Walking into a pub gig is hard. You must walk past the rows of men throwing down scooners and telling ‘those’ stories’. When you have finally arrived at the bar you find it hard to order a champagne and orange juice without getting weird and degrading looks through the clouds of smoke coming from men of all ages gathered at the local. You start thinking to yourself, crap, my skirt is tucked into my undies isn’t it, or I have toilet paper on my shoe. Your brain skips over the concept that these men are not used to women pulling up a seat next to them, ordering a wine and listening to hard rock as well. I am sure I am not the only woman who has ever somewhat alienated when catching a secret show of her favourite band.According to Steve Chapple and Reebee Garafalo, rock removed women from the music industry and simultaineously the bar stool too..
“The revolution in music that was rock 'n' roll effectively re-moved women from the pop charts for seven years, until the advent of the "girl groups." Prior to the beginnings of rock 'n' roll in 1955, female artists accounted for one-third of the positions on the year-end singles charts. Most of these women were pop artists like Patti Page, Doris Day, and Rosemary Clooney, who were not replaced by women singing rock 'n' roll. By 1956 the proportion of women on the singles charts had declined to 8 percent,” (Chapple and Garafalo)
Rock and Roll brought about a new wave of change, where women were not looked upon as people but as servants to the gods of rock and roll.
Susan Fast, author of Gender and Sexuality in Led Zeppelin is a fellow Hard Rock fan that has found herself in the same predicament as I mentioned earlier. Her research and study blames this cultivated assumption about women in rock and roll as groupies only, on the women themselves and their lack of involvement in shaping the discourse of Hard Rock.
Fast states, “Journalists, academics, and others writing about the band have been for the most part men, who have claimed, derided, or otherwise defined it as "male." The few women who have written about the music do not seem to be themselves actively engaged in its consumption-I have come across only one academic who discloses that she listens to it (and on her discomfort with this,). Their interest, too, has been in delineating and interpreting the characteristics of the culture that seem to make it "male." (1999, p. 247)
“Where does it leave me as an avid fan of this music since I first stumbled upon my brother-in-law's copy of Led Zeppelin III in 1972 at the age of four-teen and played "Immigrant Song" over and over again until I wore out the vinyl?”
To answer Susan, it leaves us women fans at the pub on a Saturday night getting the looks that they detest and the subtle brush of the arm, followed by a “sorry love didn’t see ya there”.
Gwen Stefani and Alanis Morrissette have been able break the mould with their personas of the 1990’s. However it was only that they didn’t act like a girl that they were able to do so. Gayle Ward noted this contradiction in her article ‘Just a Girl?’
“Performers such as Stefani and Alanis Morissette have discovered in acting "like a girl" new ways of pro-moting the cultural visibility of women within rock music. At the same time, the music industry has discovered in these female stars (each with her own carefully cultivated star persona) new ways to sell its products to young female consumers (i.e., "real" girls).(Wald, 1999, p. 587)
No wonder women of rock are in such a conundrum. If we are not filling the shoes of Bebe Buell or Penny Lane, we are acting like men. Comeon’ sisters let’s do it for ourselves and give women a voice in rock and roll.
References
Wald G 1998, ‘Just a Girl?’ Feminisms and Youth Cultures, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 585-610, The University of Chicago Press. Accessed via Internet Explorer, 1st June 2009.
URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3175302?origin=JSTOR-pdf
Fast S, 1999, ‘Rethinking issues of Gender and Sexuality in Led Zeppelin: A woman’s view of pleasure and power in hard rock’, American Music, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 245-299, University of Illinois. Date accessed 1st June 2009, via Internet Explorer.
URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3052664
In regard to women in rock, I agree with Susan Fast’s statement that women only have themselves to blame for their lack of involvement in the rock industry. In a previous blog I discussed an article by William Beilby which looks into the reasons behind female exclusion from rock in its formative years. He suggested that the reason rock became a male dominated genre came down to school yard bravado, strict parenting, and the males desire to impress women. If these really are the reasons behind female exclusion I fail to understand how it remains an issue today. Acceptance of women’s rights and ambitions are common place in contemporary Western society – why would the rock industry be exempt from this progression?
ReplyDeleteIn relation to the quote;
“Performers such as Stefani and Alanis Morissette have discovered in acting "like a girl" new ways of promoting the cultural visibility of women within rock music. At the same time, the music industry has discovered in these female stars (each with her own carefully cultivated star persona) new ways to sell its products to young female consumers (Wald, 1999, p. 587)
I feel that this quote provides evidence that women do have a place in the rock realm. Katie mentioned that women such as Gwen Stefani and Alanis Morissette were only accepted because they did not act like girls. I disagree with view - to me Gwen Stefani is a highly feminized, highly sexualized female performer. If I had to criticize her image I would do so by pointing out that she is succumbing too much to the pressure of appealing to the male gaze. She is a beautiful, sexy woman - what man wouldn’t want her in their world? And because of this, what women wouldn’t aspire to be and look like her?
In summary, women do have a place in the rock industry these days. Not only is it acceptable to be feminine, it is expected. Sure, they have their funky, rocker style – but at the end of the day sex sells and these women are selling rock like hot cakes.
Sarah Gillam
Fast S, 1999, ‘Rethinking issues of Gender and Sexuality in Led Zeppelin: A woman’s view of pleasure and power in hard rock’, American Music, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 245-299, University of Illinois. Date accessed 1st June 2009, via Internet Explorer.
URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3052664
I loved reading your blog post, Katie, and all the quotes and facts you used to support your statements. I do agree with Sarah on the fact that women do have themselves to blame for their lack of involvement in the rock industry. Also, I am an avid listener of both Alanis and Gwen, and both know how to rock out all while displaying a sexual and feminine side (especially Stefani). Just take a look at her album cover of LAMB. Many female artists are all about rocking out while still being eye-candy for all their sweet-toothed fans
ReplyDeleteBlaming women for their lack of participation? That's not too far from blaming blacks for not lifting themselves out of slavery. Whilst women are not repressed in the world of rock quite as strongly as blacks were in the South, nevertheless the absence of women in rock is as much indicative of social attitudes of parents towards female children as juxtaposed to the freedoms allowed to their sons.
ReplyDeleteMy article tackled this from a very different perspective. But it's certainly interesting to consider how women have been left out of rock culture and mentioned only in supporting roles as fans, girlfriend's or groupies and how this reflects very much the same inherent male bias in history. Men writing about men.
Great article. Very thought provoking.
Thanks for all your comments I can see all sides of the coin here.
ReplyDeleteI am tending to agree with both Sarah and Rachel in that Stefani is definitely appealing to the male audience. Her bleach Blonde hair and bright red lip are so stereotypical and blunt, it is unbelievable.
What I was getting at though, is besides the way they look, their mannerisms and stage performances were revolutionary, in that they weren't particularly 'female'. And by female I mean choreographed moves and sexy poses. They were just them onstage, moving and feeling the music in their own unique way.
Previously womens groups like the Supremes had such structured performances, that women like Joplin, Morissette and Stefani were revolutionary.