How bad is sexism towards women in the music industry?
Image: Danilla Riyadi
“Damn, are women really that sensitive?”
“Are all women like this?”
Those are just two of the countless Instagram direct messages Indonesian singer-songwriter Khole (@nichole_abygail) had received after the launch of her single ‘Blurry,’ a piece that was both vulnerable and personal.
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It’s a difficult pill to swallow. Even in a highly open-minded industry, sexism is something that stands tall and sturdy. The ‘women are dramatic and sensitive’ and ‘women are feeling too much’ narrative Khole received are a few of the gender-biased stereotypes perpetuated by the society.
Another Indonesian musician, Clara Ayu Sheila (@claraayusheila), faces comments regarding her career choice. Translated from Indonesian, she says, “Girls shouldn’t do music, it’s unjust. Performing at night in cafes, etc., it isn’t right.”
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A journal from UNAIR uses Jamrud’s music lyrics to illustrate sexism in lyrics.
Rokmu berayun (Your skirt is flapping)
Naik turun (Up and Down)
Hei salahkah aku (Hey, is it my fault)
Yang jadi mau (For getting aroused)
Karena melihat isi dalam rokmu (After seeing what’s under your skirt)
Hei kenapa kau pun mau (Hey, you want it too)
The lyrics suggest that the girl’s skirt is the reason why the guy is tempted to sleep with her. A woman is often portrayed as the one to blame when rape happens. This phenomenon is known as “victim-blaming.”
Scroll through any female musician’s social media page. You will find comments directed towards their appearance. One comment on Niki Zefanya’s post wrote, “Nice tits.”
Image: Niki Zefanya
With misogyny deeply rooted in the music culture -- as shown in earlier instances, in the way we as a society progresses, it is difficult to omit the scars on our backs. A mix of societal stereotypes and culture contributes to the stigma. The portrayal of the gender roles of women in Indonesia, for example, still revolves around traditional female roles, such as being a housewife or a caretaker.
This eventually evolves into contributing to gender inequality in the workplace and society; an idea suggested by the academic journal from UNAIR. In music, this can be seen by the use of derogatory lyrics when addressing women.
An infamous example is Kanye West’s track ‘Famous,’ which lyrics suggest that a woman is only famous because of sex. This is an excerpt from the song:
For all my Southside niggas that know me best
I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex
Why? I made that bitch famous (God damn)
I made that bitch famous
For all the girls that got dick from Kanye West
If you see 'em in the streets give 'em Kanye's best
Why? They mad they ain't famous (God damn)
They mad they're still nameless (talk that talk, man)
For two weeks, this song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after its release in 2016 despite its misogynistic and considerably derogatory content – one that incited backlash as well as a statement from Taylor Swift herself.
As if the gender-biased criticism wasn’t enough, people also frowned upon Khole’s decision to go independent. People assumed that it was because of her status as a woman, having utterly no choice and unable to actually do things on her own.
On top of that, she has also had people underestimating and belittling her ability in producing and writing music. In the case of the Grammys, this claim might be significant: no woman has ever won the title ‘Producer of the Year (non-classical),’ and only six have ever been nominated for the category in Grammy history.
Considering that the music industry is still a male-dominated industry, it may take a while before the odds are in women’s favour. Breaking the stigma means rewriting the heavily misogynistic culture.
For Clara, she defiantly ignores her critics because she finds that they just don’t understand her creative process, and relentlessly continues to create.
Khole’s answer is just as endearing. Her ultimate goal behind creating music is to help people who are experiencing similar situation as she is, and acting as a reminder that they aren’t the only ones.