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PHOTO CREDIT: Elijah O'Donnell/Pexels
Why Is There Still So Much Misogyny and Explicit Remarks from Men Aimed at Women in Music?
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ONE of the most horrifying…
IN THIS PHOTO: The White Stripes’ Meg White (whose drumming brilliance was the recent recipient of both praise and misogyny online)
and frankly disturbing aspects of modern life is the way women are abused, mistreated and fearful of their safety and mental health. Whilst there is hatred and vitriol aimed at women by other women, the vast majority of misogyny and vile comments are from men. That is just a fact that there is no way of rationalising. All misogyny and sexism is awful, but it seems that there is no real end in sight. Things are especially bad online. Social media sites like Twitter are not doing enough to protect women and ban and discipline those that are guilty of using hateful and misogynistic language. I have been compelled to write about this subject once more because of something a social media friend of mine noted. Lert’s go back a few week when Meg White was very much in the spotlight. One of the all-time great drummers, she was defended (no less by her former bandmate and husband Jack White) against a comment by journalist Lachlan Markay. He opinioned that the tragedy of The White Stripes (the do of Jack and Meg White formed in 1997 and split in 2011) is how great they would’ve been with a half-decent drummer. He since walked back his comments (and offered an apologies to her), but it provoked outrage and attack on social media. People coming to Meg White’s defence and stating, quite rightly, how great a drummer she is. This is (sadly) nothing new. She faced criticism and sexism early in the duo’s career. Explaining that a more sophisticated and studied drumming form was not her style or beneficial to the duo. As The White Stripes’ music has always been more Blues-based, primal and loose, Meg White’s raw, primal and incredibly skilled drumming was a perfect fit! I am not sure what people expected. If she played more like Charlie Watts (the former drummer with The Rolling Stones) or Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana, and Queens of the Stone Age) then it wouldn’t have fitted.
Meg White brought so much personality, power and almost child-like wonder to The White Stripes’ catalogue. In a Rolling Stone 2005 feature, Jack White called out criticism of her drumming. He deemed it as pure sexism. On social media, Toni Coe-Brooker (owner of Dark Mother Management, and Campaign & Communications at Music Venue Trust) posted about Meg White. There was a feature that stated how great Meg White and what a brilliant drummer she is. There were a lot of misogynistic comments related to the post and article. Coe-Brooker noted how the misogynists came out in force. Maybe the men that came out and were hateful and misogynists felt it was sin and outrage that a woman could be seen as a great drummer. Whilst the instrument is by no means male-dominated (I put together a playlist of the best female drummers ever recently), there is still a core that feels drummers like Meg White are vastly inferior to the so-called greats. Stuck in this stone age mentality and space, White has been the recipient of so much toxicity lately. That said, there has also been a wave of love. It is a strange divide. On the one hand, so many of the supportive comments about her drumming genius was from men. Also, the vast majority of comments dispelling that and coming after her was from men. Whilst it is not entirely a male-driven thing, the vast majority of it is coming from men. Why is this still happening in 2023?! Even if you do not like Meg White’s drumming, why spit vitriol and abuse?! Since the 2000s, Meg White has been on the end of sexist and misogynistic remarks.
PHOTO CREDIT: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels
Meg White is by no means the only artist who has received misogyny. Nearly every day, I look on my Twitter feed, and there are reports of women in music being left inappropriate, hateful, or sexual comments. Explicit, vile, and always unwarranted, how much is being done in the industry to stamp it out? Not only are these sort of opinions and comments degraded, neolithic-minded, wrong and traumatising, but they are making women feel unsafe, undervalued and unappreciated! I want to source a few articles (one wholesale) that look at misogyny and how it still rages today. For years and decades it has been evident and unchecked. Women in the industry and speaking up and out, but how much is being done at the highest levels? How much are social media heads doing to safeguard and monitor? I think it is a low priority for so many! Alongside obvious sexism and gender imbalance that is patent (including female festival headliners being a rarity and novelty almost), there is still so much wrong-headed and dick-brained stupidity, hate and reprehensible language and attitudes being thrown at women. Before getting to other features, I want to start with a piece from 2021 by Ilana Frost. Writing for The Miscellany News (Vasser College’s student newspaper), she discussed how misogyny defined and dominated the music industry in 2021:
“2020 was undoubtedly the year of the pop woman. Dua Lipa took us to the future, the past and the club with badass back-to-back electric dance bops. Selena Gomez bore her heart and soul in “Rare,” blossoming into a fully matured woman and singer/songwriter in the aftermath of a decade-long abusive relationship. Taylor Swift pulled not one, but two Beyoncés and served us dreamy, escapist folk and complex teenage love triangles. Megan Thee Stallion reminded us to love our bodies after the quarantine 15 and that there’s always some “Good News” to be had. Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Halsey, Kehlani, Blackpink, Lady Gaga, Rina Sawayama, Lennon Stella, BENEE and Alicia Keys are just a few other artists that blessed us with killer albums last year.
