Women in Rap Music

In her book, Cecelia Reclaimed:Femenist Perspectives on Gender and Music, Susan C. Cook explains how women are portrayed in rap music, especially black women. Cook stresses on the idea that there are "negative, stereotypical female roles within music" (Cook 184). Since music is a business, rappers use the idea of sex to sell records. With the idea of sex comes women stereotypes. A woman should have the perfect body, perfect hair, etc, and those women are usually prostitutes and/or whores. According to Cook, a few terms used for women within rap music are, "skeezers, hoes, sluts, whores, and bitches". Not only is the view of women potrayed as negative, but rap music is a male-dominated industry. Not many women are wel-known rappers, and if there is a woman rapper, then she is seen as being a lesbian or aggressive. On a positive note, Cook explains how women are starting to stop being the "objects" in rap songs, but rather be the "subjects". Women are starting to get their voices heard and producing songs. WOmen are bringing in a different tone to rap music and starting to change the views that the industry portrays. It took a while for female rappers to be taken seriously, but progress has been made. The first female rap duo was Salt n' Pepa and they had a hit called "Express Yourself". Salt n' Pepa were feminists that expressed their views and feelings about women through their music. A segment from their song says, "I'm not a man, but I am in command. Hot damn, I got an all girl band". These lyrics really show how important it was to change the view on women within the rap community.
Although their are still negative views of women within rap music, progress is being made and hopefully one day the stereotypical ideas will no longer exist.

By Toni

Works cited

Cook, Susan C. "The Conflicting Nature of Females in Rap Music." Cecilia Reclaimed: Femenist Perspectives on Gender and MUsic. 183-96. Print.

Gender in Country Music Videos

Country music videos are known for an array of things: cowboy boots, horses, flannel shirts, wide brimmed hats, and worn out blue jeans.  Women country singers also use these props, and go outside the gender roles that apply not only for entertainers, but for all people.  In her article, "Women In Country Music Videos", Janelle Wilson says, "I suggest that country music videos offer a space for contemporary female artists to more visually and openly challenge that which their predecessors challenged in their time--the traditional, confining gender roles that dominate American culture espouses" (Wilson 2000). Later in the conclusion to that same article, she says, "It would be overly sanguine to suggest that country music has created the liberated woman, but it does seem fair to suggest that country music is an element of popular culture in which we can wee women's resistance to submissive roles" (Wilson 200).  Janelle Wilson expresses in her article that she believes country music has helped women break from their gender roles and become something the music industry has never seen before.  Most female country music stars seem to agree with what Wilson says.  They are hesitant to step into the typical women entertainers' costumes.

With the recent uprising of women country stars, the country music industry decided to name 1997 the "Year of the Woman".  In female country stars' videos, they depict women as strong and independent, while male stars do the opposite.  In their article "Country Music Videos in Country Music's Year of the Woman", JL Andsager and K Roe prove that, "by analyzing 285 CMT videos, we found that most female artists' videos portrayed women progressively, whereas male artists portrayed them stereotypically" (Andsager, Roe 2006).  This proof also coincides with what Janelle Wilson said in her article. Women country stars are hesitant to depict themselves as sex objects, and instead portray women as a minority to watch out for.

Works Cited:

Wilson, Janelle. "Women in Country Music Videos". ETC: A Review of General Semantics. Vol. 53. Issue 3. 2000.

Andasger, JL.  Roe, K.  "Country Music Videos in Country Music's Year of the Woman".  Journal of Communication. Vol. 49. Issue 1. Pgs 69-82.  1999.

Written by Kelly Rothe.

Gender and Sexuality in our Performances

For this last post on musical theatre, I will answer the age old question: How does musical performance mirror the gender and sexuality of our society?

