FEMALE METALHEADS: TAKING A STAND

Luckily, as the years progressed, this unequal presence had begun to gradually balance out. In 1979, the first all-female band appeared and rocked the heavy metal scene. Their name? Girlschool. Ever since their support and promotion from Motorhead, the face of all women involved in the heavy metal was forever changed. Another big event that changed the way women were seen in the community was when Warlock’s Teutonic star Doro Pesch first stepped onto the stage (Kelly). These women, among many others, were the chief pioneers of changing the way women were viewed in heavy metal -- if not for them, the perspective of women in the heavy metal world today would still be skewed and biased; these include women like Girlschool, The Runaways, Dawn Crosby, and Doro Pesch. All of these women were major influential factors behind the beginnings of the demand for respect for females in this genre of music. They worked tirelessly to be noticed and overcome countless obstacles, more than men will ever know or understand (Herz). They were the first to throw punches at the gender-based barriers in hopes of depleting them completely, just so they could participate in their destined passions.