Rock magazines and websites have a flair for deep-seated yet subtle misogyny, and it is all too evident with their competitions and awards. While the representation of female musicians is already few and far between in rock media, despite their obvious presence, any representation they get is usually targeted toward their looks.
We see it all the time: "Hottest Women in Rock," "Hottest Women in Metal," top fives and tens, you get the drift. The focus isn't on their music, their message, their talent or their achievements; it's on their look. By no means does that look fall into the realm of aesthetic, either. These people making these lists are going by one standard: male-centered beauty standards. In other words, these women are ranked in heteronormative order of how attractive men think they are.
For obvious reasons, this is a problem. This language is troubling and the lack of respect is worse. And yes, while there are competitions for the hottest guy in rock, they do not lack representation in general award shows and are featured in other competitions. The sad thing about the idea of ranking women in terms of how hot they are is that it is sometimes their only shot at getting some sort of recognition.
This is just another reinforcement that women are socialized to compete with each other. It is already difficult enough for women to overcome barriers in rock — as the genre is already gendered masculine and loaded with sexualized violence. The idea that women are forced into competition with one another is not a false one. What's worse is that these "competitions" and "lists" also uphold beauty standards and reinforce the idea that only looks matter. Despite everything that all of the women featured have achieved and despite all of their talent, in the end, it's their bodies and faces that set them apart?
It is disgusting.
It also removes women completely from a scale of equity in the genre. It says, yes, you can achieve just as much as your male counterparts, but you still are not on their level. You cannot match them.
These contests need to end. I am all for best female-fronted bands and awards otherwise, because that is an accurate way to represent and honor women who have surpassed obstacles, but we need to eliminate the idea that we can only compare women to women in rock. This is about music. This is about talent. This is not about gender.
We need to see more women featured in "bassist of the year" or "song of the year." We need to stop acting like the only important thing about women in rock is their looks.
