I generally try to avoid making any sort of feminist commentary on the media, for a few reasons, but mainly because I think that it's a very subjective medium in which it is hard to balance out intention, outcome and realism. I think that looking at one film or tv show and saying that it is sexist because it doesn't feature this many women, in these particular roles, shown in this particular light is doomed to irrelevance because in searching for gender bias you'll probably always be able to come up with something that shows the film is in some way anti-feminist, unless the makers have gone out of way to include women in these roles or whatever - in which case it'll probably feel rather contrived. I'm not saying that this means there arent any sexist films (or TV shows or whatever) out there, or films which might in some way glamorise sexist behaviour, but I think that great caution should be taken in accusing them of it. It's not enough to just say "I feel that this is sexist, therefore it is sexist", you have to actually provide evidence, and this is so hard to do without leaving yourself open to counter-arguments.
Saying that, I was quite annoyed today by a programme I watched with Jack and Jim called "I'm in a rock'n'roll band" which was part of a series on the BBC lately. There were only 3 or 4 women featured on the show (Siouxie Sioux, Shirley Manson, Patti Smith and the singer from Texas I think), compared to about 15 men as talking heads, and countless more male bands mentioned. Given that I'm not usually one for criticising shows for gender bias or whatever, and that I pretty much expected it to feature more men than women, I was surprised to find myself becoming quite upset by the programme.
It's hard to say why I took it so personally... I think partly because music is such a big part of my life; I spend most of my time listening to "rock n roll bands" in some form or another, I play guitar and bass, I used to be in a band and plan to be in at least another one over the next year. Music can change my mood almost instantly, I can't go on a long journey or get to sleep without listening to music, and I will weep like a child if I listen to certain songs. So it hurt to see people like me - that is, women - pretty much excluded from the show. It was like being told "no, I'm sorry, this kind of thing isn't for you", like a dearly loved friend or lover turning around and telling me that actually I'm not the kind of person they're looking for. Sure, there's a chance I'll be able to move in that world, but I'll have to try 10 times as hard.
It hurt too when my friend Jim - in response to my complaints that the show had only featured a couple of women - to ask me, as a sort of challenge, to name ten famous bands with women in them. I immediately named the Distillers, the Donnas and the Plasticines, but only got that far before Jim and Jack laughed and said "who the hell are they?" By the end of the show I managed to name 10 that passed their standard, but it was hard work. I'm sure there's been shit-loads of articles or blogs written about the lack of women in rock music, but it's never really hit me before... probably because I make an effort to listen to female-fronted or all-girl bands. Because I do, I sort of forget that not everyone makes the effort, and that the most popular bands are, with the odd exception, exclusively male.
Why is this? Jack argued that women do have an equal chance to make it in the music industry if they write good songs, but I'm not sure I agree (not least because a lot of popular songs are complete crap). That just seems like too easy a way out, that surely can't explain the ridiculously huge disparity... Why is it more the case for rock music too? There's plenty of women in pop or RnB or dance, but only a handful of women in rock (read: alternative, indie, punk, ska, metal etc) bands? Is it because women don't write good enough songs, or because we don't try as hard, or simply because we dont like that genre of music as much? Surely that can't the case... I know plenty of girls who love rock just as much as the next boy, plenty of girls in bands or who can play instruments, and some of my favourite songs were penned by girls.
So I dont know the answer. Maybe it's down to industry bias, or because more men buy rock music, or because of shows like "I'm in a Rock'n'Roll Band" telling us we're probably not going to make it... Or maybe we just dont write good enough songs. Either way, I was disappointed today: in the programme, in the music industry, in the responses of two of my best friends, and in myself for not coming back, picking up my guitar and writing a f*cking awesome rock song.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
14 years ago
