FEMALE METALHEADS: TAKING A STAND

Even though women have finally stood up and demanded recognition of their presence, they still encounter a great number of struggles today. They might be more accepted within the heavy metal subculture than before, but there are still people who believe that they do not belong -- whether for masculinity or sheer sexism, it ranges from person to person. For example, it is said that women cannot be “true fans” of the music because they generally do not have as much money as men to devote to the passion they have. Also, some believe women are less active in the public aspect of metal, such as they usually enjoy the music in private versus, which is not what a true fan does (Hill 176-77). Nonetheless, women are doing their best to prove that the way they appreciate their music choice does not make them a mediocre fan; everyone has their preferred style of venue for music listening.

 

Another difficulty women face today is the issue of the context in which they are spoken about or sung by in heavy metal songs. In majority of songs by some of the most famous metal bands, women are portrayed as lesser than men (Friesen). Many women would also have to agree that they are susceptible to being portrayed in a negative manner -- or sexualized as objects on album art, flyers, and magazines. This provides an unrealistic expectation of what it means to be a “woman of heavy metal,” and can, at times, be truly offensive and even taken personally by some (Hickam and Wallach 264). This injustice fuels all women, not just heavy metal fans, to stand up and have their voices heard. 

 

Since the original breakthrough, plenty of people have witnessed significant changes within the heavy metal subculture. Today, women’s opinions are actually heard, and not only as astounding musicians, but also as editors, producers, and management members as well. Though some might assume that a woman’s article or other piece of work published in a magazine, fanzine, or blog would not be considered relevant to or worthy by males, men really do appreciate, respect, and take a genuine interest into what women have to say. For example, Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course in Brain Surgery has four female chapter authors, Heavy Metal Music in Britain has three female contributors, and Metal Rules the Globe also has three female contributors. There are a lot less women involved in these than men, but the number has grown immensely compared to what times to be like in the 80’s and 90’s (Hickam and Wallach).

 

Women never used to have a say when it came to writing about metal. They are also accepted as fans. The culture is becoming more and more filled with women fans and now they are no longer considered new or resisted by males (Hickam). Males are especially becoming more fond of women’s work when it comes to their musical talent. Musicians such as Dorthia Cottrell, Alissa White-Gluz, Julie Christmas, Juliette Lewis, and Christine Davis are very well known and appreciated for their talent.

 

Dorthia Cottrell is a doom-metal singer who has been recently catching the attention of heavy metal listeners. Her voice is unlike anything heard before and she tends to sing about gloomier darker things (Gotrich). In years to come she is predicted to make a big impact on the metal community.

 

Alissa White-Gluz is the former lead singer of The Antagonist and now the current lead singer of Arch Enemy (Chichester).. She surprisingly took over for Angela Gossow in 2014 with no intentions of leaving The Antagonist and has been leading the band ever since. As a women taking over for someone such as Gossow would be a very tough job, but as she says, “Its is not often that you get a call from your favorite band asking you to join!” (Pasbani).

 

Julie Christmas is very well known for her beautiful voice and her amazing talent for writing lyrics. Recently, according to Metalsucks, she has been voted number six for The Top 25 Modern Metal Frontman (Rosenberg). This is a great accomplishment considering she is a female. This article about Christmas was written by a male and all he does is praise her for her talent and says, “If you ever have the chance to see Julie Christmas perform live and you don’t take it, you’re a goddam fool”. She has been noticed because her performance is like nothing ever seen before, Rosenberg describes it as if you are seeing something private, something not meant for your eyes.

 

Juliette Lewis is currently the lead of the band Juliette and the Licks. What is unique about her is that she has been in the spot-light way before her debut as a front woman in heavy metal. She has been acting ever since she was eighteen years old and did not dedicate herself to music until she was thirty (Biography.com). Lewis fits into every aspect of what a woman in heavy metal stands for and is an inspiration to women everywhere for going after her dreams even when it seemed like she already had everything she could want.

 

Christine Davis is the signer for Christian Mistress and she also handles most of the business for them as well. Her ability to multi-task is essentially what helps the band run so smoothly. If it was not for her strong presence onstage and her accomplishments for the band off stage, then they probably would not be doing so well (Kelly). It is a good thing that now a women does not just sing for the band, but she also pretty much runs the band as well, since there was once a day that no one would accept or listen to a female’s opinion about this genre of music.

 

Each of these women have been able to be noticed because of their wonderful talent and also because of the ones who came before them. They were inspired by the pioneers of the New Wave of Women in Heavy Metal and now they will be an inspiration and role models to all the females to come. These women prove that this gender has emerged  from the darkness and will not give in to feeling like they are the lesser sex.