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    Music and Arts in Action | Volume 3 | Issue 1

    Women Rockers and the Strategies of a Minority Position

    ADELE KEALA FOURNE

    Department of Music | New College of Florida | USA*

    ABSTRACT

     his artic!e is a disti!!ation of an ethnogra"hy cond#cted in the fa!! of $%%& of

    fema!e rock instr#menta!ists "erforming in 'ands in the am"a( F!orida 'ay area)

     he st#dy !ooked into *hy there are com"arati+e!y +ery fe* fema!e rock

    instr#menta!ists ,fi+e "ercent of the tota! n#m'er of instr#menta!ists "!aying in

    'ands in the am"a area-( *hat socia! "rocesses need to 'e in "!ace for a *oman

    to get in+o!+ed in a rock 'and( and *hat #ni.#e socia! cha!!enges *omen face as

    instr#menta!ists in a ma!e/dominated fie!d) he ethnogra"hy em"!oys Pierre

    0o#rdie#1s *ork on fie!ds of c#!t#ra! "rod#ction( s"ecifica!!y his ideas of em'odied

    c#!t#ra! ca"ita! and habitus( to demonstrate that *omen are a'sent from rock

    'eca#se they !ack the #ni.#e c#!t#ra! ca"ita! necessary to "artici"ate in rock

    'ands( and( f#rthermore( to e2"!ore *hat e2traordinary socia! circ#mstances needto 'e in "!ace for *omen to acc#m#!ate this c#!t#ra! ca"ita!) S"ecifica!!y( in this

    artic!e 3 inter"ret 0o#rdie#1s theory to em"hasi4e the im"ortance of agency in his

    conce"t of ha'it#s( and to sho* ho* *omen rock instr#menta!ists( once they

    manage to 'ecome in+o!+ed in 'ands( de+e!o" strategies to make the most of their

    minority "osition in a high!y ma!e/dominated fie!d) Women instr#menta!ists in the

     am"a( F!orida rock m#sic scene de+e!o" "artic#!ar strategies to co"e *ith( e2"!oit

    and transform their disad+antaged "osition as *omen in a fie!d *here ha+ing a

    ma!e 'ody is a dominant form of em'odied c#!t#ra! ca"ita!)

    56&%% 0ay Shore Road( Sarasota( FL 78$87( USA

    © M#sic and Arts in Action9Ade!e Kea!a Fo#rnet $%:% ; 3SSN< :=68/=:%6 ; Page $%http://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/womenrockers

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    Music and Arts in Action | Volume 3 | Issue 1

    INTRODUCTION

    Over the past four ears ! have "een plaing in roc# "ands in the $ampa% Florida areaas a songwriter% #e"oard plaer% and vocalist& Although $ampa is not #nown withinthe United States as having the largest or most progressive roc# scene in the countr%it does have hundreds of "ands% do'ens of venues and represents a variet of roc#genres including metal% indie% "lues% pun#% pop(roc# and man com"inations and

     variations of these categories& )laing in a roc# "and has "een crucial to mevolution as a musician and composer% so ! find it trou"ling that ! rarel see otherfemale instrumentalists colla"orating in "ands& !n $ampa% approimatel five percentof musicians plaing instruments in roc# "ands are women% and onl ten percent of"ands have one or more female musician in them +Fournet% ,--./&

     $his article is a distillation of a longer ethnograph ! conducted in the fall of ,--0on women plaing in the $ampa roc# music scene% which addressed the following1uestions& First% wh are there comparativel fewer female instrumentalists in roc#"ands2 Second% how is it that some women enter into roc# "ands as instrumentalistsdespite the statistical odds against them2 $hird% what are the social implications ofthis minorit status on the careers and lives of the women who "ecome roc#musicians2 !n conducting this research ! assumed the answers to these 1uestions

     would "e entirel social in nature given m "elief that men and women are e1uallmusicall capa"le& !n this article ! will focus on m findings concerning the lastresearch 1uestion& More specificall% ! argue that women% despite the numerouso"stacles and challenges the face in their field% create strategies to ma#e the most oftheir minorit position& )erhaps most remar#a"l ! have uncovered how "eing femalein the male dominated field of roc# music production can "ecome an advantageousform of em"odied cultural capital unavaila"le to male musicians&

    SITUATING M STUD

    National )u"lic 3adio 4ust released the unedited responses to a surve that as#edseven hundred American female musicians a"out their eperiences as women in afield dominated " men& Although the answers var somewhat% for the most part the

     women relate facing significant struggles& $he share everthing from the difficultiesof touring with children% "eing treated as technicall incompetent " sound crews% tofeeling immense pressure to "e oung and seuall attractive as performers& 5i#e thisN)3 surve% almost all of the academic studies on women in roc# music focus onthe social constraints that prevent women from 4oining "ands in the first place% or

    highlight the o"stacles the face once the are involved in "ands&

    !n Mavis 6aton7s Frock Rock: Women Playing Popular Music  8 a sociological stud of women in contemporar popular music in the U9 from the :.;-s to the :..-s 8the author argues the dearth of women plaing in "ands can "e attri"uted to anum"er of material and ideological constraints placed eclusivel on oung womenin 6ritish societ% including lac#ing disposa"le income and access to pu"lic space andgendered epectations concerning appropriate activities and careers +6aton% :..0/&Mar Ann Clawson% in her stud of female roc# musicians at the :..: 3um"le MusicFestival outside of 6oston% demonstrates that women lac# access to the roc# "and asa social institution "ecause of the earl gender

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    Music and Arts in Action | Volume 3 | Issue 1

    !n an ethnograph of the local roc# music scene in 5iverpool% @ngland% Sara Cohenargues that women do not participate in the roc# scene "ecause "and practices andperformances tpicall occur in seed7 parts of town where women are less li#el to

     venture>

     $he scene is concentrated around and "ehind the main cit centre thoroughfares& $hese are areas that man% particularl women% might feel uncomforta"le venturinginto at night% and large areas of the cit centre tend to "e 1uite deserted on mostnights of the wee#% despite recent efforts to animate the center to attract people&+Cohen% :..;> ,-/

    !n this case% the perceived threat women eperience late at night in desolate parts oftown as a product of their gender functions as a larger social phenomenon thatprevents women7s involvement in roc# "ands more specificall& !n these studies theauthors focus on the material and ideological constraints placed on women in 6ritishand American societ that significantl limit women7s initial participation in roc#"ands&

     $here are other studies that focus on the o"stacles women face once the areinvolved in "ands& Broce and Cooper +:..-/ demonstrate the seual harassment%une1ual pa% and lac# of musical appreciation local

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    Music and Arts in Action | Volume 3 | Issue 1

    advantages within the environment of social relationships in which that form ofasset is recogni'ed and given privilege +6ourdieu% :.0?> ?/& $here are a num"er ofassets that can function as cultural capital in such an environment% including materialo"4ects +o"4ectified7 cultural capital/% connections to other individuals +properlla"eled social7 capital/% and institutional affiliations and titles +institutionali'ed7

    cultural capital/& 6ut most importantl for m purposes here% cultural capital can "ethe emploment of em"odied s#ill and special #nowledge that is accumulatedthrough ears of eposure and activit in a particular field of cultural activit+em"odied7 cultural capital/ +6ourdieu% :.0?> ;/&

