The metal scene is no longer one for just guys. Before, you could go to any show and count the number of females on one hand. Those times are long gone and with the rise of talented female musicians, so is the number of female fans who have more of a reason to attend shows and listen to the music. With females becoming more and more prominent within the metal community, it’s time we start treating them with the respect they deserve.
With bands like Arch Enemy, Otep, The Agonist, Lacuna Coil, and of course, Kittie, (whose former bassist, Ivy Jenkins, made the comment which incited this post) being such an important part of the metal genre, there should be no question of whether or not females have a place in the metal community.
Ivy Jenkins (bassist of Speedgod, formerly of Kittie) made this comment via her Facebook page:
“I’m one of those girls that says things like.. “we don’t need to fight for equal rights anymore” … because for the most part, it’s fairly abundant these days… But it does annoy the crap out of me that after 16 years of performing with metal bands, I still get the “oh, are you the girlfriend?”
At least half of the shows we play, I get questioned and sometimes even argued with and/or detained at the door at times. There could be ten dudes standing around with gear, and security just hands them all wristbands without uttering a single word… i stick out my hand as they have already ignored me three times and say “me too please” … and I’m met with a “are you a girlfriend?” Or “are you the merch girl” or “oh.. Are you playing tonight, these are for band members only!”
I know the stereotypes exist for a reason, but these days there are tons of ladies entering the metal musician realm and I don’t think we should be patronized while random dudes who often are just friends of the bands get handed wristbands because they happen to be standing next to gear. cmon….
To my male companions who always make comments about how they wish more chicks were into metal, guitar, drums, “the scene”, etc… Stand up for the girls that ARE into it, treat them like you would any dude that is at a metal show, and perhaps more females will feel accepted and be more inclined to stick around in the scene.”
I couldn’t agree with Ivy more. There are plenty of female musicians who would destroy their male counterparts, but they aren’t taken as seriously just because they pee sitting down. Females should be treated with respect. If they’re talented, then that’s all that should matter. There’s nothing more irritating than seeing a mediocre female guitarist getting tons of praise because she shows a little cleavage while an extremely talented guitarist might be ignored just because she’s not a model. The metal community should focus on one thing: the music. Everything else is secondary.