According to Pirkko Moisala scholarly article “Musical Gender in Performance”, “The bodily nature of music intertwines deeply with human sexuality”.  In a sense, performance embodies an audience’s interests and desires.  Sexuality (in its wide variety) is explicitly conveyed on stage in a variety of ways.  The article went on to say, “Music seems to be a site where we not only free ourselves from gender limitations but also from the limitations of conventional sexuality.”  Music and performance provide a canvas for expression and a diversity of moods.  This variety can help us a society better understand each other and our wide spectrum of perspectives.  Moisala reinforces this idea in her article.  “As a unique human expression that combines our bodily and cultural identity with idiosyncratic creativity, music provides an interesting setting for gender performance and negotiation in all sociohistorical and cultural contexts”.  Altogether, Moisala is hopeful for a future of equality and sees art as the vessel for egalitarianism in our modern world.  “The performative nature of music…allow for an interesting and possibly radical, if not revolutionary, site in which new kinds of gender performances and gender identities can evolve and which, eventually, may transgress the gender boundaries of any society. The concept of "musical gender," I hope, will help us to move away from looking at what "men" or "women" do with music to an investigation of how music acts in the practices of gender signification and resignification. Music and musical gender can and should be used to deconstruct gender dichotomies and to appreciate all gender differences and variations.”

 This pairing with sexuality, gender, music, and dance is often so explicit that the performance becomes controversial.  Judith Lynne Hanna’s article “Dance and Sexuality: Many Moves” addresses this very concept.  Her article addressed religion’s view of dance as “immoral”.  Hanna’s article views dance, sexuality, and musical performance and a union of strength and free expression.  “Dance and sexuality (are) a source of power (and) manifestations of sexuality in Western theater art and social dance, plus ritual and non-Western social dance. Expressions of gender, sexual orientation, asexuality, ambiguity, and adult entertainment exotic dance are presented.”  Hanna argues that because of such traditionalist judgments toward dance, the gap between free expression and conservativeness will only widen in our futures.  Nevertheless throughout this debate, the connection between performance and sexuality only grows closer.  At the extreme end of dance, exotic dancers literally connect their specific type of performance with sexuality and gender.  Everywhere in between sex workers and church choirs, sexuality and gender are addressed through performance.

 Altogether, musical performance directly relates to gender and sexuality.  From musical theatre to strip tease to opera, gender and sexuality are addressed.  Audience members make quick judgments biased on context clues about characters and categorize them instantly.  This gender and sexuality framing is ever-present in our lives and it is directly reflected in our entertainment.

Works Cited

Hanna, Judith Lynne.  “Dance and Sexuality: Many Moves”.  Journal of Sex Research. 

30 Mar. 2010:  1-31.  Web article.  Routledge.  http://corwin.emich.edu/sfx_local/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Dance+and+sexuality%3A+many+moves&rft.jtitle=Journal+of+sex+research&rft.au=Hanna%2C+Judith+Lynne&rft.date=2010-03-01&rft.volume=47&rft.issue=2&rft.spage=212&rft_id=info:pmid/20358462&rft.externalDocID=20358462

Moisala, Pirkko.  “Musical Gender in Performance”.  Woman & Music 1999: 1-30.  Web

article.  University of Nebraska Press.  http://search.proquest.com/docview/223659907


-Written by Michael Herman

Masculinity and punk

It is well known that punk is considered violent, with violent lyrics and riffs, violent dancing and violent passion, there is little that is soft and gentle about punk music. It is also very strongly associated with masculinity. When asked to describe a punk, very few people would describe a woman and probably none would mention the word feminine. As I have mentioned before, even female punkers are expected to behave in many masculine ways. Female singers frequently have to have rough, husky voices to become popular (although certainly not always) and their lyrics make use of masculine attitudes and sometimes genitals.

Though the singer could be talking about her breasts, this is not what is implied later when she refers to her mother telling her "You've got to be polite girl". And this is very insightful. Part of the reason many women shave their hair into a mohawk, dress in torn clothing and wear heavy, smeared makeup is to rebel against the very strict gender expectations this society has. Girls are expected to be polite and do whatever men want. They aren't supposed to spit or growl or tell people to suck their left one, and breaking these expectations can be very satisfying. Breaking these expectations can, in some small way, balance the odds and fight the gender inequality that still exists.

