Women in Rock From the Looks of Things
There is a double standard afoot. Amongst the many topics that we’ve touched upon in this column it shouldn’t come as a surprise to regular readers that we’re once again talking about the differences that seem to naturally exist between female musicians in a rock band and guys in rock bands.
We’ve discovered in previous columns that there is no difference between musicians of different genders. Women can play guitar as well as men, they can drum as well, and hell, they can play bass as well. There is no difference in skill set abilities. And yet when a female band takes the stage the expectations are completely different than if a guy band takes the stage.
While the initial expectation is that the band plays good “for girls” (perhaps a topic for another column) it seems that appearance is a bigger concern for audience members. Why is it that a guy band can step on stage looking as if they just rolled out of bed but female bands are expected to look cute, dress well, and be sexy. Heaven forbid that a female band dress like any other GUY band would. That’s just not acceptable. And it doesn’t matter how good the band is, no one is going to watch the girl band until they all start dressing like two-bit hookers working the red-light district.
Well, I’m here on behalf of all the female musicians in the world to say that we will dress however we damn well please. Stop judging us based upon what clothes we’re wearing and start listening to the music we’re playing. That’s what matters right? Don’t worry if we’re wearing torn jeans instead of mini-skirts or if we’re a little heavier than you might like us to be. No, we may not look like Britney Spears but we more than make up for it in talent.
No, I won’t be dressing like a cheerleader onstage anytime soon (or ever for that matter) but I, along with many other female musicians, will continue to go onstage and play my heart out. I will rock as hard (or harder) than any guy that you’ve seen and I will not stoop to your damn appearance double standard. After all, if I were a guy, it wouldn’t matter what I wear. Think about Nirvana. Had they been girls dressed like that they would never have achieved the status they did.
To the point, it shouldn’t matter what female musicians wear. It shouldn’t matter what guy musicians wear either. Unfortunately it seems to be vastly important to concert-goers. It’s a double standard and needs to be corrected. A musician is a musician no matter what they choose to wear when they take their craft to the masses. Use your ears, not your eyes. It doesn’t matter what we wear, it matters how we play.