IN THIS PHOTO: Rina Sawayama/PHOTO CREDIT: Zoe McConnell for Billboard
That list almost makes it seem like women are dominating the music industry. Unfortunately, not quite. If you pay attention, you’ll find that the majority of these albums have a few things in common. One: At least one track directly or indirectly responds to sexism. Two: The majority of the songwriters and producers are men. Three: Their audience is almost exclusively women and queer people because most men do not take pop seriously as a genre. Although we live in an exciting time full of fresh and smart female talent, misogyny remains the dark underbelly of pop music and culture, and women in pop are continually forced to emphasize that.
In the feminist banger “Golden G String,” (that one track) on her album “Plastic Hearts,” Miley Cyrus grapples with being a woman in the music industry: “There are layers to this body/ Primal sex and primal shame/ They told me I should cover it so I went the other way/ I was trying to own my power/ Still I’m trying to work it out…” In that raspy verse, she implores us to understand that she is not a sex object, but a person dealing with sexism who’s been pushed around by men in the industry. For Taylor Swift, “Mad Woman” is the dedicated track on “Folklore”: “No one likes a mad woman/ You made her like that/ …You poke that bear till her claws come out/ And you find something to wrap your noose around.” If a woman is “mad,” she sings, it’s because of some man using the gender power dynamic to his advantage. Gaga takes another unique approach in “Plastic Woman,” off her latest album “Chromatica,” describing herself as a plastic doll through vivid imagery: “I’ve got blonde hair and cherry lips/ I’m state of art, I’m microchipped/…Am I your type?” Oof. Other notable examples of women directly calling out men in their albums include Halsey’s “killing boys” and Dua Lipa’s “Boys Will Be Boys.” However, “that one track” combating patriarchy also often manifests in a celebration of the artists themselves, their womanhood and their genre. Ariana Grande’s “Just Like Magic,” Rina Sawayama’s “Comme des Garcons” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Body” are all explicit celebrations of femininity and anthems about body image, confidence and independence.
Female artists are always spreading these messages about misogyny loud and clear, but no matter how much fame and status they achieve, it’s not reaching men’s ears. As one popdust.com article notes: “According to data from Spotify, based on a sample of five million subscribers, male users listened to 94.2 percent male artists.” 94.2 percent male artists! In addition, a study from Amplify Her Voice reveals that only 22 percent of popular artists are women, 13 percent of pop songwriters are women and 3 percent of pop producers are women. These numbers should tell us that the music industry is not even close to gender equality and we need to do better. The statistics generally aren’t pretty on the business end either; I’ve honestly never heard of a single female or nonbinary manager. Women and nonbinary people are excluded from the room where the music is written and created, excluded from the room where strategizing promotion happens and ignored once it’s released. That’s unacceptable.
You may notice that women and nonbinary artists are most plentiful in the pop and indie pop scene. Many other genres like rap, rock and country remain fairly male-dominated. You might also recall from aforementioned data that straight men don’t really listen to pop or any women or nonbinary artists. So why don’t men listen to pop? Why is the genre not respected? It’s a complex question. I suspect the answer is thanks to deep rooted misogyny thinly veiled as “an aversion to pop” (and coincidentally, to all female rappers and rockers). The story goes like this: From a very young age, boys are encouraged to master instruments, and girls are not. However, women are notoriously more attuned to their emotions than men due to a culture of toxic masculinity. That skill generally lends itself to a strength in songwriting and expressive vocal performance. Ultimately, the gender binary translated into music equates complicated instrumentation with male identity, and strong lyricism and songwriting with female identity.