Punk women are still women however, and they often do things to retain their femininity and balance. Some girls dress strictly in lingerie or dress as though they are baby dolls. One woman pulls off a very striking balance between her masculine rage at the way she and other women have been treated and feminine quiet and softness. The contrast between the two seems almost bipolar but it is very fun to listen to and her lyrics are killer commentary and societal expectations of sexually active women.

A cool essay on women in punk can be found here: http://visualvitriol.wordpress.com/women-in-punk-an-essay-punk-aesthetic-uses-to-question-and-reclaim-the-female-gender/

But women aren't the only ones who are expected to be masculine. Men in punk are pictured as almost hyper-masculine: tough, angry, violent and never weak. And this is frequently true, in reputation at least. My personal experience has shown me that there is much more to it than that though. I have found the punk community to be surprisingly supportive when men experience a loss. Men are allowed to dress in women's clothing and hug their friends, sing and dance and kiss each other and no one bats an eye. They're also permitted to show emotion without retaliation in most cases, anger most often, but also love and sadness. This is not often done in public where people other than punks are around but in the actual scene itself it's not unheard of. There are even punk love songs.

And even sillier, a psuedo-satire song that claims to be against the violence often present at shows. This one starts out almost like a campfire sing-along.

By the same band, here is a song that reclaims the word gay, using it as one of it's original meanings. 

So punk may be very masculine at times but there are many instances where this is not the case. Either way, gender norms are frequently challenged, very often with humor. 

More positive songs in Hip Hop

      Over the semester, I have focused on more "negative" views on sex, gender, and/or sexuality in hip-hop music. For this blog, I have focused on the more "positive" views.
      There are many songs that do not just focus on having sex with anyone and everyone. For example, Trey Songz has a new song on the radio called, "Sex Aint Better Than Love". The title alone takes a different view than most of hip-hop. Here are some lyrics to this song...

Sex Ain't Better Than Love
I been outchea in these streets and I done learned that
Sex Ain't Better Than Love
I dun seen it all done done it all so much better when you fall
Sex Ain't Better Than Love
Girl you've been my teacher and I've learned that
Sex Ain't Better Than Love
Sex Ain't, Sex Ain't...Sex Ain't better than love

lyrics from azlyrics.com

     Tupac Shakur also took a more "positive" view on a song. In his song, "Keep Ya Head Up", he talked about how women are being abused, raped and forced to get pregnant, left and abandoned. He says that things will get better and that women should keep their heads up. This song, in a way, gives those women experienceing those things hope for a better future. Here are some lyrics...

And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don't we'll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies, that make the babies
And since a man can't make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up
I know you're fed up ladies, but keep your head up

lyrics from azlyrics.com

By Toni



Gender Stereotypes in Country Music

There is a song that has been around since 2007 that has made every feminist shiver with anger. The song "I'm Still A Guy" by artist Brad Paisley has had enormous success, even hitting #1 on the Billboard "Hot Country Songs" list; but there are some that think it shouldn't be played on any radio station. The lyrics are very straight-forward and hard-hitting, the opening lyrics speak for themselves:

When you see a deer you see Bambi
And I see antlers up on the wall
When you see a lake you think picnic
And I see a large mouth up under that log
You're probably thinking that you're going to change me
In some ways well maybe you might
Scrub me down, dress me up but no matter what
I'm still a guy

When you see a priceless French painting
I see a drunk, naked girl
You think that riding a wild bull sounds crazy
And I'd like to give it a whirl
Well love makes a man do some things he ain't proud of
And in a weak moment I might walk your sissy dog, hold your purse at the mall
But remember, I'm still a guy

Now you see why this song is controversial. I don't intend to sound like I think Brad Paisley is a bad guy, he's just the unfortunate songwriter whose lyrics stuck out the most to me.

Paisley claims that the song is not an attack on women, rather that it's addressing society and how society tries to feminize men. I don't know if I believe that statement or not, but the bottom line is, upon listening to the song I felt offended.