    !n particular% in the $ampa% F5 roc# music scene% there are three forms of em"odiedcultural capital re1uired for participation as a musicianG these forms reflect the tpesof em"odied cultural capital at pla in roc# music production worldwide& $he first isthe s#ill and #nowledge of how to pla roc# music in a "and% which differs greatlfrom #nowing how to pla% for eample% classical music in an orchestra& $o pla in aroc# "and% an instrumentalist must "e a"le to learn and compose in a group setting%

    isolate and learn parts " ear " listening to recordings% and "e familiar with a largecanon of roc# "ands and genres and "e a"le to appl this canonical #nowledge in themoment of plaing& $he second is the #nowledge of preparing for and plaing a gigat a roc# music venue& $he third is the #nowledge of how to promote the "and andits music using contemporar forms of technolog and communication& !n m largerstud ! demonstrate that there are significantl fewer women participating in roc#"ands in the $ampa area "ecause the lac# these forms of em"odied cultural capital%and that in order to get involved these women must "ecome eposed to a num"er ofidentifia"le social processes that allow them to gain this #nowledge& For eample%the often come from musical families% have musical fathers or "rothers% or "ecomeinvolved in formal music institutions li#e 4a'' groups and orchestras that are hotspots

    for meeting other musicians on more or less e1ual musical grounds +for eample%sharing the same musical s#ill and #nowledge of "eing a"le to read notated music/+Fournet% ,--.> ./&

    One significant reason wh women lac# the em"odied cultural capital that wouldallow them to pla instruments in "ands is "ecause the also lac# the ha"itus that

     would incline them to see roc# as an attractive pursuit in the first place& 6ourdieudefines ha"itus as a Hsociall constituted cognitive capacitI that individualsaccumulate as a product of their eperience in a particular social position% which isdetermined " factors including famil "ac#ground% gender% age% economic class%education% and status within different su"cultures +6ourdieu% :.0?> ?/& As ! see it%

    ha"itus is em"odied cultural capital "efore it is epressed in the contet of theappropriate social universe&: For eample% ha"itus would "e the latent capacit to plaroc# guitar% whereas em"odied cultural capital would "e the application of thiscapacit in a 4am session or "and practice with a group of fellow roc# musicians& !t isimportant to note that ha"itus not onl allows individuals to effortlessl participate intheir ha"itual social fields " providing the #nowledge of rituals and activities theneed to perform% it also determines what fields the will pursue in the future& For6ourdieu% to enter a particular field of cultural production one must possess theha"itus which predisposes one to enter that field and not another +6ourdieu% :..J>

    : he difference 'et*een ha'it#s and em'odied c#!t#ra! ca"ita! in 0o#rdie#1s theory is admitted!y #nc!ear) here areinstances in *hich he #ses the terms interchangea'!y( for e2am"!e< >his em'odied ca"ita!( e2terna! *ea!th con+erted

    into an integra! "art of the "erson( into a ha'it#s( cannot 'e transmitted instantaneo#s!y ,#n!ike money( "ro"ertyrights( or e+en tit!es of no'i!ity- 'y gift or 'e.#est( "#rchase or e2change? ,0o#rdie#( :@&< 8&-) hen there are others in*hich the terms ha+e different theoretica! meanings and im"!ications) 3n this "a"er 3 choose to #se 'oth terms( for0o#rdie# "ro+ides e!a'orations of ha'it#s that take it 'eyond the conce"t of em'odied c#!t#ra! ca"ita! that are #sef#!for my "#r"oses in this st#dy)

    © M#sic and Arts in Action9Ade!e Kea!a Fo#rnet $%:% ; 3SSN< :=68/=:%6 ; Page $7http://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/womenrockers

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    Music and Arts in Action | Volume 3 | Issue 1

    0/& !nsofar as gender is a primar determinant of social position% women and menaccumulate different ha"itus% which in turn predispose them to see different fields asattractive possi"ilities& !n his article H$owards a Field $heor of Class% Bender% and3ace%I Meisenhelder +,---/ argues that male children% "ecause the identif with theirfathers7 "odies% identif with the male position and accumulate the male ha"itus%

     whereas " contrast female children accumulate the female ha"itus& Meisenhelderdescri"es this phenomenon when he writes>

     $he ha"itus is a gendered structure that informs how actors perceive self and othersand how the act within social fields& Actors inha"it their "odies as gendered "odiesand enact strategies and practices within the social fields the encounter according tothe possi"ilities allowed " gendered understandings of themselves and others&Bender field di :%Coates% :..;> ,/& $here were man instances in m stud in which women woulddescri"e seeing their "rother7s guitars and drum sets sitting unused in the house whenthe were teenagers% "ut would never pla them "ecause on some level theconsidered plaing roc# music something girls 4ust did not do& @mil% the guitarist forthe $ampa pop(roc# "and Super Secret 6est Friends% recalls her "rother7s :.;:telecaster guitar> H!t never dawned on me> Ee ! might actuall "e a"le to pla thisinstrument7 ! never even touched itI +Fournet ,--.> :0/&

    Since the gender of a woman7s "od determines in man instances what em"odiedcultural capital she will accumulate throughout the course of her life% it logicallfollows that the gender of an individual7s "od continues to "e a significant varia"lein the epression of this em"odied cultural capital& !n m stud ! concluded that"eing a man% specificall having a male "od% emerges as a fourth form of em"odiedcultural capital within roc# that serves as a signifier of competence& !t is a #ind ofshorthand that indicates that the individual% until he proves otherwise% possesses the

    s#ills and #nowledge mentioned a"ove needed to "e successful in the field& 6eing a woman% specificall having a female "od% " contrast% serves as shorthand forincompetence 8 for lac#ing special #nowledge 8 and women% even after the provetheir competence in other was% have to suffer the conse1uences of their lac# ofmaleness& $his lac# of maleness as em"odied cultural capital limits women7s presenceand power% at least initiall% within the field and causes them to suffer a num"er ofo"stacles% such as "eing seuall o"4ectified% ignored% or treated as musicallincompetent +Fournet% ,--.> J/& !n short% what ! noticed is that the gendered "odone possesses functions as a form of positive or negative em"odied cultural capital"ecause it serves as an indicator of the possession of special s#ills and #nowledge% inthe case of having a male "od% or a lac# of s#ills and #nowledge% in the case of

    having a female "od& 5ater ! will demonstrate how having a female "od getsreconfigured as a positive form of em"odied cultural capital as women use theirminorit status to their advantage&

    © M#sic and Arts in Action9Ade!e Kea!a Fo#rnet $%:% ; 3SSN< :=68/=:%6 ; Page $8http://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/womenrockers

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    Music and Arts in Action | Volume 3 | Issue 1

    6 appling 6ourdieu7s theor% the collective activit of ma#ing roc# music emergesas a distinct field of cultural production% with uni1ue forms of em"odied culturalcapital and an historical affiliation with male activit that prohi"its or significantlconstrains female participation& =hat is most attractive a"out using 6ourdieu7stheor to frame the issue and understand the causes and ramifications of women7s

    minorit status in roc#% and what is most relevant to the data in this article% is that itdoes not stop with an eplication of social constraints& For 6ourdieu% actors arelimited " their cultural capital and ha"itus% "ut as agents can still unconsciousl andconsciousl create new products that fulfill the epectations of a given socialenvironment "ut which are nevertheless novel +6ourdieu% :.0-> /&

