Guardian Music Blog- Indie

"Androgyny can even been seen in the common use of falsetto by male singers as a higher register is usually associated with femininity."

"the blending of gender-coded imagery where androgyny has been consistent in clothing and physicality."

"I've often thought that indie kids try to purport a more enlightened sense of gender relations between themselves (the boys and the girls dress really similarly, for example.)"

In these three quotes from the below blog, it is suggested that, within the 'indie' genre, the boundaries and differences between masculine and feminine stereotypes are blurred; and many stereotypes, henceforth, are broken. In our music video we also plan to break stereotypes- which ironically also is following a stereotype of the genre. Additionally, we are going to dress both the males and females we choose to have, in our video, in plain coloured and styled clothing. We are going to use the basic colours of black and white, and simple clothing styles as not to draw the attention away from other things that are happening, but also to fit with stereotypes of the genre.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2010/sep/01/gender-stereotypes-indie-music

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Ask the indie professor: Are gender stereotypes still present in indie music?

Indie likes to pride itself on having an enlightened sense of gender relations. But that doesn't stop female audience members from being groped at shows

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Surf's up ... A girl in a 'no crowd-surfing' T-shirt. Photograph: Wendy Fonarow for the Guardian

I've often thought that indie kids try to purport a more enlightened sense of gender relations between themselves (the boys and the girls dress really similarly, for example). Is this the case, and is their subculture some kind of equality-based utopia? Or are gender stereotypes still present but instead played out in a different way?
GuidedByVeal

Without a doubt, indie has a more enlightened sense of gender relations than many musical genres. You can see this in a number of areas, such as pioneering co-ed bands (Pixies, Arcade Fire, Lush, the White Stripes, Elastica, My Bloody Valentine, Quasi, Slowdive, the xx , Autolux, Beach House, the Kills, feel free to carry on) and the blending of gender-coded imagery where androgyny has been consistent in clothing and physicality. Blur didn't write "Girls who are boys, who like boys to be girls, who do boys like they're girls, who do girls like they're boys" for nothing. Androgyny can even been seen in the common use of falsetto by male singers as a higher register is usually associated with femininity. The blending of gender imagery is common in rock and pop, but the central value of equality, even between performers and audience has made humanist gender relations the ideal in indie.

However, in practicality, indie does not exist in some parallel universe. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen female musicians ignored in interviews. Additionally, female spectatorship and fanship is sexualised. There is an assumption if you are female at a show that you are sexually available to performers. Just earlier this year, on Jeopardy (a popular game show in the US), university student Lindsay Eanet said she would like to be a music journalist like the fictional character William Miller (from Almost Famous, based on the experiences of Cameron Crowewriting for Rolling Stone). The host said, "Oh, so you want to be a groupie?" As she explained that she wanted to be a professional journalist, he once again mouthed to the camera "groupie". Of course, it implies all female professionals are there to get guys in bands (like this is such a hard thing – seriously, you don't need to work in the music industry to get laid). This assumption that audiences are filled with sexually overwhelmed girls is belied by the fact that for rock and metal as well as for indie the audiences are disproportionately male. 

At indie shows, you still see gender distinctions in distribution patterns and activities. Women tend to stand right at the front and by the speaker stacks, rarely in the central area where dancing might happen. Groping is absolutely taboo, yet women are still loathe to crowd surf because it only takes one jerk in an audience to violate a woman which limits her ability to participate in audience activities available to males. During my research I've been told by countless women that they refrained from crowd-surfing and most of them (including myself) had been groped at shows (interestingly, both men and women came to my defence – this is a typical tale from many female audience members). After that happens, they often chose a different location or move further back so it won't happen again.

The restriction of female participation was part of the rationale for stopping stage diving and discouraging crowd-surfing. British indie has been – and still is – consistently and significantly more egalitarian in terms of gender relations than America. In the noughties, when indie aesthetics overtook alternative music in the US, it ostensibly produced more female equality. The musical points of reference moved from "aggressive" to "fey" and "effeminate" – in line with UK bands of the 1980s and 90s. With indie, the feminine body and voice replaced the punk rockism of grunge and Riot Grrrl.

However, even in 2006, when Pitchfork reviewed my book on the culture of indie music, the writer actually talked about my cleavage! Always something you want to include in a review of a female author's book. I'd like to say it's a big topic that needs more discussion, but if I did that, someone might call me a tease.