Musical Theatre and Sexuality

Musical Theatre constantly touches upon the idea of sexuality. In this post, I will take you on a "timeline" of musical theatre and how it has explicitly referenced and involved sexuality through its generations.

The first musical ever was called "The Black Crook" (1866).  This show was a book musical (or a musical that has a full story line with songs integrated into the plotline.) One song in particular, "You Naughty, Naughty Men" reflects sexuality and gender roles of the era.

"We've no wish to distress you, we would sooner far caress you,
And when kind we'll say, oh, bless you, oh! you naughty, dear, delightful men."
http://pdmusic.org/1800s/66ynnm.txt

In the 1890's, a new era of musical theatre began. "A Trip to Chinatown" was the first ever musical comedy (featuring songs like "Bowery" and "Push Dem Clouds Away").  Even in the 1890's, sexuality was present in the songs. Here is an except from "Bowery" about the nightlife of New York,

"The Bow'ry, the Bow'ry! They say such things, And they do strange things"

With the arrival of WWI, another generation of musical theatre began. "The Merry Widow" is an operetta centered around the psychological battle of a widow as she finds new love. This piece defines gender stereotypes of the time and reflects feminine sexuality.

Musicals became even more popular in the roaring twenties. A show called "Oklahoma" took the scene. Here the west was represented passionately and comically. "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top" helped to define the conservative sexuality of the time.

With the end of the great depression, an explosion of musicals rocketed around the country. Famous titles like: "Anything Goes" "West Side Story" and "Sweeney Todd" became popular. In "West Side Story", a great deal of emphasis focuses on sexuality.  The central plot revolves around two lovers separated by a family feud and how their hate killed love.

From here, musical theatre was revolutionized by Rodgers and Hammerstien.  Together they wrote, “The King and I”, “South Pacific”, “Carousel” and much more.  These are often still performed in high schools today.  “South Pacific” was particularly radical with it’s musical number “Honey Bun”.  Two characters cross-dressed and danced for a group of military soldiers.

In the 1950’s, musicals dived even deeper into sexuality.  “Gypsy” premiered and expressed the wild spirit of vagabonds and thieves.

With the 1960’s, theatre once again morphed into an even different creation.  Shows like “Hello Dolly”, “Cabaret”, and “Hair” took the scene.  “Hair” represent the hippie movement and it is full of a diversity of sexuality.

In the 1970’s, theatre became even more radical and sexual.  “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Godspell”, and “The Rocky Horror Show” immerged.

Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s theatre began to partner with iconic pop artists of the time to produce upbeat feel good shows like “The Lion King”.  Also in this era, “Rent” began to rock throughout America.  “Rent” expresses a very diverse range of sexualities and passions from bisexuality to homosexuality and everything in between.

This brings us to the modern scene.  Theatre is just as radical today (if not more) than it was in its early years.  Shows like “Spring Awakening”, “The Producers” and “Urinetown” are trying to break convention and draw attention to themselves through controversy.

-Written by Michael Herman

Sex and Violence

Sex and violence are both wildly popular among punks and as they are so popular they are joked about frequently. Punks love violence, from hitting their friends in a mosh pit to calling the people to arms over political injustice, violence is a common component of the punk subculture. Sex is also an integral part of any culture and when you put sex and violence together it's a lovable match. Since punks love to make fun of themselves and everything else, the combination of sex and violence is the butt of a number of jokes and raunchy songs. Despite this, however I haven't been able to find any statistics on actual rates of sexual assault. In my personal experience I think you're more likely to hear offensive language but less likely to actually be assaulted. Since punks use humor to address the problem, they're actually able to talk about it. Every punk I've met has been violently against sexual assault and would most likely hurt someone if they found out they were a perpetrator of assault.
In punk lyrics however, it's a totally different story. Violent sexual imagery is very commonplace, and the more gruesome and horrifying it would be in real life, the funnier it seems to be in songs. These next two songs aren't exactly punk but they fit the idea well. The first is Guns N Roses I used to love her.

