SUBLIMINAL SEXISM IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

A sociological and psychological examination of how two of the music industry's biggest and most profitable genres contribute to the gender gap

In an interesting debate over class/politics/gender with a friend of mine (send him twitter hate), he made the following rhetoric: "Like its not sexist that the rock industry is dominated by males and pop industry is dominated by females?". This was interesting because it opened up a new perspective. We've all heard a lot about the fact that the industry is sexist - women as a whole have experienced moments were they aren't treated as serious musicians, but as pop puppets in the male game, etc. - however, through inclusive probing (scanning the web, looking at statistics, reading the opinions of others) I've theorised a possible explanation for why the industry is so rooted in sexism (besides from - but not excluding - the obvious existence of the capitalist patriarchy).

EOIN LOVELESS OF DRENGE: no girls allowed?
(photo creds: NME)

If you turn a blind eye and look at the side of the argument where the industry can be perceived as non-sexist, the difference in genres could be down to the biological difference between the sexes. Men are typically physically stronger, women are typically more empathetic. Solid fact. Therefore, it can be seen that the sexes have separated themselves into genres in which they thrive in due to their alternative biological wiring. Extensive research by scientists and psychologists alike have found key differences in men and women that suggest that we were born to be different. For example, Dutch studies on transgender and cisgender individuals in the late 1990s discovered that the size of the BSTc (bed nucleus of the stria terminalis), which is located in the thalamus of the brain, correlates with preferred sex rather than biological sex. This is one of the many pieces of research which defines just how men and women think differently - and are therefore fundamentally separate. Our brains are built differently and are zapping with different kinds of hormones. But how does this apply to our taste in music and preferences for different genres?

This study, and many others that consider the differences in male and female brains, would suggest that its highly possible that men dominate rock and women dominate pop because of our integral human diversities. But still, how would this explain why Royal Blood have female fans or why your mate Tom bought the Lorde record? Here the argument falls flat, and we are back to arguing the case in favour of sexism in music.

The biggest selling music act of all time is The Beatles. John, Paul, George, and Ringo changed music forever following the release of their debut 1962 single Love Me Do. The Liverpudlian quartet would go down in history as four of the most influential individuals of the Twentieth Century, but why is this? Probably because of the magic of the Lennon/McCartney writing duo and their consequent success following the band's demise, but Beatlemania would become way more significant than they had ever predicted. For reasons that have puzzled scholars and remain largely ambiguous, four working class boys from the North sent teenage girls across the world into a heightened frenzy. Beatlemania was a phenomenon never seen before. The Beatles were an important watershed in showing the big bosses just how many bucks they could make if they marketed acts to the right audience.

Henceforth follows the next fifty years in music when the ability to correctly market an act to an audience became one of the most successful ways to sell records. Of course, not all big artists sold because of marketability - take acts such as Pink Floyd, Whitney Houston, Fleetwood Mac, Jay-Z etc; covering a wide range of genres and line-ups, it's undeniably clear that merit and skill also churns out success. However, if we specifically examine other million-selling artists (particularly those from the 21st century) such as Rihanna, Katy Perry et al we can recognise similarities in marketability traits. Not to say these ladies should be diminished of their talent because they've proved to marketable, however their ability to be sold to the public as a product is of note.

MILEY CYRUS: is her sexuality the extent of her male appeal?
(photo creds: idolator)

Since the beginning of the media world we live in, the deprecation of women has been an essential factor in selling products. Unfortunately, as a woman, you are likely to have been socialised to be belittled since before you could talk, walk, or think for yourself. The media has used this belittlement to its advantage and so played on the universal insecurities which women suffer from in order to sell products. This works especially in cosmetic products, but can also be applied to fashion, food, and - in this case - the records we purchase. This means that females are more impressionable, simply because we've been socialised to believe that we can always be better than what we are. L'Oreal does this when they want you to buy their latest celebrity endorsed product, as do a multitude of other major corporations who cater to the female market.

This means that young girls can be easily sold to the pop star façade. Figureheads in pop are a model for girls to imitate. When males see a female pop star they don't think "hey, she's hot and a talented musician - I'm going to buy her single on iTunes"; they're more likely to think "hey, she's hot and a talented musician - she's one for the wank bank!". On the other hand, the manipulation of a young woman's psyche can lead her to think "hey, she's hot and a talented musician - what's her secret? How is she so goddess-like? Maybe if I buy her record, I can be like her. Maybe then I'll appeal to males too."