It’s the classic sexist logic and reason versus emotion and passion dichotomy, just in music. Thus, pop is deemed feminine, rock is deemed masculine, etc. Of course, the complexity of your instrumentation doesn’t measure the greatness of a song. If it did, pop wouldn’t be one of the most popular and influential genres of all time. People don’t always want to hear 12 chords and random riffs; sometimes they want to hear simple melodies that get stuck in their heads, melodies that are relatable, that they can sing along to. Melodies and lyrics that make you feel something. In pop, melody has priority over instrumentation. That’s not “inferior.” It’s just a different type of musical expression. Because of this sexist framework, artists like Shawn Mendes, Justin Bieber and Harry Styles don’t have many male fans even though they’re men; their music is considered feminine and therefore inferior because of its pop structure. This binary doesn’t tell the whole story of course. Straight men don’t take female rappers or rockers seriously a lot of the time simply because they are women.
Misogyny is everywhere and defines everything about the music industry. At the meta-level, pop music is not respected as a genre because of its perceived femininity. At the industry level, women are denied a seat at the tables where music and decisions about it are made. At the media level, female artists are transformed into ridiculous caricatures who are always feuding with each other, serial dating, going crazy, etc. And at the personal level, all women experience sexism everyday. Female artists are shouting this from the rooftops in almost every album, and a lot of men still won’t listen. Although it’s an extremely exciting time for gender minorities in music (just think about that list of albums from 2020), there’s a long way to go for more representation. If you’re a straight guy reading this, ask yourself why you may be neglecting to listen to artists who aren’t men. If you’re a straight guy in the music industry, please consider uplifting the female and queer artists, songwriters and producers around you. It’s no wonder that for every brilliant album released by a female artist, there’s a track that has to address sexism, and although I love a feminist jam as much as the next girl, I genuinely wish there was no need for a “Golden G String” or a “Plastic Doll”.
PHOTO CREDIT: Keira Burton/Pexels
Alongside relentless misogyny in the industry is sexism. In fact, in terms of what is deemed ‘sexist’, it can also be defined ‘misogynistic’. Definitionally confused at times, it is still very clear that there are different forms of abuse aimed at women. Whether it is sexual inappropriateness or harassment, profane or hate comments directed at their music or personality, or something else, how far have things come in the last few years? Whilst many women are sharing their experiences and trying to change things, there doesn’t seem to be enough support from people who could start to affect change. In an industry that is being raised, enriched and preserved in gold by women because of their incredible talent, originality, passion and wonderful music, there is no protection, reciprocation of appreciation and wealth of opportunities. Larger festivals struggle to promote women to headline slots, and that feeds back to a pipeline problem. With grassroot venues not being given enough support, local radio stations struggling and avenues that would promote and provide a platform for female artists shrinking, it is creating this damaging and male-heavy headline spread. Labels are not investing in women adequately and proportionally or appropriately promoting female talent. Alongside the closed doors and sense of ignorance is this poison and almost predatory behaviour that they have to face – not only online; sexual harassment, misogyny and abuse is present at gigs, in offices, venues and right across music. I am going to finish with a report and article that hints at glimmers of hope and progression.
Before that, last year, Lauren Walker commented on the changing narrative between men and women in music. Whilst there are improvements and strong and incredible women out there, there is a huge problem and issue that is relatively unchecked. Queens and icons are giving voice and hope to rising queens who want to earn respect, opportunities and the chance to perform on bigger stages and endure within the industry. Even if there are glimmers or optimism, it is evident any form of change and evolution is slow. Women are still objectified, bullied, and held to very different standards compared to men:
“Primarily, the majority of female artists suffer from vast levels of objectification – perpetuated by the media and platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. With their talent and achievements overlooked, they are often reduced down to solely their appearances – such as how ‘attractive’ they are or their body image. There is a complete disparity between comments made towards male and female artists’ appearances, thus reinforcing misogynistic and sexist attitudes towards successful women. Headlines and articles such as ‘15 ugly singers that get by with their hot bodies’ by The Richest immediately objectify female artists and encourage the notion that their success is only due to their societally-determined “hot body”, despite their faces being “ugly”. Whilst we see countless instances of this attitude towards female artists, it is much rarer to find such sexist attitudes and language being used about male artists in the industry.