 

Here's eight minutes of pure insanity. This one is a little bit disgusting but it's interesting and a good song nonetheless. Here is A little piece of heaven by Avenged Sevenfold.

 

These are some more violent songs without as much obvious humor and notice that the most frequent target is a female love interest. This is Die Die my Darling by the Misfits.

 

The violence is not always toward women, however. There is a frequent trend of sado-masochism present in punk. Here's a local band from Lake County IL, Rule 22.
 

Another great song from them is called "Grab Your Ankles" in which many members of the audience strip down and mosh naked. I'm not going to post the link to this video but it is available. It's a very funny song with explicit and exaggerated lyrics and it's very fun to see live. I'm not sure when the naked moshing started but it is very much a tradition for that song. As the audience has been getting younger and younger, it's rare to hear them play this live anymore so consider it a treat if you ever get to see them play it. In short, punks love sex and violence and view it differently than most.

Domestic Violence Subjects in hip-hop

There have been many hip-hop artists who have been subjects to domestic violence, and not all of them have been recent. A couple happened back in the 80's. A couple artists from the 80's were Madonna and Whitney Houston. Madonna was abused by her ex-lover, Sean Penn. They were married and he plead guilty to a misdemeanor. A year later they were divorced. Madonna stated that during their marriage, Penn had many violent outbursts toward her and others. Another 80's artist was Whitney Houston. Houston had a different story, her lover Bobby Brown was not the one doing the hitting, Houston was. Everybody thought it was Brown hitting Houston, therefore, he was arrested. After his arrest, Houston confessed and the couple was divorced. A couple recent artists are Mariah Carey, and Rihanna. Carey admitted in 2009 that she was a victim of physical and mental abuse. She was abused by her husbad, who in which she married in 1993 and divorced 5 years later, Tommy Motolla. She explained her marriage as being "more than just a marriage, but a business where a person was in control of my whole life." LAst but not least, everyone knows about Rihanna. She was beaten in a car by Chris Brown. Rihanna noticed he was texting an ex and took his phone and went through it. Brown aledgedly beat her badly. It was not only her face, but her whole body. The couple broke up, but they recently decided to get back together.

By Toni

Musical Theatre and Expression

The following article is a critical examination of the relationship between musical performance and expression of gender and sexuality. The article states that gender and sexuality are not the same; but rather both can be examined through the expression of music. Both a brief history of musical expression and an accurate description of modern musical expression are detailed throughout this article.  Ultimately, throughout the piece the author (Moisala, Pirkko) seeks to dissect the complex relationship of gender and sexuality when they are uncoiled by musical performance.


http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?did=625134411&Fmt=2&rqt=309&cfc=1



-Written by Michael Herman

Musical Theatre Book Addressing Gender and Sexuality

If you're fascinated by musical theatre's connection to gender and sexuality, I recently found a book that outlines the details of their rich historic connection...

A Problem Like Maria: Gender and Sexuality in the American Musical (Triangulations: Lesbian/Gay/Queer Theater/Drama/Performance)

(Book description)

Subverting assumptions that American musical theater is steeped in nostalgia, cheap sentiment, misogyny, and homophobia, this book shows how musicals of the 1950s and early 1960s celebrated strong women characters who defied the era's gender expectations. A Problem Like Maria reexamines the roles, careers, and performances of four of musical theater's greatest stars-Mary Martin, Ethel Merman, Julie Andrews, and Barbra Streisand-through a lesbian feminist lens. Focusing on both star persona and performance, Stacy Wolf argues that each of her subjects deftly crafted characters (both on and offstage) whose defiance of the norms of mid-twentieth century femininity had immediate appeal to spectators on the ideological and sexual margins, yet could still play in Peoria.