BRUNO MARS: one of the biggest pop stars
of the last five years
(photo creds: Us Weekly)

This works too with the boyband phemoneon. It's been happening since, what seems like, the beginning of time with groups from The Monkees to N*Sync, but the most recent and relevant example is, of course, One Direction. The British group are five attractive, wholesome, boy-next-door types and have been manufactured in order to centre their marketability on making them accessible to their audience. Songs like What Makes You Beautiful aren't just catchy pop classics, but tools to lure in their audience and make their listeners believe that they could be singing to them, triggering fantasies about being the one who makes Zayn Malik overwhelmed. Pop music is, therefore, female-orientated and relies heavily on feminine ideals and aspirations in order to appeal not just to the people who enjoy a well-written Mariah Carey track, but also to the vulnerable who have been manipulated by the pop star smoke screen. This is one of the many reasons why pop music succeeds. (Again, I do not disregard the genuine talent and star power of the majority of pop musicians. I am not destroying pop - it is a fantastic, innovative, and zesty genre - but, like all systems in society, it has its major flaws.)

'Pop' isn't just a fizzing burst of energy - it is also a contraction of 'popular'. Pop is the mainstream. Therefore rock - or alternative - acts as a counter-movement to the revolution of pop music. Therefore, it's an alternative to pretty boys in suits - though, being real, rock music is not shy of them - and big budget arena showdowns. Alt seeks to be the polar opposite of pop, though the lines are becoming more and more blurred as the genre is slowly being embraced, by creating a genre which encircles male interests by pushing out the females. Males dominate the genre because it's a territory they believe to have acquired. Not only does this lock out a lot of passionate female acts, but it ostracises female fans as it means they're not taken seriously as ardent music lovers.

CHERRY GLAZERR: women who rock
(photo creds: LA Record)

Girls are made fun of for screaming at concerts (which, okay, is extremely irritating and uncomfortable for those surrounding them, but it's all just a bit of fun) or for worshipping their favourite band (which Jack Black TOLD. US. TO. DO), but no one bats an eyelid at the "spirited" fans of sports teams who literally riot when their teams lose...They resort to actual violence over something that has no importance after the season finishes. Yet teenage girls at Justin Bieber concerts are 'sad' and 'pathetic'. Regardless of your opinion of the Biebs, is this not misogyny at its finest? And yet, I have met boys who've acted with surprise at the fact that I love Foo Fighters. Am I not allowed to because societal standards dictate that my gender means I've crossed into the wrong territory? Gender doesn't dictate where your music preferences lie. I simultaneously enjoy the tunes churned out by Taylor Swift and by The Cibs, and I don't see the problem.

I leave you with the following quote. Unfortunately, I don't know the source as I found it on Tumblr but I hope that it makes you think about the impact of socialisation on young girls and in the media in which we consume:

"There’s still very much this stereotype that teenage girls are not serious consumers of music, even though they are the number one purchasers of music. Teenage girls are the number one consumers of music, they are the number one drivers of taste, and yet they are still not considered serious music fans." (x)

READ MY PREVIOUS POSTS ON FEMINISM-RELATED ISSUES (I promise one day that I'll write something that's more important than Western white feminism, just give me a couple o' trys)

• feminism for beginners (march 2014)
• gig groping: the philosophy of ask the cutie before you touch the booty (november 2014)
• international women's day mixtape (march 2015)

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY MIXTAPE

"I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass." - Maya Angelou

LISTEN TO THE PLAYLIST //HERE//

Today - 8th March 2015 - is International Women's Day. Though we should be celebrating the achievements of phenomenal women everyday - no matter how small or how large - today we truly appreciate womanhood. From Malala Youzafi to your local community women's centres, the past 12 months have caused for a lot of praise for the work of women across the globe who are slowly but surely pushing oppression out and bringing equality in. This International Women's Day prioritise women of colour, women being murdered or mutilated for their right to say no, transsexual women, poor women, etc. Look beyond what these women can do for your feminism, but what your feminism can do for these women. This playlist complies songs by artists who highlight the importance of women, despite what the patriarchy tells us we are, and though it's largely focused on Western ideals, this International Women's Day I think we must look beyond the problems in our own society and into the ones of those littered with women without privilege, and therefore, without a voice. Just think about that.

