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Why "Women in Rock" issues are an insultOne reason I don't read print music magazines anymore is their lack of coverage of female musicians. All year round, they focus on boys in bands, or male MCs with male producers putting together their beats. Once in a while, they'll throw in some photos or an interview with someone like Courtney Love or another spectacle they deem interesting enough. The rest of the women are banned to the Women in Rock issues.
I dread seeing those three words together. "Women in Rock" insinuates that somehow females creating music is a subgenre; that they can't possibly compete with rock music as a whole, which is apparently something completely male. (Also, these are very often the only times women are even allowed on the cover.) Rock itself is misconstrued, as it used to mean "music" in a general sense when really it is not inclusive at all. (Is it a shock that so many music magazines are run by men? Hardly.) Rolling Stone is the number-one offender in the WIR cliché. Not only do they put out these issues regularly, but they've also published books and released albums with the title. (What, no "Men in Rock?" books? Apparently that would be impossible because there're just too many men to be included; not like women, who can be summed up in a matter of pages.)
Is it really too much to ask that women who make music be treated with the same respect as men who do the same? Are Tegan and Sara only cover-worthy when the issue is prefaced with the "Women in Rock" warning for anyone expecting a magazine to have the same male-focused stories and reviews as readers have come to expect? Considering print media has ignored women's eye-rolling at this trend, and continues to put out these special issues, it's another reason to be thankful for the internet. Music blog Idolator is run by a woman, and AOL's Spinner is also edited by a female (who happens to be an out lesbian), as is the all-around pop cultural critique site PopMatters. I don't think it's a coincidence that these are some of the most popular and best-written music blogs on the Web. In fact, I think it's probably a sign that not only are women more in tune with what women want, but also what readers are looking for from music writers. Is it any wonder people think print is dead? Submitted by on January 19, 2009 - 2:30pm. |
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News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media
Rolling Stone has been a
Hahahaha, I was about to
Hahahaha, I was about to reply with "Wow! You have a Lesbian Pirates from Outer Space icon!" Then I saw your name and read your post.
Of course you do. You're Megan. Riiiiiiiight :P
But you're totally right.
rock
Tegan and Sara look the same
www.venuszine.com/
The only music magazine I read is Venuszine. Flip through the pages and see what you think.
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The 4 winged dear with the metal tongue knows what it takes to get things done.
Normally...
...i'm on the same page (pun intended) as a lot of trish's commentary, but i stopped reading this seriously from the first line "One reason I don't read print music magazines anymore is their lack of coverage of female musicians" I understand hyperbole, but no one can honestly make a statement like that and then proceed to critique the very subject they proclaim to ignore....just saying
besides who really gives a shit about rolling stone anymore?
Thank you for finally saying
Thank you for finally saying what I've always thought about these sorts of issues. They make it sound like music that happens to be produced, performed, etc by women is a niche genre. You know, just like movies with women in them. Not all music with women is the same (Sleater-Kinney isn't at all like, say, Feist).
These issues also make it seem like only women listen to these bands/artists. I beg to differ. When I was in grade school, bands like Sleater-Kinney, 10,000 Maniacs, The Go-Gos, Patti Smith, etc. were all introduced to me by my dad. These issues magazines are allegedly trying to combat sexism in the music industry, but they only exacerbate the situation by continuing to publish "Women in Rock" issues.
I don't..
read music magazines at all..I checked out spinner a few weeks back thou.
I'm just happy Tegan and Sara are on that cover..it's awesome that their album is still gaining so much attention.
It's an identity issue.
>'Women in Rock' insinuates that somehow females creating music
>is a subgenre; that they can't possibly compete with rock music as
>a whole, which is apparently something completely male.
And that's exactly what some (mostly male) people think. For them, 'rock music' makes up an essential part of their identity, something that defines who they are. Admitting that women can be full members of the 'rock club', as it were, would seem to them like giving up the maleness of their identity.
So they treat women in rock as a novelty, a hot accessory to the 'real' musicians. Thus the 'women in rock' issue.
Aren't there some music magazines that focus on women? One of those should run a 'men in rock' issue and see how people react!
Oh - and yes, print is very, very dead.