IN THIS PHOTO: Selena Gomez/PHOTO CREDIT: Selena Gomez
Moreover, it is well-known that many artists, of all genders, experience forms of online bullying or trolling to some degree – meaning that social media sites become another platform in which sexist attitudes towards female artists are expressed, often occurring through comments regarded as ‘fat-shaming’. There are numerous cases of this type of online abuse specifically towards female artists – photos of Selena Gomez in Los Angeles in 2021 received horrific comments such as ‘help she’s BIG big.’ Not only is this further degradation encouraging the objectification of talented and successful women in the music industry, but it also has severe and damaging effects on the young users of social media that should not be overlooked.
Nonetheless, we are also seeing a positive conversation being created surrounding body image and confidence, reducing the objectification of female artists.'' Lizzo, as an example, speaks about the scrutiny female artists are under to look a certain way, and receives many positive comments on her Instagram posts due to her body confidence – a testament to changing sexist attitudes." That said, even praising the confidence of an artist such as Lizzo may have indirect and inadvertent negative implications – as often artists’ body positivity is seen as courageous if they do not fit with societal standards. She herself doesn’t want to be seen as ‘brave’, and rather wants to be celebrated for her music, reinforcing the fact that female artists are often reduced down to solely their looks. There is still improvement needed within the music industry and general conversations towards female artists and their bodies, to ensure that they are viewed and treated equally to their male counterparts.
IN THIS PHOTO: Taylor Swift/PHOTO CREDIT: Sebastian Kim for Vanity Fair
In spite of the level of social progress being made in today’s society and the music industry, there is still a specific tone used to talk about female artists that perpetuates sexist and discriminatory attitudes. In an interview with CBS Sunday morning, Taylor Swift speaks about the difference in vocabulary between male and female artists, explaining how men are often deemed to be ‘strategic’, yet a woman can only ever be ‘calculated.’ This difference in dialogue proves there to be a deep-rooted misogynistic approach towards women’s success, as they are unequally critiqued and described negatively. This links to the narrative that female artists only write about relationships, love, and ex-boyfriends – diminishing their skills and talent compared to that of male artists. In another interview, Swift mentions how artists such as Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran aren’t given the reputation for ‘only writing about their ex-partners’, yet this is often assumed to be the topic of many female artists’ work. While this label may sometimes be accurate for both female and male artists, the latter are not labelled as boring or dramatic – emphasising the sexist attitudes still present.
Despite the level of sexist critiques that most female artists face, this is not to say they are not incredibly successful. During the last year, many records were broken by female artists – such as Beyonce who now holds the record for most Grammy awards won by a vocalist, and Ariana Grande, who set the new record for the most songs to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. However, it is this success and their talent that they should be respected for, rather than the focus landing on their love lives or what they look like. Unfortunately, sexism within the music industry is still expressed through the devaluing of female artists’ success – as they are arguably yet to be recognised solely for their talent. Moreover, looking briefly at wider roles within the music industry, a study by Amplify Her Voice found that alongside only 22% of top artists being women, a mere 3% are producers or sound engineers. There is still far to go to increase gender equality within the music industry, and having more women in powerful or managerial roles would help to eliminate the sexism still present”.
PHOTO CREDIT: rawpixel.com via Freepik
Late last year, an inquiry into misogyny in music was undertaken by the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee. With growing conversations and spotlighting of the misogyny and sexism that women face, the objective of the inquiry was to identify what misogynistic attitudes exist in the industry and why. The next step, one hopes, is that more is done to ensure that there is improvement and real efforts to tackle a huge problem that is having a profound effect on women and the music industry:
“An inquiry into misogyny in music has been undertaken by the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee. Following the increase of more conversations around the issue, the inquiry aims to examine what misogynistic attitudes exist in the industry and why.
