Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock" calendar? 
http://www.revolvermag.com/news/get-your-copy-of-the-2016-hottest-chicks-in-hard-rock-calendar.html

There may be some subtle sexism at work there.

But it is not the woman singing who is in the wrong. The sexist culture is in the wrong.

If she chooses to exploit that bias to get her and her band noticed, I have no objection and I will not slut-shame her for it. How far a musician goes in that direction is one's own choice. That doesn't bother me.

What bothers me is the thought that she might need to. It is a bit like pop culture people are walking around at the music festival saying "what are these girls doing on stage? and when does the show start?" Ok so you probably have not heard that exactly, but what about this similar line: "rock is dead" or "Main stream rock is not what it used to be." Even after adjusting for the obvious bias that comes with old age (nostalgia for one's own youth), even beyond that, why are so many awesome Rockers minor stars while fart-knockers like Coldplay, Bruno Mars, and Nickelback are so damn popular? What's up with that? I think that we, as a general society, have a subtle bias, an expectation of a male archetype. Sure, plenty of men will exploit sexuality to be heard. It would be nice if both men and women didn't feel like they have to - to be heard, or taken seriously.

So, what to do about it?

It is impossible to live without bias. Our minds work that way. But bias can be corrected by simply being aware of it. The first step to that is pointing it out.

REL, Jump, and the Icon crew have pointed it out nicely, check out their video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9fGKx7yzF4

The thing with sexism is that it is subtle by nature. It is not likely you will see an executive job description that says "women need not apply." But yet there are more CEO's named John than there are women CEO's.  You'll never find a payroll spreadsheet where female paychecks are assigned a 0.7 multiplier. But that's only because we've fought through a lot of the obvious ones, like the right to vote. So sexism, when it happens now, is subtle.

When I see tags on lastFM like "female vocals", I do see a subtle bias behind it. Likewise when questions are asked like "What it like to be a girl in the music world?"

From there, what-to-do-about-it   -   Is wise up.    pay attention. And check out some music off the reservation of pop culture. I will be happy to make suggestions.