     $o understand eactl how 6ourdieu ma#es room for the idea of agenc in his socialtheor it is important to eamine more carefull his concept of ha"itus& For6ourdieu% not onl is ha"itus formed " eposure over time to eternal socialrelations% these eternal social relations are in turn constantl recreated " ha"itus&6ourdieu eplains this phenomenon " descri"ing the ha"itus as structured

    structures that in turn structure social realit +6ourdieu% :.0-> J/& For withoutagents with the appropriate accumulated dispositions% social fields would "econstantl changing and chaotic& At the same time% the interaction "etween ha"itusand eternal social realit is more than 4ust a feed"ac# loop% for this would get uslittle "eond a determinist social theor% which 6ourdieu is eager to avoid "ecause hethin#s that it precludes the empiricall o"serva"le fact of gradual social change+6ourdieu% :.0-/& !f this were the case% the ha"itus would simpl "e an internali'edform of social structure% and there would "e no agenc or uni1ue su"4ectiveeperience& 3ather% 6ourdieu holds that agents ma create new products 8 thoughts%perceptions% epressions% and actions 8 that compl with the dominant forms ofem"odied cultural capital and% with repetition% can slowl transform this

    environment& 6ourdieu descri"es in The Logic of Practice   the simultaneous freedomand constraint that ha"itus gives us>

    6ecause the ha"itus is an infinite capacit for generating products 8 thoughts%perceptions% epressions% and actions 8 whose limits are set " the historicall andsociall situated conditions of its production% the conditioned and conditionalfreedom it provides is as remote from creation of unpredicta"le novelt as it is fromsimple mechanical reproduction of the original conditioning& +6ourdieu% :.0-> /

    Ea"itus allows the individual to effortlessl understand% act in% and recreate thepractices and "eliefs of her particular social position% insofar as it is an internalmanifestation of this position& !n doing so% it creates social sta"ilit& Eowever% at the

    same time ha"itus affords a concept of the agent who has a certain amount offreedom in how  she understands% acts% and recreates these practices&

     =hat ! will investigate in this article are the was in which women instrumentalists inthe $ampa roc# music scene epress their agenc " generating thoughts%perceptions% and actions% which respond to the centralit of maleness as em"odiedcultural capital in their field% "ut which nevertheless allow them to cope  with% exploit %and in some cases transform  their social position as minorities& ! call these variousepressions of agenc the strategies of a minorit position& $his shifts the discourseawa from discussions of the was in which women in roc# are constrained andcurtailed in their possi"le actions to a discussion of how the are using their power

    as agents to navigate a challenging social environment& At the end of the article ! willrevisit the 1uestion of social change% which 6ourdieu considers to "e the product ofthese su"tle epressions of agenc% and as# whether or not these strategies seem to

    © M#sic and Arts in Action9Ade!e Kea!a Fo#rnet $%:% ; 3SSN< :=68/=:%6 ; Page $6http://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/womenrockers

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    Music and Arts in Action | Volume 3 | Issue 1

    "e changing the structural landscape of roc# in relation to gender in a wa that iso"4ectivel o"serva"le and significant&

    M#T&ODS AND C$ARI"ICATIONS O" T#RMS

    ! carried out the research for this stud over a three interview and participant o"servation& ! conducted ,.interviews in total% ,J of which were through e

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    Music and Arts in Action | Volume 3 | Issue 1

    or an electric "ass guitar% with one or more vocalists% and tpicall with a drummerplaing a drum set& $his definition of roc# allows me to include a ver wide arra ofgenres 8 from metal% to pun#% to indie% to eperimental% to "lues% to roc#(pop 8

     while ecluding genres li#e fol#% 4a''% acoustic singer

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    !t must "e held in mind that% according to 6ourdieu% the strategies an individual agentemplos in a given field% as well as the success or failure of these strategies% iscontingent on her o"4ective position in that field& Ee writes> H$he networ# ofo"4ective relations "etween positions su"tends and orients the strategies which theoccupants of the different positions implement in their struggles to defend or

    improve their positions +i&e& their position J-/& !n this application% the strategies women implement to achievetheir ends and improve their chances within the field of roc# music are dependent% atleast in part% on their lac# of maleness as em"odied cultural capital& =here relevant% !

     will demonstrate how these different strategies are limited " or can sometimes"ac#fire "ecause of women7s minorit status&

    I' T&AT(S T )A )# G#T B* CO%ING M#C&ANISMS

    $ Will Work %ar"er $ Will Work %ar"er...

    For man women the "iggest challenge of "eing a female minorit in roc# is feelingunder ?:/& 6ut instead of addressing theunderling gender issues that inform this lac# of respect% some women "elieve thatthe can remed the situation " continuousl proving themselves and wor#ingharder& $he tr to gain some control over the mistreatment the receive "reconstructing the issue as a simple matter of musical a"ilit 8 a domain over whichthe have eplicit power& Lessica% the guitarist and vocalist for the all womenalternative roc# "and Still 5ife% understands the discrimination women face in

     American culture at large and in roc# more specificall% et formulates the issue as amatter of wor#ing harder% "eing demure% and "eing persona"le>

     Lessica +guitarist and vocalist for Still 5ife /> 

    !t7s 4ust that we women have "een under

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    conviction to wor# hard on her music is intertwined with the dedication to "einghum"le and having peaceful interactions with other people% two characteristicsspecificall encouraged and epected in women& Lessica is "oth wor#ing hard on hermusic s#ills and her s#ills as a woman in an attempt to get " and get ahead&

    Turning $t into a !ame

    Other women cope with their position " transforming it into a different #ind ofpersonal challenge> the turn audience7s epectations of them into games& For9atherine% guitarist and vocalist for the indie(roc# duo Son of Eippies% fashion is thesite of her game plaing&

    9atherine +guitarist and vocalist for Sons of Eippies />

     AF> So ou feel li#e our image is reall important in terms of how people are firstperceiving ou2

    9atherine> Kou #now what ! thin# it is2 ! thin# it7s li#e a fun little game for me& !don7t dress to fuc# with people% "ut depending on how !7m feeling ! sort of #now what7s going to happen if !7m wearing a certain thing& !f m tattoos are showing% thatgives a totall different&&&li#e% Hoh this is some "utch% feminist going to sing a"out"lah "lah "lah&I Or if !7m wearing% li#e sometimes a s#irt over 4eans or li#e afeminine shirt% that7s when the thin# !7m not going to pla guitar ver well&

     Although 9atherine sas she is not intentionall manipulating her audience% she doesgain satisfaction from anticipating and plaing with their epectations throughchanging her dress& 9atherine understands how audiences% sound gus% and other"and mem"ers correlate femaleness% and female dress in particular% with certainpolitical agendas +Hsome "utch% feminist going to sing a"out "lah "lah "lahI/ or

    musical s#ills +Hthat7s when the thin# !7m not going to pla ver wellI/& 6ut li#e Lessica% 9atherine ta#es these rules and generates something new 8 in this case% agame that helps her get through the night& She is not doing anthing to change theserules "ut she is% as an individual with an invested interest in the state of her life as aroc# musician% turning what could "e a negative aspect of the field into a #ind ofself

     AF> Do ou ever feel li#e ou are evaluated as a female instrumentalist% and not4ust as an instrumentalist2

    3eah> Keah& !t7s wrong% "ut that dou"le standard will alwas "e there% whether it7s amatter of intelligence% or how well ou can pla a sport or instrument& Sometimespeople tell me that ! don7t pla "ass li#e a girl7% li#e the7re reall surprised that ! canactuall do it well& Some girls pro"a"l find that insulting% "ut to succeed in music

    ou 4ust can7t "e so easil offended " little 4o#es that ou thin# are seist ordiscriminatingG ou 4ust have to ta#e it for what it7s worth&

    © M#sic and Arts in Action9Ade!e Kea!a Fo#rnet $%:% ; 3SSN< :=68/=:%6 ; Page $@http://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/womenrockers

    http://www.myspace.com/sonsofhippieshttp://www.myspace.com/theblackrabbitshttp://www.myspace.com/sonsofhippieshttp://www.myspace.com/theblackrabbits

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    Music and Arts in Action | Volume 3 | Issue 1