Chapter by chapter, the book analyzes the stars' best-known and best-loved roles, including Martin as Nellie in South Pacific, Merman as Momma Rose in Gypsy Andrews as Eliza in My Fair Lady and Guinevere in Camelot, and Streisand as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl. The final chapter scrutinizes the Broadway and film versions of The Sound of Music, illuminating its place in the hearts of lesbian spectators and the "delicious queerness" of Andrews's troublesome nun. As the first feminist and lesbian study of the American Broadway musical, A Problem Like Maria is a groundbreaking contribution to feminist studies, queer studies, and American studies and a delight for fans of musical theater.

-Courtesy of A Problem Like Maria: Gender and Sexuality in the American Musical (Triangulations: Lesbian/Gay/Queer Theater/Drama/Performance)



-Written by Michael Herman

The use of "No Homo"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84wHXT2KgWY

Here is a link to a video that demonstrates the use of "No Homo" in hip-hop today. "No Homo" started because guys were not only scared of looking or acting gay, but also sounding gay. It was started by the rapper Cam'ron. Cam'ron wore pink all of the time so he came up with "No Homo" to assure people that he was not gay. It was said that hip-hop discriminates against gay people, and not many rappers realize it. It is all merely based on opinion. Some rappers are starting to realize what they are doing. therefore, some progress is being made. The bottom line is that "No Homo" should not be used.

By Toni

The shock factor

A common element of punk is the idea of challenging previous norms, whether those be gender norms, political norms or behavior and appearance norms. One attempt at challenging these norms is to use shock, either to provoke a reaction and thought or to normalize something that was once considered taboo and because sexuality has many taboos associated with it, it is often used to get a reaction. By being blatantly explicit and wearing fetish wear, women's clothing and makeup, bands challenge the idea that only certain people wear these things. One example that has been making the rounds lately is a picture of Iggy Pop in a dress with the caption "I'm not ashamed to dress like a woman because I don't think it's shameful to be a woman" Found at: http://transcendboundaries.tumblr.com/post/16935258298/three-images-of-iggy-pop-in-a-dress-with-text

Iggy is hardly the first punk to dress like a woman onstage though. The New York Dolls regularly dressed in women's clothing, shoes and makeup and there is a whole genre called glam rock that revolves around dressing with items traditionally associated with women.

 

from  http://www.allstarpics.net/0113366/012143774/the-new-york-dolls-pic.html

Women's clothes aren't the only things used to shock, however. Rammstein, a German metal band known best for their song Du Hast has numerous songs with very explicit content and the performance of their song Buch Dich has gotten them banned from several venues. In this song the singer drags his band-mate around in bondage wear and pantomimes having anal sex with him. He pulls out a false penis that is connected to a pump full of custard and proceeds to douse the audience in "semen". (super explicit)

Still another example is the excessive use of words considered highly offensive. The band Orange put out a song on the Hellcat Record's album Give 'em the Boot 5 that is based entirely around the word cunt. Have a listen if you would:

http://grooveshark.com/s/I+m+A+C+T/2NpUD9?src=5

 The use of this shock technique is so common, in fact that it will likely be an integral part of punk forever. Challenging standards is a punk thing to do and since the vast majority of the public has sex, it's an easy way to shock just about everyone.

Feminism in country

Recently, I discovered country artist Loretta Lynn and was struck my the feminism expressed in her lyrics. Loretta will turn 78 in April, and has quite an extravagant history which may add a background to her feminist lyrics. She was first married when she was only 14 years old to a man 8 years older than herself, in order to escape the coal miner's town and life she was heading down. Her marriage was rocky, her husband had many affairs, and she was a very headstrong woman. Her lyrics reflect a lot of that:

"And don't come home a drinkin' with lovin' on your mind/Just stay out there on the town and see what you can find/Cause if you want that kind of love well you don't need none of mine/So don't come home a drinkin' with lovin' on your mind"-"Don't Come Home A-Drinkin

Loretta also brings out the topic of contraceptives in her song, "The Pill."

"All these years I`ve stayed at home while you had all your fun/And every year that`s gone by another baby's come/There's gonna be some changes made right here on Nursery Hill/This old maternity dress I've got is going in the garbage/The clothes I`m wearing from now on won't take up so much yardage/Miniskirts hotpants and a few little fancy frills/Yeah I`m making up for all those years since I've got the pill."

