Women singers singing in their knickers.

[Thelasthurdle]

I admit I'm older generation.
I'm a great admirer of singers such as Nina Simone, Linda Ronstadt, Suzi Quatro, Christine Perfect, Joan Baez, Tracy Chapman etc, etc.
They all not only have great voices but also real musical talent.
And they also don't stand and sing in their knickers
So what is it with people like Beyonce and Rhianna? If they really are talented why do they need to sing in their knickers? Why do they need to use sex to sell their songs? They are powerful enough not to bend to the industry pressure on them. Why not stand or fall on their talents rather than on selling their sexuality.?

When I read this post headline I was imagining a women's choir for some reason 😂
I have to say I get fed up with looking at bottoms, whether it be women singers or Sam Smith. I just do audio now, no video.

Then don’t show it?

Exactly.

Apparently black women are held to much different standards than white women.

Or men for that matter!

I wish people would research their racism more.

I mean WAP came out not long ago and she didn’t even mention that?!

She needs to update her racist beliefs to more current events. Make an effort at least.

Not showing off your underwear should be a standard in society

I didn't know they did. Admittedly I'm not an avid watcher of these singing stars but from what I see from time to time, they seem to wear stage costumes rather than underwear. They may be skimpy and glittery etc.

You missed a whole fashion trend in the 90’s apparently.

Maybe though you could share some pics of these gorgeous powerful talented black women wearing underwear on stage?

Do you object to gymnasts? Figure skaters? Actors in movies? Bathing suits? Men on stage?

Or just “some women” wearing skimpy clothing?

Really surprised how so many have missed the sexploitation argument of women’s (& men’s) bodies in the entertainment industry. It’s massively influenced by porn culture & surprised everyone thinks it’s ok for young women to want to emulate it. Guess Bianca Censori & Kanye have got a willing audience here when all the sexualisation is doing is pushing the envelope in terms of what’s considered acceptable & trading on boring shock value. In the 60’s there were mini skirts & in the 00’s women were wearing their knickers. Women don’t control these industries & while Beyoncé & Rhianna & Taylor are now probably autonomous, the majority are still owned by patriarchal labels in the main.

This is the singer Dan, from Imagine Dragons.
Preforming in just swim shorts

There is also VERY MUCH a difference between Bianca Censori being told to strip off by Kanye and Beyonce dancing in a leotard...

Dancers wearing leotards is not wearing knickers 🙄 it’s standard dance wear.

Do you mean like this, @Thelasthurdle ?

But as pp have pointed out, context and history is everything. Generally speaking, female actors, gymnasts, dancers and performers (not swimmers) wear fewer and more revealing clothes than men.

Yes, the women mentioned here look incredible. Yes, they are phenomenally talented. Yes, they are choosing what they wear and 'owning' their sexuality etc.

But none of this exists in a vacuum. It must be viewed through the lens of male domination of the various entertainment industries and the LONG history of women being decorative performers. There is not equality, despite the odd example of Man Performs In Pants. For me, that's the problem.

Controversial perhaps, but this could also be seen, to quote a song as “sisters doing it for themselves”. Many of these women are making more money from the industry than ever before and a lot have a predominantly female fanbase.

In many societies, l don’t need to name them, women are forced to cover up, are hidden away, some cannot even show their faces, let alone a knee.

l say bring on the sparkle but let’s own the sparkle and let us to continue not to be told to cover up.

Could also be seen through the lens of an industry dominated by white people, and black women being called to different standards is racism.

Both of these are at two extremes - covering up totally or going around in your knickers. Thankfully, there's a whole normality in the middle.
Both extremes are patriarchal in origin and bring to mind the quote where women are seen as either private property or public property.

Agree 💯

Womwn dressing up in skimpy outfits is due to misogyny and male gaze. Nothing to do with freedom of expression

Assuming women are dressing a certain way for men to stare at them all strikes me as one step above victim blaming...

While I get the misogyny argument, which is actually multifaceted, how does the male gaze one work when their (especially the younger female artists mentioned) fan base is predominantly female?

This. Add to this the fact that the same female singers have women who are lesbian and gay men and amongst their fanbase.

Just as in women walking down the street or dressed up for a special night out, it’s not all about attracting the male gaze.

And can we please stop calling stage-wear knickers.

By brainwashing & normalising sexualising women’s bodies such that we do it to ourselves & believe we’re empowered when we do! It’s all such BS. It’s patriarchal & commodifying women’s bodies as has been going on since the get go. And women producers, record label execs, directors, are still massively underrepresented in the music & entertainment industry (as are the number of female headliners at festivals & industry events).

My body is not sexualised. My body is sexual.

Should we not be focussing on redressing the balance of the sexes in key roles, the importance of “Me Too”, the emphasis of consent and what it truly means? No, l don’t think this ties in with what women wear on stage.

Plus there are lesbians (some quite famous) in the industry.

In my personal life, l tend to live in dresses, rarely wear trousers or jeans, but l am not doing it to attract men.

Personal preference, desperation, attention seeking, who knows?

I don't blame the women

I blame society for misleading women, telling them that skimpy revealing clothes are empowering, so men can ogle at them

No

You are saying women have no agency. Can't decide how they want to dress. And if they wear anything "sexy" it can't possibly be because THEY feel good, or it's practical, but because they want men to look at them

Which is one step above "she was asking for it, dressing like that around meme"