10% of Grammy Nominees between the years of 2013 - 2019 for awards such as ‘Album of the Year’, ‘Record of the year’, ‘Best New Artist’ etc were women - Forbes
We distinguish so many females promoting themselves, releasing music, being the role models that we need to encounter so why is this quote shocking to read and why is this unbalance of inequality still a problem in today's industry? Let’s talk about it. Pedal back to the 1970s, ‘The Runaways’ 1976 pre-millennial era. We discover that the band members patterned themselves after idols such as the likes of Cherie Currie on David Bowie and Jackie Fox on Gene Simmons. The dominant identity consumed by fans at this time were iconic male figures which becomes the definitive structure of the image created by the women hence why the music was accepted into cultural normality. Shifting into the present, the pattern from The Runaways has seemingly become outdated as we fast forward through the riverty decades of music to the now, more female artists seem to be able to grasp their own identity through the escapades of the DIY digital era, ideas can never really be individual to an artist but inspired by previous identities. We can see this if we place artists side by side. Take Ariana Grande and Maria Carey for example, both have customary traits of the ‘Diva’ and the ‘High pitch calibre’ and there have been conversations about who is better on social media which should not be a competing factor but something we should celebrate. There's still a notion of ‘Man behind the woman’ for artists such as Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse, Beyonce and Jay Z however I do not feel as though this is the case. We can view them all as two powerful entities that apart possess monumental dynamism but together can also express distinguished prominence in the industry. This is the perspective we should carry with one another, to not pit ourselves against each one another but to have a pragmatic view on equality and empowerment. Even major label artists feel the need to fit into these ideals. Take the recent success ‘Homecoming – a film by Beyoncé’ which to me was outstanding but also quite shocking in the way she dealt with her weight loss. This was a section of the film when she explained about losing weight for the show after she had her twins. This was plastered all over social media with fans praising her for her efforts and others expressing concerns that even being one of the most famous women in the world you still must lose weight to maintain your perceived value. The impact of young females consuming these ‘dominant social ideals’ on how to look and feel can have a positive/ negative influence their own mental health and habits in their future selves. This can lead to illnesses as we are all constantly comparing ourselves to others. Female artists are now killing off the poison that has been marketing and promotional techniques which has seeped into the music industry over the years. As Ariana said “ I just want to talk to my fans and sing and write music and drop it the way these boys do” grande explains that record labels like to hold on to their creations for the development of consumption to go smoothly and lets not forget, success. A recent artist flying onto the scene, Lizzo is tearing down the stereotypes of traditional dominant ideologies of what a ‘popstar’ should really look and be like and that is such a progressive movement we need to get behind it. We can not hide from the dark side of the industry, take a brisk walk down the crepuscular lit alleyway to uncover the horrible realms of sexualisation, objectification and so on which has never really been resolved only commented on but however, slowly changing. Yes, we are still going to pull Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines’ out from under the neatly swept carpet because it was awful for sexualistation. Thicke's 2013 track presented the topless models in the videos visual to be more passive, sexualised objects which then lead down to the horrible commotion of objectification and the power a man could hold over a women in this certain context. However, the motion of sexualisation/ objectification has been improving over the years with the likes of Dua Lipa releasing the song ‘New Rules’ which evokes a sense of liberation defying the intentions of male attention and becoming your own. I guess we only now are truly seeing objectification coming into the limelight as digital media is now condemning past shadows and unmasks what was once accepted in society. The recent scandal between Little Mix and Piers Morgan over this issue has caused extensive attention. “They’re using sex to sell records” Piers says on Good Morning Britain Moreover, Little Mix response to this ‘Were gonna keep f***ing preaching until it sinks in – we want to empower women and ourselves’ with the pressure on women to fit the dominant ideals of today we can also understand Little Mix’s fight for liberation and that it is to make sure females feel comfortable in their own skin and go against these ideals being created by social media. Are women over sexualising themselves alongside their music, is that now a supreme trait of promotional value for sales? or a trait of body positivity and empowerment? The war continues. Let’s bring it back down to our reality and Cornwall. Women are being celebrated here with gigs such as ‘A Celebration of Women’ a night created by the lovely Emily Marcovecchio which quickly became a safe community to encourage and empower women. A ray of female local talent stunned the setlist, Small Ships being packed out, a very successful night with donations of sanitary products going to the homeless shelter. The favourable outcome ensured that a second night ‘EP1: A Gathering of Women’ is taking place and will exhibit further exploration of women’s art in additional positivity being shared. However, with success comes failure with a gig on National Women’s Day being a nightmare. “Last night really was something else. Was excited for this gig but came away feeling that my IQ had be halved just from being in the same room as the people in question. It’s baffling that there are STILL people in the UK that are set in such a belittling and sexist mindset. To be quite honest, I felt embarrassed for them and pitiful that they will never experience the wonders of women. I understand that the venue is not hugely to blame, however, they were fully aware of the behaviour that was occurring as these men were not being subtle at all. So as far as I’m concerned, I encourage all musicians to boycott The Apple and Parrot in Torquay. Not worth surrounding yourself with sexists and bigots just to play a gig.” Words from Lilly Shickle from the band Hops! experiencing female discrimination. To be free to play a gig in a comfortable environment is something to treasure for everyone. Being able to empower my females/males/LGBTQ strength to know our own worth in this horrible forever scathing world and what we all are capable of. Lets celebrate everyone in our industry without the car crash of negative opinion of concepts which now seem rather outdated in all areas of life but until then, let's keep talking about it.
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Chloe Burrows-BryanThis portfolio aims to present my creations and give readers an understanding to my freelance journalism and social media marketing. Archives
August 2020
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