(this post comes one year on from my 'feminism for beginners' post. the response i got from that was overwhelming, and over 400 views in 365 days may not seem like a lot to some but to me, wowee. thank u billion upon billions)

1. Nicki's verse from Monster

Nicki Minaj is one of pop culture's finest feminist role models. She consistently speaks out about the importance of education, women owning themselves and their sexuality in the way that men do, and rightly identifies herself as a rapper - she does not degrade herself to be categorised as a female rapper. This doesn't mean she believes to be female is dehumanising in any shape or form - she's proud to be a woman - however she fully realises that she is at the top of her game and is on par with, if not better than, the top male rappers in hip-hop. As a guest speaker at Oxford University last week, Kanye West admitted that he was destroyed by Nicki in his own song. It's the subject of countless of internet memes, and now it will go down as history as the moment when Kanye's ego was finally murked. He met his match, and I bet he never thought it'd be a woman.

TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: you can be the king but watch the queen conquer. Your successes and accomplishments should not be devalued because of your gender. You should not be placed into a category of 'female excellence' as opposed to simply 'excellence'. It's patronising and ridiculous, doing nothing but further increasing the gender gap, suggesting that women cannot even fathom to reach the standards of men. Sometimes girls are better than boys, and that's a fact of life that needs to be recognised.

2. ***Flawless (feat. Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche) - Beyoncé

As the pinnacle of feminist pop, Beyoncé inspired thousands following her 2014 VMA performance in which she stood firm and proud before the word 'FEMINIST' to promote the 21st century makeover of the movement. The music industry is among the most misogynistic (and, unfortunately, most influential) industries in the world, so this was a huge turning point in the movement's perception in pop culture. Women in music are highly undervalued (for instance, out of the 2015 BRIT Award winners, the only female winners were those nominated in female-specific categories) despite being equally, if not more, successful than their male counterparts. Taylor sold the most albums worldwide last year, Nicki broke countless rap records, and Beyoncé continued to sell out venues across the world, so why are the music industry so reluctant to give women in music praise for their excellence? Regardless of a stuffy corporate male's opinion, we salute you, Bey - thanks for all you have done to promote women's interests.

TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: the sample speech from acclaimed Nigerian writer and social justice fighter Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. The entire prose piece is ground-breaking but the lines that deliver the most impact are the opening ones - we teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. It's important that, in the future, we refuse to socialise girls in a way that makes them think of themselves as anything but a force of nature.

3. Bros - Wolf Alice

Wolf Alice are the female-fronted act of the year, and - though it should be shocking, but is rather unsurprising - one of only ten female artists booked to perform along with hundreds of other acts at this year's Reading and Leeds Festival. This means there will be only twenty female performances across the two sites over the August bank holiday weekend. Again, this highlights just how much sexism there is in the music industry. It is not entirely the fault of festival organisers, but more of the problem of lack of female role models in rock/indie/alt etc, despite research showing that females are the largest drivers of taste - they decide what is popular and relevant but are under-represented in terms of those who are actually making the music. This festival season is a chance for people like Wolf Alice wonder woman Ellie Rowsell to inspire and encourage the industry to take female acts more seriously.

TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: it may be called Bros, but this song is about nothing but the power of female friendship - me and you / we can do whatever / I'm quite sure. Just because you were born undervalued in the eyes of the patriarchy, doesn't mean you should settle for anything less than incredible things - you were not meant for mediocrity.

4. My Song 5 - HAIM

Whoever says women have no place in rock have clearly never been to a HAIM concert, because they truly put female rock on the map. You better take them seriously, else they'll kick your ass. The GRAMMY-nominated sister trio vibe harder than most bands out there, blowing all competition (male or female) out of the water. Any frontman would find themselves breaking a sweat in a jam session with lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Danielle, but all three are at an equilibrium in performance level and songwriting capabilities. Their quick-witted sass and boppy riffs to match has attracted the attention of critics, an army of fans, and Stevie Nicks, proving that they've dominated a genre that usually suppresses women from succeeding in. Plus My Song 5 has a really boss video to match, with appearances from Grimes and Ezra Koenig.

TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: renouncing themselves of all male possession - honey I'm not your honey-pie. You are more than an object of male desires - you are an embodiment of your own aspirations. They are not dictated by patriarchal values or gender barriers. What can you do to defy expectations?

