Female pt.1

Through my work, I've met and spoken to plenty of women artists and producers, read countless articles about everything from sex toys to hate crimes, looked at nude photographs, seen beautiful art, become angry, felt shocked, and realized that I am a feminist.

Women's issues are now becoming issues, not just some backburner pseudo-story. People are becoming more articulate about what is happening in their own bodies, minds, hometowns and families, in every gender. Which is great. But I still think we need to get talking.

I saw a performance of the Vagina Monologues recently, and I'm reading it for myself now. What's great about it is what it has done: it's gotten people to talk. Women are realizing their potential and power, and men can learn to be less afraid.

It's funny: I was reading this on the plane, and I got quite a few reactions. Granted, the piece has gotten a bit of a reputation and has been parodied as well as celebrated. But it was interesting to see that the word "vagina" still made people uneasy.

In work, seeing women artists in the context of their male counterparts has been eye-opening. I've seen people dismiss playing a female artist or group and use a male one instead. To be fair, there are plenty of non-gender related reasons why this happens. But, I've caught the occassional comment to know my suspicions are somewhat valid. I overheard someone in a music store where I was shopping dismiss a CD because it was "pussy rock". It was Heart.
GRrrrRrrrr.

I didn't think I'd find this kind of perspective in a mainstream music artist, but here she is. Lady GaGa, in all her kitschy glory, said it pretty well:

"You see, if I was a guy. and I was sitting here with a cigarette in my hand, grabbing my crotch, and talking about how I make music because I love fast cars and f**king girls, you'd call me a rockstar. But when I do it in my music and in my videos, because I'm a female, because I make pop music, you're judgemental. You say that it is distracting. I'm just a rockstar."

**she does go on to say that she isn't a feminist because she loves men. I'll forgive her.