About six months ago i was at an academic conference. One of the other women on my panel was discussing a paper (part of her dissertation) that she wrote on women in hip hop. Claiming to have been in the scene for some 20 yrs this women's work had a lot of insight. She discussed the various roles that women currently occupy in the scene...whether it be that of sex object to sell records or more of a fuck the mainstream attitude and persona.
After the presentation i had a discussion with her about women in electronic music. She started talking about how earlier on women in hip hop were even more so than today expected to maintain and fit a certain role if they wanted to "make it" in the field/scene. Then we got onto a discussion of how what is begin to happen in hip hop to overcome some of this - and electronic music but to a lesser extent as of yet - is that more women are beginning to take control. As Emma was saying, more women need to play the music, make the music...occupy positions as djs, producers, writers, and speakers, because the scene, especially the scene affiliated with this list, is still predominantly and overwhelmingly represented and occupied by males. And as someone else said, it does all come back to gender socialization, not to women being any less capable. From a very early age we are taught the characteristics that we are supposed to possess as males and females...all of which is severely damaging to any of us become the complete people we should be, yet it continues unrelentlessly. And while many of us know that we need to be more vocal, as diane stated, i do think lots of women get intimidated by this list, maybe because not as many of us are djs or producers, or haven't been around since '91 and thus, find it more difficult to "prove" ourselves. For as long as the music has been around women have supported it, be it at events, buying music, etc. When i think about the population that is mainly supporting parties these days it is clear that there are at least an equal number of young women that support events as young men. But lately i've been thinking about the reasons that some of these young women are more concerned with what they're gonna wear out to an event then who the talent is (as are some young men as well but to a lesser extent i think). What i predict and hope for is that women's involvement will the scene will grow on a number of levels as more women begin to occupy spaces as - djs, producers, writers, speakers,- role models for the rest of us. If you read all this thanks a lot. I know i haven't laid any real conclusions out but it's something i've been thinking about for a long time. bekka.