Now, being written in 1975, this was very, very risky. This song started a whole knew craze for women country stars, proving that you can write about what you think and feel just as men can, without losing popularity or respect.

Loretta was something completely different than what the country music world had know. However, her courage and willingness to sing the truth was a guiding light for future country stars.

3 Musicals Offensive to Feminists

Nine
Set in the 1960's, this musical describes the romances of Guido Contini, a struggling film artist. Throughout the show, nine different women profile themselves as stereotypical trophies to this film maker. Altogether the piece is visually stunning, but morally limiting from a feminist perspective.
Be Italian

Oklahoma
The cliché story of guy going after a girl is the fundamental plotline of this musical. The woman in this piece has no free expression and lives completely in her gender guidelines. This show altogether revolves around the moral idea that woman should obey men.
Oklahoma

Grease
This musical is a typical choice for most high schools across America. However, the storyline explains that if a young woman changes herself for a man, they will fall in love. This show altogether disregards equality among genders.
You're The One That I Want



-Written by Michael Herman

3 Bold Feminist Musicals

Rent
This 1990's rock opera musical embodies the spirit of expressing gender and sexuality. Throughout the show, the audience meets heterosexuals, homosexuals, transvestites, etc. Because of this, one of the major themes throughout the musical is free expression and openness toward gender and sexuality.
La Vie Boheme

Avenue Q
Avenue Q is a contemporary musical about puppets having sex, coming out, and finding their purposes in life. Altogether, the show looks like a bizarre combination between Jeff Dunham and Sesame Street.  But nevertheless, it proudly embraces diversity.
If You Were Gay

The Sound of Music
The first curtain for The Sound of Music was in 1959.  And with it, the world was shocked. In this show, we see a simple postulant disobey a military landowner as she tries to teach his children how to live and love. Never before had nuns ever been so bold.
Sixteen Going on Seventeen



-Written by Michael Herman

Musical Theatre Introduction

            Theatre is a reflection of life.  Acting by definition attempts to convince audiences that characters are alive and ultimately real.  In this way, theatre represents our passions, behaviors, and desires.  This being said, much of our behavior is defined by our genders and sexualities.  The different characters in a show will react to various genders and sexualities in drastically different ways (as we do in society).

            Furthermore, the subject matter of theatre seeks to draw attention through controversy.  Gender and sexuality studies are some of the most controversial subjects to discuss or perform.  In addition, it would be impossible to discuss the concepts and themes behind a theatre performance without touching on gender and sexuality.        

            So…theatre (and especially musical theatre) fundamentally relies on gender and sexuality to hook audiences and replicate life.  Theatre and life reflect each other.  This was wisely summarized hundreds of years ago.  In the wise words of Shakespeare, “All the world’s a stage.”

-Written by Michael Herman

Country music and it's relation to gender and sexuality

Gender and sexuality is shown through the lyrics, dress, and attitude of country music stars. If you think about it, a country music star has to fit a certain criteria, as almost all famous country music stars do. White, rough childhood, tough, and strict. A male singer typically swears, sings about his love that left him broken, and how he vows revenge to anyone that’s wronged him. A female singer speaks much of the same, she sings about love, or the hope for love, and more times than not about getting back at another woman that stole her man. The country music world and the people in it are very set in their ways. Of all the music genres in the world, country music is the least genre willing to adapt to a changing society. You frequently see the tabloid or online gossip sites stating that so-or-so is predicted to come out of the closet, but it doesn’t happen frequently. There have been sparked rumors that Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, and even America’s sweetheart Taylor Swift are gay, though none of these claims has been proven. Some of these stars have even braved the tabloids and have written lyrics depicting life in America where not all are free to marry. Take for example Garth Brooks’ song “We Shall Be Free.” In it, he not so subtlety states his support for freedom of marriage to all people, singing, “Cause we shall be free/ When we’re free to love anyone we choose.” Not to anyone’s surprise, he was later accused of being homosexual, which he denies. What has the music world come to if an artist can’t state what they believe in throughout their songs without media scrutiny. Hopefully in the next few years, this genre that is very set in their ways will adapt and give change a chance.