    6ecause other male musicians in the field epect 3eah to lac# the special #nowledgeneeded to pla in a "and "ecause she lac#s maleness as cultural capital% the aresurprised when she plas the "ass well& !nstead of dwelling on the genderdiscrimination implicit in these comments% however% 3eah either ignores it or sees itas a compliment& Beri P% guitarist and vocalist for her self

    Beri +guitarist and vocalist for Beri P "and />

     $here will alwas "e groupies% there will alwas "e half na#ed women in rap videos%there will alwas "e catfights& ! am on the other side shrugging m shoulders andtruc#ing along with m music&

    6oth 3eah and Beri recogni'e that women face o"stacles in roc# music production"ecause the lac# maleness as cultural capital% "ut their strateg for dealing with it is

    to simpl not dwell on it +H! am on the other side shrugging m shouldersI/& $heepress their agenc " not thin#ing a"out the constraining elements of the fieldthe wor# in% which ena"les them to #eep wor#ing and progressing as musicians andartists&

    Walk Like a Man Talk Like a Man

    !n his "oo# &oun" #ffects: 'outh Leisure an" the Politics of Rock(n(Roll % Simon Frithnotes a widespread phenomenon when it comes to women in roc#& Since roc# issuch a masculine culture% the 1uestion "ecomes whether or not women can enter thisfield without having to adopt% at least to a certain etent% a masculine persona +Frith%

    :.0J> ,J.G Coates% :..;> ,/& ! have noticed in m investigations in $ampa that man women do not adopt a masculine persona% "ut that for a few it is their primarcoping mechanism& $he ta#e on elements of a masculine identit in an attempt tofit in and "e treated as an e1ual&

     Although @mil herself does not adopt a masculine persona% she notices that manother females in the field ta#e this approach& $he door gu at a Doll )arts show% anall

     AF> =hat do ou thin# of Doll )arts2

    DM> ! thin# the are awesome 8 the #now their shit&

     AF> Eow man women do ou see plaing in here2

    DM> Not ver man&&&!7m tring to thin# of the last time&&&

    © M#sic and Arts in Action9Ade!e Kea!a Fo#rnet $%:% ; 3SSN< :=68/=:%6 ; Page 7%http://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/womenrockers

    http://www.myspace.com/gerixhttp://www.myspace.com/supersecretbestfriendshttp://www.myspace.com/dollparts69http://www.myspace.com/dollparts69http://www.myspace.com/gerixhttp://www.myspace.com/supersecretbestfriendshttp://www.myspace.com/dollparts69

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    Music and Arts in Action | Volume 3 | Issue 1

     AF> =hat percentage would ou sa2 5ess than :-Q2

    DM> Oh eah% ma"e Q or less& 6ut Doll )arts is great& ! could close m ees andnot thin# it7s a girl "and&&&it7s the energ the use to hit their strings&

    Unli#e most women% who stereotpicall pla instruments lightl% the door man sees

    Doll )arts as reall "ringing on the full musical force li#e an other gu "and& ! alsonoticed that the mem"ers of Doll )arts% although wearing ma#e

     $he are epecting me to "e a "itch& $he are epecting me to give them the coldshoulder& $he are epecting me to "e a total asshole& And ! don7t want to shootmself in the foot% "ut a lot of women in "ands !7ve met are that wa& 6ecause !thin# that there is an etreme threat and uncomforta"ilit& $he won7t tal# to me%especiall other women in "ands& And eah ! alwas have to ma#e the first move& !guess that7s another thing that !7ll have to get used to& Other gus might come up tome and sa HEe good 4o"I "ut other girls are reall standoffish&

    9atherine #nows that "eing standoffish and tough are defense mechanisms she andothers adopt in the field to hold their own with men% "ut this ma#es it much more

    difficult to "efriend other women& !t appears that adopting maleness as an elementof cultural capital has its draw"ac#s% for although it ma get them somewhere withmen it concurrentl isolates them from other women& $his is still advantageous whenmost people in a position of power in the field are indeed men 8 other musicians%door gus% "oo#ing agents% sound technicians% producers 8 "ut it disadvantageouslperpetuates the sense of alienation women eperience as roc# musicians& )laing andacting li#e a man is a coping mechanism that has shortcomings% which are rooted in

     women7s minorit position&

    $For more on the significance of em'odied m#sica! gest#re in the constit#tion and "er"et#ation of gender ro!es inm#sica! fie!ds( see ia DeNora1s *ork on the gendered "erformances of 0eetho+en1s "iano m#sic in the :@ th cent#ry,DeNora( $%%$-)

    © M#sic and Arts in Action9Ade!e Kea!a Fo#rnet $%:% ; 3SSN< :=68/=:%6 ; Page 7:http://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/womenrockers

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     Marry Me 

     Alling with men in the field% as opposed to acting li#e a man% is another copingstrateg& !n creating partnerships with men% specificall in the form of marriage%

     women "enefit from the man7s cultural capital and conse1uent higher social position&

     Annie attached herself to her guitarist% now hus"and% Craig at an earl point in herroc# music career and attri"utes much of her success to this alliance>

     Annie +singer and "and leader for  $he Freight $rain Annie 6and and organi'er ofS#ipper7s Birl Night/>

    Craig did everthing without ta#ing advantage of me& Ee was the perfect gentleman&Ee would steer me awa from certain people& ! reali'e that now "ut ! didn7t #nowthat then& Ee would 4ust "e li#e HOh% ou reall don7t want to #now that gu&I ! don7tthin# ! would have gotten as far as ! did if ! hadn7t met Craig&

    Craig #ept her awa from people in the field who might have ta#en advantage of heras a woman% and as ! learned later% also showed her how to run the sound e1uipmentat shows and taught her a ma4orit of what she #nows a"out the technical aspects ofthe music "usiness& Sheila has done something similar>

    Sheila +guitarist and vocalist for $he Sheila Eughes 6and />

    ! actuall #now ver little a"out running the e1uipment& !f ! had to do a gig "mself and set it all up% !Rd "e in trou"le& 6efore m hus"and Chris startedperforming with me as a "assist% he was a soundman& $he genius "ehind what we dotechnicall lies in his "rain& EeRs alwas "een incredi"l technicall savv&

    Sheila could ta#e on the role Craig currentl fills if she needed to% "ut instead shedefers the wor# to her technicall savv hus"and and devotes her time to songwritingand wor#ing on her performance& $he action of marring a man in the field wor#s

     within the rules of roc# music production% for it capitali'es on and also reinforcesthe centralit of maleness as cultural capital% "ut it also epresses a woman7s agencinsofar as she is ta#ing advantage of the seual alliances availa"le to her to furtherher roc# music career& $he pro"lem with this strateg is that it creates a parasiticrelationship 8 the woman is relativel dependent on the man7s position for her ownsuccess% putting her in a situation of comparative helplessness& Marie 6uscattouncovered a similar phenomenon in the world of French 4a''% in which a ma4orit ofthe female artists who managed to hold their own in the field were those who had a

    male instrumentalist as a romantic partner& She li#ewise notes that these relationshipsare often parasitic and that "rea#ups can ver costl for the career of the femalepartner +6uscatto% ,--;> :/&

    )reate a Fortress 

     A similar strateg to marring a man is for a woman to organi'e a posse of musiciansaround herself% who respect her completel as a musician and who value her as a

     whole human "eing& $his then in turn serves as a #ind of fortress against thedifficulties of the larger field&

     La attri"utes her success to having a supportive famil and having a "and full of

     women who respect her and smpathi'e with her situation>

    © M#sic and Arts in Action9Ade!e Kea!a Fo#rnet $%:% ; 3SSN< :=68/=:%6 ; Page 7$http://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/womenrockers

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     La +drummer for 9ore />

