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Gender and the House Music Scene
Here's a little write up my friend georgiana wrote on her facebook and thought id share it here.
"For those of you who know me well, know that I am a feminist. For those of you that don’t, well now you know. Before you read any further, please realize that all of the things that the media and popular culture has told you about feminism are FALSE. The stereotypes, the malicious name-calling, all the hatred that the (religious) right could muster up about feminists, is all garbage. Feminism (in short) means striving for the equality of the two sexes (it even acts as an umbrella for justice for all, gay, bi, transgender etc). Feminism is not lesbian, unshaven women who hate men! (though there are lesbians who are feminists  It is not an ideology meant to condemn men for injustices that happened in the past. It is simply the wish to make women and men equal. In North America… and all over the world!
Before I recount some of my experiences in the house music scene, I would like to point out a few aspects that feminism deals with. This will help you understand this post. In North America especially, men and women are social and gender constructs. This means that men and women ascribe to different ways of living, different styles, different terminology, even different ways of dealing with things. The social constructs are just that: social constructs! The differences between men and women (except for physical differences) are all SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED. Meaning our society decides for us what is “feminine” and what is “masculine.” Our media is a huge part of perpetuating these STRICT gender constructs. I’ll give you a few examples.
These constructs start at an early age: pink toys for girls, blue toys for boys; dolls and baking sets for girls, trucks and tools for boys*. Our society is constantly telling little girls and boys what is appropriate behavior (boys don't BIOLOGICALLY like blue and girls don't BIOLOGICALLY like pink!) Through toys, shows, parenting books, magazines, we are constantly telling children how to act (nice and “lady-like” for girls, adventurous and aggressive for boys). Even in adulthood, we tell women that they must be skinny, they must “please your man in 10 ways!” while men are told how to succeed, how to get promoted, and “how to get her in bed faster!” Overwhelmingly, research points out that these gender constructs are destructive. When we fail to fit neatly into our gender box (check: male or female), society punishes us. When a man acts feminine, he is called gay, or a ****** (which is seen as weak? like a woman? hmmm.. see my point?) You have no idea how many of my friends believe themselves to be progressive yet still use such derogatory terms when putting each other down. When women have athletic bodies, they are somehow seen as less attractive. Or when women wear their hair short, and appear more “masculine,” society calls them “butch.”
We are constantly working within these gender constructs. When we go out, when we hang out with our friends, the language we use molds our culture. Some of us (feminists and like-minded people) try to break the gender molds society has locked upon us. We are worthy whether we are straight, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, white, black, latino, asian, skinny, fat, male, or female. Or all of those combined! (hmm that would be an interesting person
Now, keeping ALL of that in mind (did you learn something new?) I would like to recount some of my experiences. In the past year and a half that I have been in the house music scene, I have attended many great events and met so many incredible, wonderful people (and listened to some great music while I was at it!) In the house music scene, the MUSIC is all that it’s about. I have been to numerous concerts, rock music, metal, experimental, alternative (I had an emo stage :P), chill music I guess you could call it (O.A.R and the like), and of course bars where they play top 40 (over and over and over and over and over again.. bleeeh) yet I have not experienced the kind of atmosphere that I encountered at electronic music events. The scene is UNPARALLELD! I will explain why...
Top 40 bars and the like (where alcohol pours like water) for me, have a tension that I have not come across at electronic music events. I feel like I am constantly objectified, I am constantly judged, constantly GLADRED at by (even some 50 year old) men who attempt to buy me drinks in hopes of “hooking up.” Basically, every time I step into one of those places (even dressed modestly!) I am hounded and I am sure most women my age experience this. Even women are hostile to each other in bars. On the other hand, when I step into an electronic music bar/club/festival/event of ANY KIND, I feel.. at home. Not once have I been bothered and started at like a piece of meat. Not once have I experienced any kind of discomfort, trying to get out of conversations with uninteresting people, yelling at me “ONE MORE DRINK!” (I can see Dane Cook saying that). Not once, have I thought to myself “Wow get me outta here, I can’t believe people have fun in this place.” Top 40 bars don’t facilitate the kind of bonding, the kind of (MUSIC! HA!) community (kind of cheesy) type feeling I get at house music events. Period.
When I walk into a house music bar/club or event of any kind, I instantly make friends. This has never failed me, not even once. I instantly feel the energy coming from every single person stomping their feet to the same beat. I instantly connect with people all of backgrounds, of all ethnicities, and of all sexual orientations. At a house music event, the fact that I am a female does not even matter. There are NO SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS. There is no way you “should” behave, all those silly social expectations fly out of the window. I don’t feel objectified. House music.. is not sexist (unlike lil wayne or T payne or whatever).
Maybe this is only my experience, and maybe other women have felt differently in different situations. This has been my experience and it has been unlike any other. The contrast of the people, the music, the ATMOSPHERE between electronic music events and ALL other events is like night and day. Whether I am at an electronic music event in Detroit, Windsor, Toronto, Miami or even New York, the music is ALL THAT MATTERS (and of course friends
I remember the time I came upon this realization. I was at Dance to the Boat in Toronto this past August. One of my favorite DJ groups, YM were on the decks spinning Sis – Standing, and I remember looking around thinking “This boat can’t dock, this is one of the best parties of my life!” I swear the boat was rocking to the beat! (or maybe it was all in my mind ;P) I felt the exact same way at Ultra Music Festival in Miami last March, surrounded by thousands of people all enjoying each other’s company, all enjoying the beat. It didn’t matter if you were male, female, white, black, purple, or even alien. I felt this community-type feeling at DEMF this past May downtown Detroit. And the place I felt it most at…… was Comfort Zone. Who would believe me if I told them I felt in my element and completely comfortable at Comfort Zone! The atmosphere… is unparalleled to any other music/social event I have ever attended."
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"Silly Clubbers, Docks are for Boats"
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