Kelly Rothe

Intro to Punk

     Hey, this is Sarah and this semester I'm going to be talking about gender and sexuality as it relates to punk, rock, metal, industrial and basically anything that has a guitar. Rock is a many-headed beast and there are probably as many kinds of rock as there are rockers. Because of this, analyzing the relation it has to gender and sexuality is an endless process. I'm going to focus mainly on punk rock because I know it best, but I will occasionally delve into other sub-genres.
     In order to understand gender and sexuality as they relate to punk, it is important to know just what punk is. According to thefreedictionary.com, punk is " A young person, especially a member of a rebellious counterculture group," "an inexperienced young man," and "a youth subculture closely associated with punk rock music in the late 1970s; in part a reaction to the hippy subculture; dress was optional but intended to shock (plastic garbage bags or old school uniforms) and hair was dyed in bright colors (in Mohican haircuts or sometimes spiked in bright plumes)". This last definition fits most closely with how I will be using the term punk when referring to the subculture and "rock music with deliberately offensive lyrics expressing anger and social alienation; in part a reaction against progressive rock," is the definition I will use when referring to the music itself. Interestingly enough, an alternate definition offered of the word punk is "a young male homosexual." Obviously this is not the common usage anymore, but the fact that two separate definitions imply that punks are male is very intriguing. It is well known that the punk subculture is mostly male, and has a close tie with violence, independence and other traditionally masculine elements. Despite this however, there are many female punkers and in my experience the punk culture is very accepting of women, though not necessarily feminine qualities. I'll be discussing this in more detail in the future.
     As punk is meant to question the mainstream and frequently harmful standards of society and rebel against them, lyrics frequently contain shocking, offensive and just plain silly phrases. Sex is treated very casually and often as a joke. In addition, bodily noises, growls and spitting are not uncommon. But enough of my blathering! Here's a link to a classic song by the Dead Kennedys that has these principles. Heads up, there is explicit language in this song, in case it isn't obvious from the title, Too Drunk to Fuck. 

  Until next time,
Sarah

There are different ways that hip hop music expresses gender issues. One main issue is that many guy rappers refer to having sex with women and not having anything more. some of the rap songs are degrading to women. One main example is Lil Wayne, he has a song named "Every Girl in the World". The the point of the song is to f*** every girl in the world. There are other songs that talk about wanting only girls with big a**. Many rap songs today only talk about sex. Again, this is very degrading to women. Another way that gender issues are shown is that there are not many woman rappers. Many woman rappers are seen as being lesbians, which also refers to sexuality issues. Why can't woman rappers just be heterosexual women in people's minds? Woman rappers are discriminated against. Hearing a song by a female rapper is a huge thing compared to songs by men. Why is this?
In today's society I feel as though rappers need to talk about gay guys as being "faggots" and constantly saying "no homo". Those phrases are very degrading. Many male rappers say these things in their songs. When a rapper says these things, people think they are cool lines and they want to repeat them. The horrible phrases are, then, being spread. Throughout this semester, I will be researching different videos, articles, lyrics, etc to express these point in depth.

By Toni

When "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" was released in 1975, it single handedly causes an uproar. Adapted from the British rock musical, this show depicts a transvestite (Tim Curry) and his wild nightlife.  To date, this show is a cult classic that was made famous for its audience participation.



-Written by Michael Herman

Welcome...

The following blog is a conglomeration of various essays, music videos, and clips that relate to music, gender, and sexuality.  We are a network of four bloggers who are dedicated to researching and further exploring how our world connects.  Sarah will focus on punk/rock, Michael will explore musical theatre, Toni will be researching hip hop, and Kelly will cover country music.  Check back every week for a new post.

Please enjoy our ranting and raving!