    !f we didn7t have the complete support of our families% we pro"a"l wouldn7t "e a"leto do this& !t helps that we7re all wives and moms% so we can relate to each other and#now that though the "and is important and we are totall committed% famil will

    alwas come first&

    For Annie it too# a long time to create this fortress% "ut now that she has it she feelsmuch less aniet as a female musician>

     Annie +singer and "and leader for  $he Freight $rain Annie 6and and organi'er ofS#ipper7s Birl Night/>

     And when ! come across someone now% !7m 4ust li#e HOh% ou7re one of those  gus%on to the net person&I 6ecause ! can7t ta#e them seriousl& 6efore ! didn7t have thatluur& enue if these women do not identif as full

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    much to do with the lac# of females in "ands& $heRre not sure theRre allowed% orsomething&

    )art of the reason wh these women feel li#e the are not allowed is "ecause% well%the are not 8 roc# is still a masculine field seen " man as onl appropriate formen& 6ut it is curious that these women maintain this attitude of not "elonging evenafter "eing in a "and and plaing at a high profile local venue li#e $he 6om"shellBaller& 6 shrugging off their musical a"ilities and accomplishments +Hthe wereridiculousl and impracticall sh and hum"le a"out their s#ills and their musicI/

     women are distancing themselves from the common practice of scrutini'ing femalemusicianship +Fournet% ,--.> ?:/& !f these women choose to not see themselves asmusicians% or at least good musicians% it is no longer such a threat that femalemusicians are perceived of as "eing inferior instrumentalists " other male "andmem"ers% audiences% and venue wor#ers& 6eing a roc# musician is not a part of theiridentit and as such not something that can "e threatened " negative musicalevaluation&

    Eoward 6ec#er% in his wor# on art worlds% writes that there are four tpical was anartist relates to an art world7 +his analogous term for a field of cultural production/>as an integrated professional% as a maveric#% as a nave artist% or as a fol# artist+6ec#er% :.;?/& M stud suggests that there might "e a fifth categor> the integratedoutsider& $hese are the artists% li#e the female roc# musicians that pla in "ands at

     $he 6om"shell Baller% who create wor#s " the standard conventions of the field%"ut who do not consider themselves to "e true participants in the field "ecause thefeel alienated% not " the artistic conventions of the world +the wa a maveric# or anave artist would feel alienated/% "ut " the social conventions of the world% li#egender re1uirements and epectations for participation&

     =or#ing harder% turning it into a game% ignoring it% alling with men% acting li#e aman% creating a fortress% and staing an outsider are all activities women engage in tocope with their su"altern status in roc#& =ith these coping strategies women pla

     with the centralit of maleness as em"odied cultural capital to create an environmentfor themselves that allows them to #eep wor#ing& =ith all of these strategies there isstill the o"vious pro"lem that the do nothing to ultimatel transform the positionof women in roc#& Although these strategies ma#e these women7s individualeperiences of participating in roc# more tolera"le% their minorit position in thefield% along with its corresponding o"stacles and constraints% remains little changed&

    II' "$AUNT )&AT OU GOT* "#MA$#N#SS AS CU$TURA$ CA%ITA$

     =omen in roc# are uni1ue& $he stand out in a line

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     +o,elty an" &ex -ppeal 

     $he women ! interviewed figured out that the could use their femaleness to get anaudience interested in the music the ma#e& Stephanie% the guitarist for the miedgender pop(roc# group Some Da Souvenir% emphasi'ed this fre1uentl in her

    interview&

    Stephanie +guitarist for Some Da Souvenir />

     =hen we do posters we tr to emphasi'e the women most of the time ! would sa&6ecause people will see that and sa HOh% chic#s in a "and& =hat7s this a"out2I Andthat7s their reaction tpicall& 6ut if we can get them in% that7s all we want to do&6ecause we #now that once ou7re in ou7re going to listen% and ou7re going to standthere and #eep listening& =e7ve seen it over and over again% so that7s what we want&6ut if we didn7t emphasi'e the women to "egin with% li#e ! said% we7d 4ust "e another"and&

     $here are five mem"ers of Some Da Souvenir% "utonl the three women ma#e it onto the promotionalmaterial& $his "and has figured out that the canemphasi'e the female novelt to catch new fans% "utthen #eeps these fans through ma#ing good music+H6ut if we can get them in% that7s all we want to do&6ecause we #now that once ou7re in ou7re goingto listen% and ou7re going to stand there and #eeplisteningI/& Eere femaleness as a novel deviationfrom the standard of maleness wor#s in tandem

     with other forms of cultural capital #e to roc#music production% li#e plaing instruments well andputting on a good show% to give Some Da Souvenira real advantage over other "ands in the $amparoc# music scene&

    Men in roc# concede that women have this uni1ueness and are well aware of thatfact that "ands with one or more female mem"er tend to get more attention>

     Letson +guitarist for $he 6lac# 3a""its />

    ! love female roc# instrumentalists and have alwas wanted one in our "and to giveus that uni1ueness& One of m favorite "ands is $he )iies% which has a female

    "assist who also sings& ! thin# that when anone sees a female roc# instrumentalistthe remem"er the "and simpl "ecause of that fact&

    !n the case of $he 6lac# 3a""its% Letson7s interest in female instrumentalists is whatfueled the recruitment of their female "ass plaer% 3eah& !n this situation femaleness"enefits "oth the individual woman% 3eah% who was recruited to "e in the "and inpart "ecause she is a girl% and the "and as a whole 8 a record la"el out of Orlando

     was considering signing $he 6lac# 3a""its at the time of the stud% in part "ecausethe la"el thin#s that the female "ass plaer is highl mar#eta"le&

     =ith Some Da Souvenir and $he 6lac# 3a""its% it is primaril the uni1ueness andnovelt of women plaing roc# that reall gets people7s attention& 6ut in a

    predominantl heteroseual social universe populated mostl " men% women canalso eploit the specificall seual dimension of their femaleness to gain attentionand support& Eere Core tal#s a"out her previous "and% an all

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    Breat 6ig No Ones% and how having cute female mem"ers reall inspired maleattention>

    Core +guitarist for M 5ittle $rots#  />

    !t was different with $he Breat 6ig No Ones "ecause ! thin# gus were moreinterested in a "and of three girls&&& ! thin# that the girl drummer was ver intriguingfor people& $he girl singer% O9% and even guitar and "ass ou see% "ut a girldrummer% people wanted to&&&And she wasn7t the greatest drummer in the world% "utshe was cute as a "utton and that7s all that reall mattered&

     $he Breat 6ig No Ones used their seual appeal strategicall% capitali'ing on maleseual interest in cute female "and mem"ers to get shows and secure audiences& !nthis case% unli#e with Some Da Souvenir% the capital of female seualit is not

     wedded with other forms of cultural capital% li#e "eing a"le to pla instruments well%"ut stands alone in cultivating the success of the "and +Hand she wasn7t the greatestdrummer in the world% "ut she was cute as a "utton and that7s all that reall

    matteredI/&

    Dari% the lead singer for Some Da Souvenir% will use the seual component of herfemaleness to her "and7s advantage as well>

    Stephanie +guitarist for Some Da Souvenir />

     =e alwas sa to our lead singer> HDari% if ou go into a clu" and people see ou% andthen ou sa he this is m "and% the are going to want to get "ac# to ouTI Sheneeds to "e out thereT So we7ve "een reall tring to push her to use what she can&5i#e wherever we7re plaing% she7ll turn to me and "e li#e> HO9% !7m ta#ing one forthe team&I And !7m alwas li#e HKaeahTI And then she7ll go flirt with whoever 4ust

    to get whatever she needs to get&For Some Da Souvenir% Dari7s seual attractiveness pas off when a ma4orit of"oo#ing agents% sound gus% and other "and mem"ers are heteroseual men&