5. After Hours - The Velvet Underground

When you think of The Velvet Underground, you are immediately picture Lou Reed. Or maybe a banana. However, one of the most underrated, badass females in music has to be Velvet Underground's drummer Maureen (aka Moe) Tucker. She admirably taught herself how to play the drums before gaining respect on the 60s New York music scene (which was probably a million times more sexist than it is now) and continues to demand that respect today through her unconventional drumming techniques. Known for her androgynous exterior, she showcases her sugary sweet vocals on After Hours - one of only a small number of songs which Tucker leant her voice to. As The Velvent Underground was released in 1969, this was an early and significant moment for rock music.

TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: just the fact that someone as amazing as Maureen Tucker exists is empowering in itself. She toured and did studio work while pregnant and with a family; a big fuck you to Nigel Farage's recent comments on Loose Women about how its a "fact of life" that women cannot balance work and family lives and must choose between a career and motherhood. Shoutout to all the incredible working mamas out there, you are loved and you are appreciated.

6. I Will - Sky Ferreira

Ferreira's 2013 debut Night Time, My Time was crafted in electronica-indie heaven, but it was a result of a seven year process which she suffered crippling setbacks and blows to her self-confidence. A year and a bit later, her breakout LP is still as important as it was on its first listen. It's honest and raw, and though still encompassing these elements, I Will is the most brash and outspoken track on the record. Heavy guitars and heavier synths make for blissful levels of female angst. Try screeching along to this when you're drunk.

TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: the entire song is a spicy rebellion about the impossible standards that accompany not only the celebrity persona but also being a woman. It narrates the struggles of female voices being heard among those that deem them to unimportant to listen to. But shout louder, bite back - well it's with me you're messing / I'm gonna teach you a lesson. Be bold and be heard. Forgive me for my misquote, but a famous woman once said something along the lines of "if a man is assertive, he's the boss, but if a woman is assertive, she's a bitch". Defy this, be a hardcore take-no-shit bitch if it means you achieve your dreams and aspirations.

7. I'm A Girl - Peace

This addition is a bit cheeky because, okay, an International Women's Day mixtape should be about celebrating women, but this Peace track - although performed by an all-male line up - celebrates women and femininity. Though we, as humans, should all celebrate each other anyway and shouldn't praise men for appreciating women because that's what they should be doing anyway, it's nice to know that these boys are on our side. As Harry K himself said "sausage rolls: good; gender roles: bad".

TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: a nice renouncement of typical gender expectations for men - the creators of man were calm, kind, and nice / but nature demands / that we fuck, eat, and fire / if you're not macho then try to be funny / if you can't fuck or fight then I hope that you're hungry. An important aspect of feminism is working for equality, and that means dismantling stereotypes that affect both genders. The human race can't achieve equality until we no longer suffer from harmful ideals.

8. Doing It (feat. Rita Ora) - Charli XCX

Pop perfection comes no shinier than in the form of super Brit duo Charli and Rita who undertake Spice Girl levels of girl power in this anthem. Regardless of your opinion of her music, Charli XCX is one of the biggest advocates for female equality in the music industry and has openly spoken out about her distaste for the misogyny in her field of work. Aggressively fun and youthful, it's refreshing to hear something other than a love song by a crooning male or a demeaning piece of crap about booty or some shit on the radio.

TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: the ethos of the song is what stands out most as it's a true celebration of female friendship, showing just what women can do when they put their minds to it. 

9. Feeling Myself (feat. Beyoncé) - Nicki Minaj

No, it's not about masturbation, but does explore an important aspect of female sexuality: identification. Flavoured hot and urban, they are recognising that their greatest weapon is their womanhood. It's something to brag about and they're not shy of it. Yet it's not in a way that they want to brand themselves as "better than" you or I, but in a way that's encouraging taking those key steps to self-love. They have the kind of confidence that we should all aspire to. Destroy the myth that confidence is attractive but cockiness isn't. Who defines where one ends and the other begins? Why is realising your potential anything but an admirable quality?

TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: I stopped the world / male or female / it make no difference / I stop the world - on this International Women's Day, the queens of contemporary pop music want you to step up to the plate and lead your generation. Do something incredible, show-stopping, game-changing that positively influences both your future and the future of those who need it. We, as women, were born to achieve greatness but have spent thousands of years being told we weren't. Stop that motherfucking world.

LISTEN TO THE 8TRACKS PLAYLIST CONTAINING ALL THE TRACKS FROM THIS POST BELOW

international women's day mixtape from sweetlamplight on 8tracks Radio.