Current female singers that don't use good looks and sexuality?

[mids2019]

I was having a discussion with my daughter's about dining, specifically women, and both said you have to be good looking and sexy to be a singer. The girls quoted Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, Due Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae etc. as exmaples. To my heart's dismay I had to agree......It all was tipped off by Olivia Rodrigo's nurses dress in her newest video.

Looking at the men though the likes of Ed Sheeran, Sam Fender,Alex Warren etc. can get away with jeans and a jacket. The double standards are quite apparent and I feel that girls with good singing voices are being dissuaded from careers in music because of a false impression you need to be attractive and willing to use your sexuality to make it in a career.

An I over reacting or is their an inherent sexism and exploration in the music industry?

Little Simz doesn't dress for the male gaze.

There are very few 20-40 year old women with access to good makeup, wardrobe advisers and who are doing a job they (hopefully) love who would not come across as more attractive than the average woman on the street.

That’s a different question to: dressing in skimpy leotards? y/n

ETA and as such a woman in the public eye, wanting to look as good as you can is not “using your good looks” - it is being able to look at pictures of yourself and be happy with them, and hopefully minimise “sidebar of shame” type BS on social and mainstream media

I think it slightly depends on what type of performer you are and who your target market is. I saw Sabrina Carpenter at a festival once and she isn't a particularly memorable performer. If I'm completely honest she could have been replaced by any slim blond in a small dress who could sing well. That means celebrities like that have to look attractive and be marketed extremely well or they will be replaced by another young pretty singer. Teenage girls want to dream of themselves in the role of the singer and that isn't so fun if the singer is unattractive.

Sigrid (don’t think she uses a surname?)
has a normal girl next door vibe, quite popular with 11 year old DD and her friends

Was about to say Sigrid too. Very talented and any time I've seen her she's been in jeans and t-shirt.

Rosalia. Don't get me wrong, she's attractive in a striking way, but she doesn't use this to sell her music. She's a pop artist but very different/artistic imo.

Although Taylor Swift has girl next door looks, I've personally never felt she uses her looks and sexuality.

I really like Lola Young. I love Florence from Florence and the Machines. I don't think Chapel Roan carers to the male gaze. I also like Maisie Peters.

If you're willing to look at something a bit more alternative/less poppy, I think Last Dinner Party are a fantastic female led band. Some of the songs swear so be mindful of that.

Another of my fave groups are called the Crawlers, defo not built on looks. But the music won't be everyone's cup of tea. My faves are Hang me Like Jesus and Can't Even Drive.

Girl in red. DD is a massive fan. Norwegian singer so not massively mainstream.

PJ Harvey is though 😍
Very talented, great performer, very sexy without trying to be.

I went to see her way back in the mists of the mid 1990s and to this day it still ranks as my favourite gig.

I agree !

Adele and Lizzo did pretty well without being conventionally attractive.

You wouldn't get a load of top sops rolling up for a performance of Mozart's Requiem in just their undies.

(I know. I'll shut up. Just sayin'.)

I'd argue that that's partly because women are more attractive than men in general, and partly because when you've got a team of stylists and hairdressers on hand, it's a lot easier to make an average man look attractive than an average woman.

Yes, sex sells, and you get far more female artists dressing up "sexy" clothes than male ones, but you're discounting a lot of female artists who are popular for their music just because they look attractive, when really they're average looking women with the time and money to go to the gym, have a personal trainer and spend hours with a stylist before every public appearance.

Not sure if she's been mentioned previously, but I'm off to see Aldous Harding tonight and whilst she's attractive in a quirky way, it's very much the music that matters.

Agree with Little Simz

also Romy (from the XX)
Lykke Li
Kacey Musgraves

Chappell Roan?

KT Tunstall

Remember the 1994 “Hips. Lips. Tits. Power” Q Mag cover with PJ. Tori and Bjork?

None of them are in a skimpy leotard but they’re all attractive, styled, great make up. Which is why I don’t like the “using their good looks” framing of the OP, as newsreaders, TV presenters, actors etc will all be styled to look great in publicity.

And her compatriot, Aurora. She’s obviously beautiful (hard not to be if you are Norwegian) but doesn’t dress provocatively. More kooky forest spirit.

I agree. Also, what a trio of fantastic female artists 😄

The amazing Yuja Wang often performs in very revealing outfits indeed (and why shouldn't she? ). Not a singer I know, but a serious classical musician very much at the top of her game.

Yes, she's amazing and always looks wonderful, but also she still retains a sense of class IMO and doesn't assign to bondage!.

I asked 17 and he said Adrienne Lenker

How is Zara Larson not real? She’s an incredibly talented singer who began her career when she was just a child.

Also I’d argue Lizzo is not conventionally attractive.

She's a coke addict!!!