     Although we can spea# of the field of roc# music production as a distinct socialuniverse in which identifia"le forms of cultural capital come into pla that are uni1ueto that universe% it is nevertheless em"edded in other more universal facets of humaninteraction% li#e seualit& $he fact that heteroseual men dominate the field of roc#music production means that women have the advantage of "eing a"le to use theirseualit to gain attention and accumulate a certain form of power&

     More Perks 

     A potential "enefit of using femaleness strategicall is getting help from men withheav e1uipment or "othersome technical pro"lems&

    @mil +guitarist for Super Secret 6est Friends />

     $he one thing that is nice% most of the time when ! pull up% the reali'e that !7m afemale and the help me with all of m e1uipment& =hich ou don7t see with gu"ands&

    Similarl% Core +guitarist for M 5ittle $rots#  />

    ! ma have it easier since ! am a pianist now plaing guitar in a "and& ! #now that ! will never pla guitar as well as piano& ! don7t care if ! loo# li#e a girl who doesn7t#now anthing% and if m guitar starts ma#ing a "ad "u''ing noise +as it did this

     wee#end/ < ! 4ust appeal to the soundman7s good nature with a "ig smile and sa%

    © M#sic and Arts in Action9Ade!e Kea!a Fo#rnet $%:% ; 3SSN< :=68/=:%6 ; Page 7http://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/womenrockers

    http://www.myspace.com/mylittletrotskyhttp://www.myspace.com/somedaysouvenirhttp://www.myspace.com/supersecretbestfriendshttp://www.myspace.com/mylittletrotskyhttp://www.myspace.com/mylittletrotskyhttp://www.myspace.com/somedaysouvenirhttp://www.myspace.com/supersecretbestfriendshttp://www.myspace.com/mylittletrotsky

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    Hcan ou fi this for me2I A ver girl approach& ! thin# ! used to want to "e one ofthe gus "ut then reali'ed that one of the girls was more uni1ue&

    Eere% using seualit not onl helps to get gigs and fans% it helps in tring to resolvesound issues and technical pro"lems& Core is 1uic# to point out though that sheonl goes with this flirtatious% H!7m a stupid girlI strateg when she is plaing guitar%her second instrument% "ecause she has not invested her identit as a musician in thisinstrument and does not mind loo#ing stupid with it&

    rawbacks 

    One negative conse1uence of using femaleness advantageousl is feeling cheap% li#e women are not "eing held to the same musical standards "ecause the are insteadreling on their novelt or se appeal>

    9atherine +guitarist and vocalist for Sons of Eippies />

     AF> Kou said in our e 6ecause the "ar7s lower& And ! guess ! can prove mself up and down as agreat musician and if ! was a gu it would "e o"vious or epected of me&&&so eah itdoes wor# to m advantage& And not unfortunatel& Breat for me% ! guess& ! guess !never wanted it to happen that wa& ! don7t want it to happen that wa& ! thin# that7sreall cheap& ! guess that7s what ! mean& Unfortunatel% something as ridiculous asgender will help me&

    9atherine recogni'es that her femaleness wor#s to her advantage +Hso eah it does wor# to m advantageI/% "ut at the same time laments that this onl wor#s for her"ecause gender is still such a central component of roc# as a social universe& Betting

    etra attention for "eing a good female guitarist ma#es 9atherine feel li#e her genderis more important than her musical s#ills% which in turn ma#es her feel cheap and li#eshe7s not a real participant in the field +H! can prove mself up and down as a greatmusician% and if ! was a gu it would "e o"vious or epected of meI/& $heimplication here is that since she7s not a gu% and as such not a real roc#er% "eing agreat musician is not epected of her&

     Another negative conse1uence of emphasi'ing femaleness to attract a crowd is that itcan "ecome a gimmic# that 1uic#l loses its effectiveness& Super Secret 6est Friendshad a 1uic# rise% which the attri"ute to their femaleness% "ut are now seeing a dropoff in the num"er of shows the are plaing>

     Ale +drummer for Super Secret 6est Friends />

     =e had a reall 1uic# rise in the "eginning& !t seemed li#e ever single venue #eptgetting "etter% "etter% "etter& And we were even paired with a national act towards the"eginning 8 5eslie and the 5s& And ! thin# the gimmic# got us there& !t reall did& !mean% 5eslie and the 5s& =ho else are ou going to get2 !t was a perfect match& So !don7t #now if the gimmic#7s worn off& ! don7t #now&

     =omen in the field who are using their novelt status to "e successful have to "ecareful& 6ecause women are still stereotpicall viewed as "eing inferior musicians%

     who onl get attention for phsical attractiveness and novelt% promoting the femaleaspect of a "and can 1uic#l come to "e seen " audiences and other "ands as acheap tric# "eing used to fill a venue% and as a conse1uence lose its effectiveness&

    © M#sic and Arts in Action9Ade!e Kea!a Fo#rnet $%:% ; 3SSN< :=68/=:%6 ; Page 7=http://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/womenrockers

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    The Lesbian -u"ience 

    ! discovered through this research that there is a les"ian audience within the roc#music mar#et that "ands with female mem"ers can easil tap into& =ith this audience%female "ands have wildl supportive fans% little competition% and can ma#e a lot ofmone& Some Da Souvenir received national coverage in the Decem"er% ,--0 issueof Curve Maga'ine% a les"ian maga'ine "ased out of San Francisco% and couldpotentiall tour the entire countr 4ust plaing at ga venues& Stephanie tal#s a"outthe per#s of plaing to the les"ian audience>

    Stephanie +guitarist for Some Da Souvenir />

     $he thing is that the ga places% the pa ou ver well% ou have contacts that ou#now on a personal level% ou can get in there an time& =hereas in normal venues%ou don7t #now who is doing to the "oo#ing% the don7t #now ou% the pa is&&&ou#now&&& ou7re luc# if ou wal# awa with ;% :--& @nough for people to have gas

    mone% if that% versus ever"od in the "and wal#ing awa with a couple hundred"uc#s in their poc#ets& ! mean% it7s huge&

    Onl women in roc# have the advantage of plaing at les"ian venues& Of course%there are man mar#ets the cannot cater to% "ut at least there is one that is there7salone for the ta#ing& 6ut targeting the les"ian mar#et is not without its conse1uences&Some Da Souvenir wants to pla to les"ian crowds% "ut this creates tensions withinthe "and "etween the male and female mem"ers& At les"ian events% the women get allof the attention and press coverage% whereas the men are left feeling that the are noteven accepted at the event in the first place&

    Stephanie +guitarist and vocalist for Some Da Souvenir />

    !n Orlando the had as#ed us to pla over there% and we did& And the actuall too#all our promotional stuff that we gave them and the cut the gus out of everthingT

     And the were pissed a"out itT And the gus are cool& $he get that we want to plato whoever wants to hear us& And we don7t tr to "e one thing this or one thing that%li#e ! want to pla to everone& And the feel the same wa& 6ut the were alittle&&&that pushed it over the edge a little "it&

    )artiall as a result of this tension in the "and Some Da Souvenir has lost its twomale mem"ers since ! conducted the initial interviews& $he other pro"lem withmar#eting to the les"ian audience is "ecoming pigeonholed 8 success with theles"ian audience does not necessaril translate into success with the rest of the roc#music audience& !n spea#ing a"out a les"ian event Sons of Eippies plaed while ontour in 6oston% 9atherine epresses her concern that mar#eting to this niche mar#etcould ultimatel limit their fan "ase&

