Too Good To Be True?

THE SUN article link

These 2 girls claim to be promoting the music but all they are really selling is sex.
The provocative nature of the photographs promote the women as being more important
for their physical characteristics rather than for their intellectual and artistic capacities.
If they didn't embody the current aesthetic ideal for women in the modern age, would 'The Sun' be making such a big deal about them? I think not, for the simple fact that
women in most cultures' worth to the majority of men unfortunately seems to be closely
linked with their ability to be objectified sexually.
The nature of this type of hierarchical objectification of women only serves to worsen the status of inequality among the sexes. It reinforces negative stereotypes and distracts from the feminist movement--which is not only having the freedom to take your clothes off, but to be celebrated for it by more people than just men looking to get off.
These ladies are unjustly hijacking the spotlight from hardworking musicians and artists who are truly dedicated to their art and don't have time to bind their naked bodies up in wires to please men.
Lauren Pope and Kellie Acreman's success comes at the expense of reinforcing longstanding stereotypes to both men and women (that are unable to sift through media promotional sludge) that women can only be appreciated for their looks first and foremost, while any other contributions they might make are just surplus.

The question is: "Why are they willing to create such a disconnect between themselves and the celebration of their whole feminine selves just to obtain a bit of fleeting attention from the 'male gaze'?"

see below for an explanation of the male gaze, taken from wikipedia
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaze#The_Male_Gaze_and_Feminist_theory)

In film and photography, the male gaze occurs when the audience is put into the perspective of a heterosexual man. A scene may linger on the curves of a woman's body, for instance. Feminists would argue that such instances are presented in the context closest relating to that of a male, hence its referral to being the Male Gaze.

The theory suggests that male gaze denies women human agency, relegating them to the status of objects, hence, the woman reader and the woman viewer must experience the text's narrative secondarily, by identifying with a man's perspective.

more links to this concept:

http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/2007/08/26/faq-what-is-the-%E2%80%9Cmale-gaze%E2%80%9D/

http://www.ltcconline.net/lukas/gender/pages/gaze.htm

About “Ladies night”: and the word “ Ladies” in the UK/USA

A few days ago, I was very surprised to discover that the word “ladies” had in fact an undermining meaning amongst British Women.
The woman I was talking to told me how much she hates being called “ the ladies”, finding it pejorative.
The term “ladies” had been used in various context where it was not valuing the woman at all.
Men are called men.
Following the women’s liberation movement in the late sixties, the women wished to no longer be refered as ladies or girls but only as women.
I am glad I discovered this subtlety, being French living in the UK. Although I have not a bad command of English, I would have missed on this one, which could have got me into misunderstanding.
You are either a real Lady with a title or a woman, she said.
The other woman approved completely.
Both are British, educated women, around 60 years old.
As we were chatting, I did not immediatly make a link between our conversation and the -Female Pressure-
Now refering to the “Ladies night DJ”, they would probably find it patronising.
This is perhaps a minor point in the ground scheme of this but it would be interesting to know when for the first time the Ladies night appeared in the DJ scene and who designated the event with such name...
Bye for now


PS: I am not a DJ ( even though I recently spinned a few vinyls) but a producer/composer
based in West Sussex, UK
speak later

Reasons women in music and art are often overlooked

Some might say that it's purely a matter of statistics, ie. more men are involved in the making of electronic music than women so it stands that more of them would get exposure. This is a logical point, but what this logic fails to address is the importance of the female contribution to the arts.
Women do experience the world differently from men, and so the music and art they create is highly unique. For most of history, we've seen the world through the eyes of men, and if we are
to be a part of creating a more progressive future, it's imperative that we as a world begin to perceive the importance of woman's expression.
Persistence on the part of the artist and faith in their own vision plays a huge role in the amount of exposure they receive, the dilemma here is that it's historically been crude for women to push their own agenda. If things are going to change though, allowing ourselves to be more aggressive in promoting ourselves is an essential part of making our voices heard.
Many cultures tend to normalize the male figure as being superior by default, and this often times implies that if women are equal or superior then it can be perceived as a direct blow to a significant part of what popular/mainstream culture demands of them. It needs to be understood that the creation and reception of art and music need not be about ego, but about the sharing of human perspective which is much needed in this precarious time of human history.

Venues To Have Our Voices Heard????

Magazines/Publications
-Wire Mag.
-Bitch Mag. sent article idea request today
-Exlr8tr
-BPM

any others???

Books
-write a book about women in the music/tech industries and the challenges they face
and how they can overcome them

What do we hope to gain from the music industry?

-To be considered for an equal amount of booking and artistic exposure as our male counterparts
-To be recognized and appreciated as unique commodities capable of valid artistic contributions
-To be monetarily compensated depending on the quality of our work, and have that number be contractually agreed upon at predetermined time and rate.