Hmm
as much as I love print (it's what keeps me connected with a "lost world", considering now EVERYTHING written can be found online), I tend to avoid music magazines period. They tend to cover what's in style right now and - honestly - it becomes a bit cliche, reading the same thing, the same opinion about the same musicians - everywhere.
Though I quite enjoy seeing musicians that don't get enough credit in the mainstream - such as Tegan and Sara - get some recognition. If only these artists could get the credit they deserve regardless of their gender.
But of course, that's in my perfect world.
h.tphb
i kind of hate rolling stone because i think that all they do is put in the escenne to people that dont deserve it. All the music theysell is really not that good. i agree with a lot of you . i havent seen a girl in a cover ( a good one) .. i never though that T&s were going to be in one, not because they dont deserve it , just because nobody aprecciate the music that they do .
and obviously, im never gonna see them in my country although im almost praying to see them
Trish You're Right,however,
www.myspace.com/lunakiss7.com
rolling Stones isn't the only print magazine that focuses womyn who rock as subgenre. They do that in Hip-Hop magazines too. Thanks for providing the blog links. I have to check them out.
A line taken from my poem "She" It is SHE who awakens my soul..."
thefemininedivine.blogspot.com
"Chick music"
I hate it when people dismiss music written by females for that fact alone.
I was wearing a Tegan and Sara shirt at work the other day and one guy (there was a group of about 5 of them all about 14-16) he asks me "What does your shirt mean?" to which one of the others replied "Tegan and Sara, it's a band". I was pleasantly surprised that this 15 year old boy knew who they were, until he finished by telling his friend "Oh but it's chick music, you wouldn't like them."
Ugh.
On another note, I'm totally buying that issue of Wonkavision. There are some really awesome pictures in there!
ha
i remember that one women in rock issue of rolling stone with britney on the cover... nina gordon (veruca salt!!!) had the tiniest little blurb in it. i also won tons of stuff playing a rolling stone trivia game at my school when that issue was out.
I agree with the author's
I agree with the author's sentiment for the same reason I can't stand Black History Month. These type of commemorations are supposed to make up for a year of ignoring an entire group of people. These magazines need to stop with the commemoration issues and start featuring these musicians in every issue throughout the year.
"Nature delights in diversity. Why don't humans?"
THIS.
I agree totally
As a huge fan of rock music, and particularly of Joan Jett, this is something I've noticed too and been furious about.
Mind you, Rolling Stone put Joan on it's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists (there were only 2 women, the other one was Joni Mitchell) and I read all sorts of responses on the internet along the lines of 'why's she there, for looking good in tight leather pants?' So I guess having a 'women in rock' issue caters to a huge amount of their readership who wouldn't even see it as strange...
Joan maintains -and I agree - that women in rock are intimidating because they own their own sexuality - women in 'pop' are often presenting an idealised feminine image and virtually saying 'do what you want to me' whereas women in rock are saying something more like 'this is what I'm gonna do to you'...maybe the music/print industry/population at large still feels that threatened by this that the only way to deal with it is to put these women in a seperate category as if they are a curiosity?
I never listen to things they say, cos what you hear gets in your way (Joan Jett)
Only lesbians would know this.
Didn't Amy Ray write a song about the jerks at Rolling Stone?
The Music Industry...
Is just disappointing on the whole these days. I play guitar, and guys just assume that all you play is a few chords on your acoustic. There's nothing wrong with that, but I can't help but find it funny when they hear you play and they think "Shit, she does play guitar".
The fact is, you don't need to be fueled by testosterone to write an amazing rock song, if magazines realised that and actually gave "women in rock" the credit they deserve I would be a happy bunny.
Hey, once they've done that they could even start signing bands with talent, instead of idiots who jump through the record company's hoops and wear next to nothing and only sing songs about sex. They may even support those decent bands once they've been signed!
No? Didn't think so.
[/cynicism]
"Millan." Someone needs a
This sums up my feelings
This sums up my feelings about this issue perfectly, thank you for posting!
Also, thank you for the links. I cancelled my subscription to RS long ago, never really got into Blender or Spin, and got annoyed with Pitchfork the first time I read it. (The article was about how Corin Tucker's 'new interest in documentary film' is..."interesting". Uh, anyone who's so much as read the woman's wikipedia entry knows that she study documentary film-making in college.)
Perhaps, now, I will have something to fill the music news void -- along with your regular music column here at ae!
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