    9atherine +guitarist and vocalist for Sons of Eippies />

    6ut m worr is that in an given social contet there is such a tendenc to getpigeonholed& 6ut ma"e the wa we thin# these das we need an image% a la"el or acategor to attach something so "road as music to& =hich is o# as long as ou arethere and ou are mar#eted to this or this% it7s not 4ust this one thing that7s supportingou and then ou "ecome it&

    For 9atherine the fear is that capitali'ing on les"ian audiences and venues as a

     woman would spell the end of her success with other mar#ets% +Hit7s not 4ust this onething that7s supporting and then ou "ecome itI/& Despite the pro"lems of mar#eting

    © M#sic and Arts in Action9Ade!e Kea!a Fo#rnet $%:% ; 3SSN< :=68/=:%6 ; Page 7&http://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/womenrockers

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    to les"ian audiences% it is still a strateg that advantageousl utili'es femaleness to the"and7s advantage&

    The $n"i,i"ual ,s. Women

     $he most pro"lematic aspect of using femaleness to an artist or a "and7s advantage isthat its efficac is predicated on the continued a"sence of women in the field& $henovelt of femaleness onl wor#s to one7s advantage if women indeed remain novel%and the seual component of femaleness onl continues to confer special advantageif women operate in a field dominated " heteroseual men& 5i#e the copingstrategies eplored a"ove% using femaleness as cultural capital wor#s great for theindividual "ut does nothing to improve the situation of women in roc# in general&

    Core% in a discussion a"out how she never reall thin#s a"out the a"sence of womenin roc#% reali'es that she thin#s this wa "ecause she is su"consciousl tring tomaintain her advantage " #eeping other women out of the field>

    Core +guitarist for M 5ittle $rots#  />

     AF> 6ut ou were not thin#ing that it was a shame that there weren7t more womenhaving all the fun ou were having plaing music2

    Core> No% ! wasn7t thin#ing that& =hich is odd "ecause ! thin# that a"out everother aspect of life& 5i#e 4o"s& !7ve alwas "een ver pro

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    participate in the field and who was ecluded& $he same holds true for thecontemporar field of roc# music production& $here are man struggles at pla% suchas securing gigs and accumulating positive press% and one of these is defining whogets to participate in roc# and who does not& Some women in roc# are activelengaged in this struggle to redefine what constitutes a roc#er% especiall in terms of

    gender% and the are doing so in two was> one% the are transforming the definitionof female seual attractiveness and two% the are consciousl clearing a path forfuture female instrumentalists " "eing role models or " creating events designedspecificall to encourage other female roc#ers&

     - +ew Female &exuality: )ompetent an" &exy 

    One of m interviewees reminded me that "eing a roc# star is se% no matter whatgender ou are& Standing on a stage% holding a guitar or "elting into a microphoneinvites a certain amount of seual o"4ectification% period& 6ut for male musicians%seualit is not the onl measure of value& Musical s#ill and song and lric writing

    a"ilities are valued e1uall% if not more& For women% the uni1ue struggle is that theare often eclusivel or primaril perceived and 4udged as seual o"4ects& !f the aregood at their instruments% it is seen as an attractive ela"oration of their seualit&Some women in the field% however% are rewriting this stereotpe " positing a new%multi

     La +drummer for 9ore />

    Men are men& $he are ver visual and happen to li#e to visuali'e "eautiful se women& ! don7t thin# that7s a "ad thing necessaril& ! 4ust thin# a woman can "e"eautiful and se without "eing trash or cheap& Do ! tr to use it to m advantage2!7m not sure !7d "e human% or female if ! didn7t& 6ut rather than conform tosomeone else7s idea of what7s se% ! guess ! tr to ma#e "eing a confident% happ%strong

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    not fa#e for me to want to put something on li#e that% "ut it7s almost em"racing itand ta#ing it to another level&

    !sa"el% La% and Stephanie are not simpl using their female seualit as culturalcapital& Although there is an element of this% for an time the emphasi'e theirseualit in a field dominated " heteroseual men the are eerting influence andpower% what is more important here is that the are defing and redefining thestereotpes and epectations of female seualit that are in operation in roc#& !nsteadof "eing cute and incompetent% these women are cute and competent& !nstead of"eing girl and hum"le% the are girl and confident& !n other words% the areattempting to transform the operative definition of the seual female in roc# fromthe se and attractive "ut musicall inept stage ornament to the se% attractive andalso musicall capa"le% full

    ! want people to #now that the can do it as women& ! hope that we get there& ! wantto get there&

     Annie has ta#en her efforts a step further& !n the fall of ,--0 she organi'ed HFreight $rain Annie7s Birl ShowI at S#ipper7s Smo#ehouse% a popular roc# and "lues music venue in the $ampa area% which is a night dedicated eclusivel to music acts withfemale mem"ers& $he idea is to mar#et this night specificall to women so that thefeel welcomed and encouraged to pla out& Since the show started% Annie notices thatmore and more women are coming to pla>

     Annie +singer and "and leader for  $he Freight $rain Annie 6and and organi'er ofS#ipper7s Birl Night/>

     =omen are all in these little crevices and the7ve all "een coming out of the woodwor# since this started& ! have li#e si artists lined up as#ing me when the netBirl Show is&

    !n transforming the significance of female seualit and in clearing a path for otherfemale musicians% these women are wor#ing to erase maleness as a dominatingcomponent of the field of roc#& !n the first case% women are tring to reposition thefemale "od and female seualit so that it correlates with competence and s#ill

    instead of incompetence and amateurishness& !n the second case% the are at leastma#ing an attempt to displace maleness as em"odied cultural capital " filling thefield with more women& $he hope here is that as s#illed and successful female

    © M#sic and Arts in Action9Ade!e Kea!a Fo#rnet $%:% ; 3SSN< :=68/=:%6 ; Page 8:http://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/womenrockers

    http://www.myspace.com/somedaysouvenirhttp://www.myspace.com/sonsofhippieshttp://www.myspace.com/skippermullethttp://www.myspace.com/somedaysouvenirhttp://www.myspace.com/sonsofhippieshttp://www.myspace.com/skippermullet

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    instrumentalists in "ands "ecome more numerous% the centralit of maleness as asign of competence and accepta"ilit will naturall deteriorate&

    DISCUSSION

     =omen instrumentalists in roc# "ands have the "ad luc# of having female "odies ina field in which having a male "od is one of the most "asic standards ofparticipation& 6ut since we are still agents with an investment in the flourishing ofour art and livelihood% we engage in a significant amount of etra

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     =ith the research ! am doing now on the same topic in 5ima% )eru% this statistic alsoapplies&J  So although the strategies are in place to encourage more women toparticipate% it seems that the are having little impact&

     All of the women in m stud had non

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    epressions of agenc if the ultimatel have little structural impact on women7sgendered role in the field2

    First ! thin# that it is important as a cele"ration of women musicians7 wor# andcreativit& Not onl do these women devote a significant amount of their time to

     writing and rehearsing their music and studing their instruments% the have theadditional tas# of creativel managing the conse1uences of their female "odies in afield that revolves around men& 6 pointing out the different was womenstrategicall wor# around the centralit of maleness we are shining light on a planeof creative wor# that tpicall goes unnoticed& =e might in normal circumstancesappreciate the creative wor# female roc# artists put into their musicianship%songwriting% and stage performance% 4ust as with male artists% "ut unless we do adeeper analsis of the field of social possi"ilities women encounter in roc# we caneasil overloo# the creative wor# that goes into 4ust getting " as a woman in amasculine social universe&

