2. Write down five (Favorite) female musicians. Before we begin…
3. Roles for Women in rock music Women adopt four strategies for constructing themselves as rock musicians: The first simply imitates the male model: women enact the norms (toughness, aggression, rebellion) of masculinity. In the second strategy, women bring ‘femininity’ to rock by positing a female strength (which may valorize normative constructions of femininity). The third, more postmodern strategy recognizes the performative nature of gender and relies on the construction of self-conscious and provisional identities that can be turned against the society that created them. The final strategy recognizes the painful tension that exists for women between assuming a feminine essence and performing a series of strategic identities, and it focuses on the process between the two” (Carson, Lewis, and Shaw 78).
4. Think over your favorite (Female) musicians. What strategies do you think they are using? Any? Many? Joan Jett—what strategies does she use? Have they changed throughout her career?
5. Youtube Videos--Rap Queen Latifah isn’t necessarily rock, but her presence in Hip Hop has often been critical of the establishment. In “U.N.I.T.Y.” she issues a challenge to the larger community & notes how sexism disrupts attempts at racial justice initiatives.
6. Youtube videos—country Tammy Wynette & “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad.” How does she assert herself in this song? Does she challenge gendered stereotypes? Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” deals with the notion of a glass ceiling and undervaluing of women’s work by a male boss.
7. Youtube videos—1990s AniDiFranco in “Not a Pretty Girl” seeks to challenge traditional gender roles. How does this song still rely on M/F binaries though? “Rebel Girl”—how is Bikini Kill challenging gender stereotypes?
8. AniDifranco“Little Plastic Castle” 1998 People talkAbout my imageLike I come in two dimensionsLike lipstick is a sign of my declining mindLike what I happen to be wearingThe day that someone takes a pictureIs my new statement for all of womankind
9. Youtube Videos—2000s How effective is the role reversal that The Donna’s sing about in “Take It Off?” P!nk’s song “Stupid Girls” is one of the most clearly critical of contemporary women’s roles. What sort of femininity does P!nk perform herself?
10. What’s its like to be a girl in a band?I don't quite understandThat's so quaint to hearI feel so faint my dear—Kim Gordon & Sonic Youth “Sacred Trickster” 2010
