TW: Discussion of sexual harassment and sexual assault
It seems like every month, another band member in the alternative scene is accused of some terrible act: whether its sexual assault, acting inappropriately with fans, throwing mic stands into crowds, the list goes on.
“Rock star syndrome” has long been used to describe the manner in which some celebrities (not just musicians) become so absorbed in their own fame that they lose touch with reality. My post on Panic! At The Disco briefly mentioned how Brendon Urie seems to have been suffering from this for a long time.
But why are there so many issues happening in the alternative music scene, especially when it comes to how male musicians treat women and fans?
The short answer is misogyny in the industry. The long answer requires a little more nuance.
How did we get here?
Women have long been a part of the alternative music scene, but despite the roles women have played, they have often received less respect, notoriety, and fame when compared to the men they work alongside.
Women in punk have specifically been blazing trails in the music industry for decades. Names like Joan Jett and Kathleen Hanna come to mind, and countless others have contributed to making the alternative music scene the space that it is today.
Still, despite the work of these women, punk music wasn’t created in a vacuum, and the misogyny of the 60s and 70s influenced the beginnings of the genre.
That’s not to say older genres are misogynistic inherently because they were created in a time where women were treated poorly. Rather, these genres have been reflecting the ideals of its participants for decades.
This in mind, shouldn’t this mean that things are better nowadays because things are better for women? Apparently not.
We circle back to the issue of men suffering from rock-star syndrome. And yes, it is mostly men.
Despite there being countless acts in the alternative music scene that feature women, the majority of the most famous acts are mostly or entirely made up of men. These famous acts have been showered with praise and fame, with the rise of stan culture also allowing many stars to behave poorly without suffering as many consequences from fans.
Therefore, men have been able to write misogynistic lyrics like its still the 80s without getting much flack for it, despite decades worth of progress being made for women’s rights and feminism.
What does misogyny look like in the alt scene?
I need a girl that I can train – “Dumpweed” by blink-182
Girls don’t like boys, girls like cars and money – “Girls & Boys” by Good Charlotte
And of course, one of the most famous
Once a whore, you’re nothing more. I’m sorry that’ll never change – “Misery Business” by Paramore
These are just some of the most blatant examples of misogynistic lyrics in the scene, and doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the issue. But of these bands, which of them got a bunch of flack for the lyrics, to the point where they stopped playing the song?
It’s Paramore. The only band of the above three that features a woman.
As I was researching for this post, I was disappointed reading the other hosts of examples of lyrics that contained misogynistic undertones, many of which came from bands I love and lyricists I’ve idolized for years.
The culture of misogyny is so deeply engrained in our scene that we’ve even found ways to vilify women in the scene for participating, while men are largely able to scrape by on the claims that “it was a different time” when their lyrics were written.
Hayley William’s experiences with Misery Business aren’t the only example of the scene turning on its women. Many fans who are women have also spoken out, saying they feel like “bad feminists” for listening to the music and bands they grew up loving after realizing how misogynistic and gross the lyrics are.
But why is it women’s responsibility to clear their playlists out of every artist who’s ever been hateful to women, either through their words or actions? Why isn’t more pressure being put on these bands to write better music that doesn’t victimize women?
How do we fix it?
Nowadays, social media has been instrumental in making sure that some of these bands are finally being called out for their behavior and lyrics, and this is incredibly important to the fight against misogyny in the scene.
Social media has helped spread the stories of women who have been mistreated by band members as well as giving these women a support network of other fans to back them up when things inevitably get difficult post-accusation.
Sites like Genius also offer insight into the meaning of lyrics that fans might otherwise miss.
Spreading the word is, of course, important, but in our capitalist society, words only go so far.
So what else can you do to send a message to these bands that their behavior is unacceptable?
Make their pockets hurt.
One of the biggest revenue streams for musicians in today’s industry is merchandise, so stop buying these bands’ merch. Easy, right?
Unfortunately, most of these methods involve fans, including the women who these bands have hurt, putting in extra work and giving up the music they love.
Still, something has to be done to combat this, or the next generation of alternative music fans will face the same problems we do today.
Showing these “rock stars” that they are not untouchable is essential, even if it means giving up what little we as fans have to give up some of the little joys we have in our average lives.
The road ahead of us is long and painful, but for the sake of the music we love so much, this journey is worth the effort.