    !n m current research in 5ima% ! am also discovering how these micro epressionsof agenc can actuall "ecome new forms of em"odied cultural capital within asu"field of perceptive female roc# musicians and fans& For eample% the wa that9atherine of Sons of Eippies turns audience epectations of her into a game% or the

     wa !sa"el of 3ic#e 3ag is constantl thin#ing a"out and acting out her strongfemale identit as a "ass plaer% "ecome actions that% if recogni'ed " perceptiveaudience mem"ers +tpicall female/% are seen as "eing etremel admira"le andcleaver& $here are indeed audience mem"ers who are "eginning to recogni'e theetra wor# women put into their lives as roc# musicians% transforming these su"tleacts of agenc into status

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    6ourdieu arrived at his concept of agenc " inferring it as one important cause ofsocial change& Ee reasons that without agenc 8 the creative capacit for generatingnew variations of rules 8 it is difficult to eplain the o"serva"le fact of socialchange +6ourdieu% :.0-/& 6ut in this stud of female roc# instrumentalists% change isnot apparent& Does this negate the presence of agenc2 ! thin# that% contrar to

    negating it% this stud shows that there can "e signs of agenc without significantsocial change on a structural level& Although 6ourdieu might have used social changein his argument to arrive at a concept of agenc% once e1uipped with this concept wedo not need to see change to see agenc& =e do not need to see large

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    R#"#R#NC#S

    0ayton( Ma+is) ,:@@=- Women and the e!ectric g#itar( in S) White!y ,eds)-( Sexing the Groove:

    Popular Music and Gender ) Ne* Cork< Ro#t!edge)

    0ayton( Ma+is) ,:@@&- Frock Rock: Women Performing Popular Music ) O2ford< O2ford Uni+ersity

    Press)

    0ecker( o*ard S) ,:@=- Art *or!ds and socia! ty"es)  American ehavioral Scientist  :@,-< =%7/

    =:&)

    0o#rdie#( Pierre) ,:@&%- !he "ogic of Practice) Pa!o A!to( A< Stanford Uni+ersity Press)

    0o#rdie#( Pierre) ,:@&- he forms of ca"ita! # in ) Richardson ,ed)-(  $andbook of !heor% and

    Research for the Sociolog% of &ducation ) Ne* Cork< Breen*ood( $8:/$6&) GPage citations taken

    from re"rinted +ersion in A)) a!sey( Phi!i" 0ro*n( #gh La#der( and Amy S) We!!s ,eds)-)

    ,:@@=- &ducation# 'ulture# &conom%# and Societ% ) Ne* Cork< O2ford Uni+ersity Press( 8/6&)H

    0o#rdie#( Pierre) ,:@@%- (n )ther Words: &ssa%s !o*ards a Reflexive Sociolog% ) Pa!o A!to( A<

    Stanford Uni+ersity Press)

    0o#rdie#( Pierre) ,:@@7- !he Field of 'ultural Production) UK< Po!ity Press)

    0#scatto( Marie) ,$%%8- De !a +ocation artisti.#e a# tra+ai! m#sica!< Ensions( com"romis et

    am'i+a!ences che4 !es m#sicians de Ia44) )P+S: Sociologie de l,art  6< 76/6)

    0#scatto( Marie) ,$%%=- ontri'#tion of ethnogra"hy of gendered socio!ogy< he French Ia44

    *or!d) -ualitative Sociolog% Revie*  7,7-< 8/6=)

    arson( Mina( isa Le*is( and S#san M) Sha*) ,$%%8- Girls Rock. Fift% /ears of Women Making

    Music ) Le2ington( Kent#cky< he Uni+ersity Press of Kent#cky)

    !a*son( Mary Ann) ,:@@@- Masc#!inity and ski!! ac.#isition in the ado!escent rock 'and)

    Popular Music  :&,:-< @@/::8)

    oates( Norma) ,:@@=- Re+o!#tion no*J Rock and the "o!itica! "otentia! of gender) 3n S) White!y

    ,ed)-( Sexing the Groove: Popular Music and Gender ) Ne* Cork( NC< Ro#t!edge)

    ohen( Sara) ,:@@=- Men making a scene< Rock m#sic and the "rod#ction of gender) 3n S)

    White!y ,ed)-( Sexing the Groove: Popular Music and Gender ) Ne* Cork( NC< Ro#t!edge)

    DeNora( ia) ,$%%$- M#sic into action< Performing gender on the iennese concert stage( :=@%/

    :&:%) Poetics 7%< :@/77)

    Emerson( Ro'ert( Rache! 3) Fret4 and Linda L) Sha*) ,:@@6- Writing &thnographic Field 0otes1

    hicago< Uni+ersity of hicago Press)

    Fo#rnet( Ade!e) ,$%%@- 'hicks *ith Picks: An &thnograph% of Female Rock (nstrumentalists in

    !ampa# F") Undergrad#ate hesis( Ne* o!!ege of F!orida( Sarasota( FL) E!ectronic co"y a+ai!a'!e

    'y re.#est from referencencf)ed#) 

    Frith( Simon) ,:@&7- Sound &ffects: /outh# "eisure# and the Politics of Rock,n,Roll ) London<

    onsta'!e)

    Breen( L#cy) ,:@@=- Music# Gender# &ducation) am'ridge< am'ridge Uni+ersity Press)

    Broce( Ste"hen 0) and Margaret oo"er) ,:@@%- #st me and the 'oysJ Women in !oca! !e+e!

    rock and ro!!) Gender and Societ%  8,$-< $$%/$$@)

    Meisenhe!der( om) ,$%%%- o*ard a fie!d theory of c!ass( gender( and race) Race# Gender and

    'lass =,$-< =/@6)

    Schm#t4( a#ghn) ,$%%@- Socia! and sym'o!ic 'o#ndaries in ne*s"a"er co+erage of m#sic(

    :@66/$%%6< Bender and genre in the US( France( Bermany( and the Nether!ands) Poetics 7=< $@&/

    7:8)

    © M#sic and Arts in Action9Ade!e Kea!a Fo#rnet $%:% ; 3SSN< :=68/=:%6 ; Page 8http://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/womenrockers

    mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

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    ABOUT T AUT&OR

    Adele Keala Fournet is a m#sician and socia! researcher( origina!!y from Fayette+i!!e(

    Arkansas) She ho!ds a 0)A) in m#sic from he Ne* o!!ege of F!orida( *here she *rote her

    honors thesis on *omen in the am"a rock m#sic scene) She is c#rrent!y cond#cting an

    ethnogra"hy of fema!e rock instr#menta!ists in Lima( Per# *ith a F#!'right research grant as an

    e2tension of her "re+io#s *ork in F!orida) Ade!e ho"es to contin#e "!aying in and researching

    +ario#s rock m#sic scenes thro#gho#t the *or!d in an attem"t to create a g!o'a! "ict#re of

    gender and contem"orary rock m#sic making) Co# can fo!!o* her c#rrent "roIects at

    ***)ade!efo#rnet)com) 

    AC!NO)$#DG#M#NTS

    Many thanks to Ste+e Mi!es( Professor of M#sic at the Ne* o!!ege of F!orida( *ho he!"ed me

    "ersona!!y and theoretica!!y thro#gho#t this research "rocess and 'eyond( So"hia Acord for

    her "ersistent editoria! assistance( and to the F#!'right Program *hich is a!!o*ing me to

    contin#e researching this "roIect that is so im"ortant to me on an academic and "ersona! !e+e!)

    https://owa.ex.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?C=c3a2eaab71cc41a1b25b02dc93825068&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adelefournet.comhttps://owa.ex.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?C=c3a2eaab71cc41a1b25b02dc93825068&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adelefournet.comhttps://owa.ex.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?C=c3a2eaab71cc41a1b25b02dc93825068&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adelefournet.com