Mark Runyon | ConcertTour.org
Thump – Vice’s online electronic music magazine – posted an interesting article entitled ‘This “Thigh Gap” YouTube Channel Proves That House Music Has a Misogyny Problem’. Picking up on something that many have noticed for years — House music loves sexy ladies. Brands like Majestic Casual are guilty as charged in this arena, putting pictures of girls who look like supermodels on pretty much… well, almost anything to be honest. Imagine an Abercrombie and Fitch marketing campaign, just without the men and a little more colourful and you’re basically spot on.
Does House music ‘hate women’ like the term misogynist suggests? No, I don’t think so. If anything House music loves women a little too much. Well perhaps not all women. If you’ve ever eaten like a real person at Christmas, or thought twice about whether or not your thighs can sneak past that part of your jeans with the smallest circumference – you’re probably not in. Those of interest here are the small few fitting a certain shape, with an even complexion and a top notch set of tubers. Bang tidy mate.
Is the fact that supermodels and little else seem to dominate the aesthetic of House music — and it’s popular 21st century incarnation, Deep House — a sign of sexism though? I don’t know.
Deep House has in it’s short and fashionable lifespan fallen victim to a few stereotypes and fans of Deep House are it’s chief victim. You know what I’m talking about: people who ride the latest trends like a 50 stone man rides a donkey. Ruining something that was perfectly good and fun for the rest of us. Those who adorn their online presence with scenic pictures of that amazing time in Magalluf or Ibiza. From their endless stream of holiday snaps — cocktails, swimming pools and sunsets — you’d be forgiven for thinking they’d spent 2 weeks at Chris Brown’s house sipping Sex On The Beach with the rich and famous. Not slumming it in 2 star hotels and tying yourself to the all-inclusive bar. Which closes at 11pm, oh shit.
I’ve been in House raves played by some fairly big named DJs with a good solid setlist, only to find myself unable to stop thinking about things like — for example — the bloke behind me pointing his fingers in the air like a gun with an expression like he’s gonna eat someone. Either he’s walked into the wrong room or he’s gone and taken too much coke when MDMA would’ve suited. This is peace and love – save that face for the drum and bass my friend. Or people walking around like they’re young money, taking selfies with that free bottle of champagne you and your five friends finished half an hour ago. Everyone conveniently forgets they work for Starbucks for a night. Nice.
Almost everything about House music today oozes this aspirational, party goer, Instagram-picture-perfect lifestyle that seems freshly shat out of any one of the world’s celebrity magazines. The video for Duke Dumont’s steel drum epic “I Got U” is essentially a guy dreaming of his millionaire’s pool-party holiday with a beautiful girl in tow. Like the old guard of House music, the main themes in this 21st century edition are — unsurprisingly — euphoria, paradise and pleasure. My friend once described House to me as “just the good notes… played again, and again, and again” which I don’t think is too far off in some of the more unimaginative cases. There’s a reason E-heads picked Acid House as their music of choice: ecstasy brings happiness and House music… kind of… sounds like happiness.
I’m partial to a bit of House music myself, much like I’m partial to most genres. But nowhere else in electronic music is this faux-celeb lifestyle the prevailing look. In terms of stereotypes and generalizations: If Dubstep was rave music for people with flat-peaks and snapbacks, then House music is for those trying to live a millionaire’s lifestyle on a Friday payday. For most men a plethora (yes, a plethora) of beautiful, near naked women is a part of that paradise that House music tries to convert into soundwaves. The sad thing is that House music (unlike Dubstep and Drum and Bass, for example) is not a macho, male dominated pursuit. Anyone who’s ever House’d Out in the company of real people will know that there is a fairly even mix of vaginas and phalli on the dancefloor when the DJ gets his Deep on.
Does this mean that chiseled, strapping male models in speedos handing out Long Island Ice Teas are common and prominent in the House aesthetic? And that we’re simply not paying attention? No. For some reason near naked ladies look much better on a t shirt and in a music video than their male counterparts, even heterosexual women seem to agree. I genuinely don’t think a t shirt adorned with the browned torso of even the world’s most beautiful man would sell quite as well, I don’t even think most women would like or buy it. We’re conditioned not to see the male body as “art” in the same way that we do with women. Pictures of scantily clothed men are for bodybuilders and gays. No exceptions.
So if you’re a heterosexual women on your way to your House-soundtracked beach party paradise, sorry your sexual preference isn’t in as little clothes (or as good looking) as the men’s paradise-personnel are. Unless you can show us a long-term gym membership, lift a 30kg dumbell or pick me out a nice outfit while pretending to be a man — it’s just tits for you babe. Sorry. It’s sexist, I know.
