Sexist bullsh*t: It’s not just for Hollywood!
A group of young women competing in a live music contest were told by one of the judges to “use the sultry to draw in the crowd.” Not only was this a grossly inappropriate comment to make, but it’s also downright creepy because, as the ladies in the Massachusetts-based rock trio Kalliope Jones pointed out on Facebook, “WE ARE CHILDREN! WE ARE 14-16 YEARS OLD.”
Vocalist and guitarist Isabella DeHerdt, drummer Alouette Batteau, and bassist Amelia Chalfant competed in the junior division of the Three County Fair Battle of the Bands earlier this month, and finished in third place. They’re not upset that they lost; they’re rightfully pissed that one of the judges handed them a card that under the “Stage Presence – Showmanship” category read:
– Good outfitting style — matches music style well
– ♥ the sultry in bassist voice + Guitar singer’s too (sic)
– Use the sultry to draw in the crowd.
– Audience participation opportunities missedThe unidentified judge, whose name was not printed on the sheet, issued Kalliope Jones one extra bonus point with the brief note that “Chicks Rock.” (Via)
That’s like saying something racist, then adding, “I have one black friend.” Kalliope Jones, as a united front, took to Facebook to explain what happened, including an interaction with their evaluators (there were three total, two of which were women). They “asked if they had made similar comments to any of the bands that were made up of only boys,” to which the judges responded, “Oh, no. It is a completely different thing.” It’s not.
Kalliope continued on Facebook:
This conspicuous act of sexist and stereotypical thinking was deplorable and pathetic. The fact that they made these glaring and crude, sexist and stereotypical notes about our performance was made worse by the fact that they did so while drinking beer, blowing their bloated beery breath in our faces. It was astonishing , revolting, and VERY offensive. We are grateful to have ranked among the top three performers (who, by the way, besides us, were all boys), but to be judged on our sex appeal and told that we need to be more sexy in order to make it as musicians goes against everything we have been taught. (Via)
In a follow-up interview with MTV, the band asked, “Why did they find it necessary to give us extra points just for being as good as the boys? Why wouldn’t we be as good as the boys?”
You’re not. You’re better.
