Final Exam Essay

Women in rock music have become more and more successful in being accepted as true musicians but they still battle the stereotypes that have been erected by a society controlled by hegemony. In Norma Coates’ article “Revolution Now? Rock and the political potential of gender” Coates argues that women who follow the rules of rock music alter and expose the stereotypes of gender as set by a hegemonistic society. This paper discusses how the typical stereotypes of how women are expected to behave and perform in music set by a hegemonistic culture are a way to contain and stabilize the view of authentic masculinity that is constantly reaffirmed in rock music.

In Coates’ article, she defines the term technology as “the way that power works productively to replicate and multiply itself, in order to explain how gendered social and cultural relations are reiterated and reinforced” (Coates 52). This term does not refer to the modern day meaning of technology, such as computers and cell phones, but rather the theory behind technology and how it works. ‘Technologised machinations of power’ is the theory behind how a company or person can use their power, whether it be money or the support of a majority of people to constantly keep gaining from it. Coates use of the word ‘machinate’ is negatively connotative and implies that the influence of the power in control is corrupt or immoral. Hebdige’s definition for the term hegemony is “a situation in which a provisional alliance of certain social groups can exert ‘total social authority’ over other subordinate groups, not simply by coercion of by the direct imposition of ruling ideas, but by ‘winning and shaping consent so that the power of the dominant class appears both legitimate and natural’” (Hebdige 16). Hebdige’s definition maintains that hegemony is a form of power that is gained by having the support of a majority. By subliminal coercion, hegemonistic societies make the decision or opinion they want the majority of the people to support seem as though it is the right choice. The majority does not necessarily realize that there are other views on the situation or another way for things to be done differently or better. The minority in a hegemonistic society are the subculture who do not agree with the opinions and actions of the hegemony. However, hegemony is not necessarily influencing people on purpose and the less powerful group is sometimes uninformed and does not realize all the options available to them. The term hegemony and technological machinations of power relate quite closely to each other. They are both terms used to define a way that power is used and controlled. Hebdige comments that hegemony can only be maintained as long as the dominant class can “succeed in framing all competing definitions within their range” (Hebdige 16) just as technologised machinations of power can only be maintained as long as there is money and support to help sustain the power.

Sheila Whitely describes the dichotomous terms authenticity and artifice in her article “Authenticity, Truthfulness and Community: Tori Amos, Courtney Love, P.J. Harvey and Bjork”. She describes authenticity as “‘truthfulness’ to personal experience, and community” (Whitely 106) and artifice as “largely governed by the imperatives of commercial success” (Whitely 106). Rock music is usually related to the term authenticity because of its association to masculinity while artifice is usually related to pop music because of its association with pop groups such as the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys who were manufactured to appeal to a certain group in society for profit. Pop is seen as a feminine music genre because it is more lyrical than rock music and is less rhythmic. According to Jill Halstead in her article “Sex, Gender and Music,” music is perceived to reflect gender and sex and since rock music is typically performed and written by men, rock becomes full of masculine traits and is seen as very authentic. The gender schema theory agrees with this statement as gender schemas “construe perception as a construction process in which the interaction between incoming information and an individuals’ preexisting schema determines what is perceived” (Halstead 236). In Western culture, most people are influenced by the media and obtain their opinion of gender identity from the experience they have of their parent’s roles in their life as children. The categories and stereotypes people view of the terms male and female are usually exclusive and opposing and the same is true of the associations they evoke (Halstead 237). Halstead also argues that “‘feminine’ implies weakness, submissiveness, small-scale, whilst ‘masculine’ implies strength, dominance and large-scale” (Halstead 233). In Christina Williams’s article “Does it really matter? Young people and popular music” Williams conducts interviews with students who view the rock band Oasis as authentic because they “are not scared to just say anything to the press” (Williams 231). These students also acknowledge that pop bands try to conform to what “society wants them to be for their children” (Williams 231) and they realize that pop music is “just structured to sell” (Williams, 231). The ability for these children to so easily identify rock music with authenticity and pop music with artifice reveals the deeply ingrained stereotypical views of a society influenced by hegemony.

Coates statement of women destabilizing the category of rock music by transgressing and threatening to expose the artificial gender boundaries erected by a hegemonist culture is quite accurate. Courtney Love is a very popular hardcore, sexualized rock musician surrounded by controversy because of her ability to look feminine while performing, singing, and playing music in a masculine way. Love dresses in very feminine outfits that are usually skimpy and sexy and wears a lot of makeup while rasping the lyrics to her songs in a loud, masculine voice characteristic of rock. Love flaunts her sexuality and femininity on stage and in music videos, threatening to expose the artificial boundaries erected by hegemony while still performing as elaborately as any male rock band would. Whitely also comments on Love’s music and that its success “was due largely to Love’s credibility as a rock singer… the lyrics [and] the rough and often messy sound of the guitar” (Whitely 208). Love balances her masculinity while still being able to come across as sexual and feminine in distinctive ways making her rock music controversial as it does not conform to society’s typical view of gender stereotypes in rock music. This agrees with Angela McRobbie and Simon Frith’s comment that “rock ‘n’ roll’s subsequent corruption and ‘emasculation’ are understood as a straightforward effect of the rock business’s attempt to control its market” (McRobbie and Frith 69). While belonging to the category of rock music, Love is also challenging the stereotypical ideas of what rock music is.

Gayle Wald discusses Riot Grrls, an feminist underground punk rock music movement in the mid 1990’s who were against the hegemony of the music industry in her article “Just a Girl? Rock Music, Feminism and the Cultural Construction of Female Youth.” Riot Grrls were a subculture that tried to change the stereotypical view of rock music and its preconceived notions of being masculine. Riot Grrrls played their own instruments, advertised on their own, and helped other feminist rock bands through a network of communities. Wald comments that “the ‘girlishness’ so conspicuously on display among these contemporary women rockers… conveys various assumptions about (white) women’s visibility… signposting the incorporation – indeed, the commercial preeminence – of iconic, postmodern modes of gender performance” (Wald 588). The Riot Grrls wanted to be powerful females and accomplish everything themselves. By acting this way they tried to transcend the boundary of rock music being masculine and authentic and they tried to show that it was an artificial boundary. They tried to help girls find their own way in rock music while feeling comfortable playing and listening to it.

Although attempts at changing the stereotypical view of women in music have not been extremely successful, women in rock have had some influence on how society perceives rock music. The stereotypical facets of gender in rock music are so ingrained in Western society and culture that it is just accepted without actively thinking and questioning what is being given to society through the media and government. People need to start questioning why stereotypes are so limiting to females and actively try to change the influencing aspects of hegemony in society. Thankfully, there are women in music such as Courtney Love and the Riot Grrls movement that have been working to make the general public more aware of these gender issues.