Does House Music have a Misogyny Problem?
Thump – Vice’s online electronic music magazine – posted an interesting article entitled ‘This “Thigh Gap” YouTube Channel Proves That House Music Has a Misogyny Problem’. Picking up on something that many have noticed for years — House music loves sexy ladies. Brands like Majestic Casual are guilty as charged in this arena, putting pictures of girls who look like supermodels on pretty much… well, almost anything to be honest. Imagine an Abercrombie and Fitch marketing campaign, just without the men and a little more colourful and you’re basically spot on.
Does House music ‘hate women’ like the term misogynist suggests? No, I don’t think so. If anything House music loves women a little too much. Well perhaps not all women. If you’ve ever eaten like a real person at Christmas, or thought twice about whether or not your thighs can sneak past that part of your jeans with the smallest circumference – you’re probably not in. Those of interest here are the small few fitting a certain shape, with an even complexion and a top notch set of tubers. Bang tidy mate.
Is the fact that supermodels and little else seem to dominate the aesthetic of House music — and it’s popular 21st century incarnation, Deep House — a sign of sexism though? I don’t know.
Deep House has in it’s short and fashionable lifespan fallen victim to a few stereotypes and fans of Deep House are it’s chief victim. You know what I’m talking about: people who ride the latest trends like a 50 stone man rides a donkey. Ruining something that was perfectly good and fun for the rest of us. Those who adorn their online presence with scenic pictures of that amazing time in Magalluf or Ibiza. From their endless stream of holiday snaps — cocktails, swimming pools and sunsets — you’d be forgiven for thinking they’d spent 2 weeks at Chris Brown’s house sipping Sex On The Beach with the rich and famous. Not slumming it in 2 star hotels and tying yourself to the all-inclusive bar. Which closes at 11pm, oh shit.
I’ve been in House raves played by some fairly big named DJs with a good solid setlist, only to find myself unable to stop thinking about things like — for example — the bloke behind me pointing his fingers in the air like a gun with an expression like he’s gonna eat someone. Either he’s walked into the wrong room or he’s gone and taken too much coke when MDMA would’ve suited. This is peace and love – save that face for the drum and bass my friend. Or people walking around like they’re young money, taking selfies with that free bottle of champagne you and your five friends finished half an hour ago. Everyone conveniently forgets they work for Starbucks for a night. Nice.
Almost everything about House music today oozes this aspirational, party goer, Instagram-picture-perfect lifestyle that seems freshly shat out of any one of the world’s celebrity magazines. The video for Duke Dumont’s steel drum epic “I Got U” is essentially a guy dreaming of his millionaire’s pool-party holiday with a beautiful girl in tow. Like the old guard of House music, the main themes in this 21st century edition are — unsurprisingly — euphoria, paradise and pleasure. My friend once described House to me as “just the good notes… played again, and again, and again” which I don’t think is too far off in some of the more unimaginative cases. There’s a reason E-heads picked Acid House as their music of choice: ecstasy brings happiness and House music… kind of… sounds like happiness.
I’m partial to a bit of House music myself, much like I’m partial to most genres. But nowhere else in electronic music is this faux-celeb lifestyle the prevailing look. In terms of stereotypes and generalizations: If Dubstep was rave music for people with flat-peaks and snapbacks, then House music is for those trying to live a millionaire’s lifestyle on a Friday payday. For most men a plethora (yes, a plethora) of beautiful, near naked women is a part of that paradise that House music tries to convert into soundwaves. The sad thing is that House music (unlike Dubstep and Drum and Bass, for example) is not a macho, male dominated pursuit. Anyone who’s ever House’d Out in the company of real people will know that there is a fairly even mix of vaginas and phalli on the dancefloor when the DJ gets his Deep on.
Does this mean that chiseled, strapping male models in speedos handing out Long Island Ice Teas are common and prominent in the House aesthetic? And that we’re simply not paying attention? No. For some reason near naked ladies look much better on a t shirt and in a music video than their male counterparts, even heterosexual women seem to agree. I genuinely don’t think a t shirt adorned with the browned torso of even the world’s most beautiful man would sell quite as well, I don’t even think most women would like or buy it. We’re conditioned not to see the male body as “art” in the same way that we do with women. Pictures of scantily clothed men are for bodybuilders and gays. No exceptions.
So if you’re a heterosexual women on your way to your House-soundtracked beach party paradise, sorry your sexual preference isn’t in as little clothes (or as good looking) as the men’s paradise-personnel are. Unless you can show us a long-term gym membership, lift a 30kg dumbell or pick me out a nice outfit while pretending to be a man — it’s just tits for you babe. Sorry. It’s sexist, I know.
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