It aims to uncover, in more detail, how these attitudes can filter through to society, impacting attitudes towards and treatment of women and girls, including at live music events. This inquiry will explore what steps can be taken to improve attitudes and treatment of women working in music. This inquiry is part of the committee’s work into Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls. Read the call for evidence for more detail about the inquiry
The inquiry – what has been gleaned so far
The first parliamentary evidence session took place on Wednesday 26th October, where MPs heard that the music industry is not making as much progress as the film industry in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Expert criminologist Dr Cassandra Jones spoke about her findings, saying of the women in the inquiry:
“needs to be something that oversees or scrutinises or monitors the music industry that has legal statutes behind it”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Charisse Beaumont is the is the Chief Executive of the Black Lives in Music initiative
Additionally, there is the need to acknowledge intersectionality within misogyny when it comes to protecting women of colour. Charisse Beaumont is the Chief Executive of the Black Lives in Music initiative, and she highlighted the imbalance in agreement with Dr Jones’ observation that there is a lack of consequences. Emphasising the fact that less than 5% of music producers are female, Beaumont stated:
Noting that Black women are discriminated against twice, Beaumont announced that an industry-wide anti-racism code of conduct will be launching in association with the Independent Standards Authority. Set to debut in the spring of 2023, the aim is to raise standards, tackle discriminatory behaviour and micro-aggressions, support staff and provide mandatory anti-racism training, as well as investigating equal pay and contracts, career progression, and representation for artists and technical and production workers.
The Musicians’ Union Response
The MU, which is the leading trade union organisation in the UK, has responded to the findings and the meeting, by making the following recommendations going forward:
Our response to the House of Commons (HoC) Women and Equalities Committee ‘Misogyny in Music’ Inquiry detailed our members lived experiences of misogyny and sexism whilst working in the UK music industry, and was informed by a snapshot survey of female and non-binary members that we conducted during June 2022.
Our response covered key themes of:
Intersectionality
Lack of representation of women
The sexualisation of female musicians
Misogynistic and sexist assumptions
Bullying and sexual harassment
Lack of facilities for women
PHOTO CREDIT: rawpixel.com via Freepik
Legislative change
We also made the following recommendations to the music industry and Government to tackle the issues the submission raised.
Introducing the preventative duty in the next parliamentary session.
Extend the protections relating to discrimination and harassment in the Equality Act 2010 to all freelancers so that they are entitled to the same protections as the wide range of individuals in the workplace who are already protected.
Reinstate section 40 of the Equality Act 2010 without the three strikes rule to protect all workers from third party harassment
Review the limit of two characteristics within Section 14 of the Equality Act 2010, so the law acknowledges that overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination impacts on people who experience sexual harassment.
Extend limitation periods for discrimination and sexual harassment claims to at least six months
Legislate to make NDAs unenforceable for anything other than their original purpose, the prevention of sharing confidential business information and trade secrets
Introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting and widen gender pay gap reporting for companies with over 50 employees
Supply funding to develop mental health services equipped to deliver culturally appropriate and accessible care.
Industry recommendations
Implement robust policies and procedures for combatting misogyny, sexual harassment, and discrimination.
Provide equality, diversity, and inclusion training with specific training on sexual harassment for all workers.
Invest in active bystander training.
Provide multiple, clear, and accessible reporting mechanisms, including anonymous methods so all workers can raise a complaint safely.
Work towards equal representation of women in decision making positions and senior leadership roles.
Conduct sexual harassment risk assessments and create action plans to reduce risks.
Support the creation of the Independent Standards Authority.
PHOTO CREDIT: Freepik
Improving awareness and education
Consider how misogyny as gender stereotyping impacts students’ instrument and subject choice and take steps to tackle this.
Implement equality, diversity and inclusion and acceptable behaviour modules as core parts of the curriculum in colleges, universities, and conservatories.
Consistent and regular discussions with students regarding misogyny, sexism, and gender equality”.
Even if my thoughts and feature started with Meg White and how a debate about her drumming prowess and worth was met with misogyny and hatred, it has expanded and developed into looking at the music industry and all women within it. From artists to promoters to P.R. representatives through to every corner and side of the business, there are endless stories and testimonies from women who receive the most abusive, foul and unacceptable comments. If it wasn’t bad enough inequality and sexism is present at labels, across festivals, radio and the boardrooms, misogyny is still very much alive and well. There is hope that things will change. Reports and articles identify what women are experiencing and what needs to be done to tackle things. I don’t think we will ever eradicate misogyny as the internet is a vast entity that cannot stop every keyboard troll. It is very clear that more men need to take responsibility and action. It seems that it is women themselves are trying to change things and highlight the problem with little support from men. They are doing the best they can, but there needs to be more action and speaking out from men in the industry (and those online). What so many women are experiencing now regarding misogyny is horrifying! Small steps are being taken, but there needs to be bigger action, commitment, and progress…
BEFORE 2024.