Brace yourself for the shock of a lifetime; women are
discriminated against! Obviously, this probably isn’t news to anyone. But what you
may not have thought about (especially if you have the ability to grow facial
hair) is that the creative fields, although often considered to be the most
progressive, have been some of the slowest to change. Although the Devo
reference in the title of this entry applies to the existential concept of “de-evolution”
from which they take their name, it’s safe to assume that not everyone in the
music (or any creative) industry is so high-minded.
J.K. Rowling opted to use to her initials to dodge any
prejudice and numerous female visual artists have resorted to similar tactics before
establishing themselves. John Belushi purposefully sabotaged SNL sketches
written by women because he didn’t think they were capable of being funny, which
makes about as much sense as a samurai dry cleaner. And female pop/rock
musicians have been on a slow-climb to achieve legitimacy for over half of a
century. They have gone from being treated as objects in the 50s and 60s (see:
every women Phil Spector ever met), to simply being objectified
until…well…they’re still being objectified, but it seems that in the last
decade or two, more and more female musicians are beginning to receive the
respect they deserve. The following is a collection of advice from respected
female musicians to their like-gendered, hopeful colleagues. The fact that a
list of twenty noteworthy female musicians exists is a sure sign of changing
tides on its own, but if you yourself are a female musician, you might be
looking for a little more encouragement.
The contributors range from iconic singers who completely
over-shadowed their male band mates, to acoustic solo acts who achieved
recognition through the merits of their songwriting, to the somewhat rare case
of women who have commanded respect based on the mastery of their instrument. I
highly recommend reading the quotes yourself (regardless of your facial hair
situation) but essentially most of their advice boils down to just doing your
best and paying your dues like everyone else. If you don’t worry about your
gender, chances are that no one else will. In other words, present yourself as
a musician who happens to be a woman rather than a woman who is also a
musician.
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